Title: Art Myths Debunked

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Word Count:
402

Summary:
Assumption: Art becomes more valuable once an artist dies.

Actuality: Prices escalate only when demand is greater than supply. Prices can increase if there was a shortage of the artist’s work prior to his or her death and if the demand continues to be significantly greater than supply. Art News (November 2003) presented an article on the ten most wanted artworks. These would sell individually for more than $5 Million IF the present owners would let me them go. However, as…

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Assumption: Art becomes more valuable once an artist dies.

Actuality: Prices escalate only when demand is greater than supply. Prices can increase if there was a shortage of the artist’s work prior to his or her death and if the demand continues to be significantly greater than supply. Art News (November 2003) presented an article on the ten most wanted artworks. These would sell individually for more than $5 Million IF the present owners would let me them go. However, as the collectors know they could not acquire a replacement painting/sculpture/drawing, they won’t be selling these artworks.

Assumption: An artist’s proof is more valuable than a print from the regular edition.

Actuality: Artist’s proofs are routinely consistent with the regular edition in appearance and value. On rare occasions, a color trial proof be judged to be more valuable than the regular edition or an artist’s proof. this happens when the reigning experts determine the color trial proof represents a more handsome product than the regular edition or artist’s proof.

Assumption: It’s just a print.

Actuality: Some artist’s do or do not choose to paint. Their art “translates” more successfully using an original print medium such as lithography, etching, serigraphy, or woodcuts. Some original prints have sold for more than $100,000 when done by prominent artists. The only time an art professional might utter “It’s just a print” is when they are referencing a reproductive print. This is usually a photographic rendition of an existing artwork, in other words, a photomechanical copy.

Why can’t you value my art from photographs?

? Liability
? As long as I am a professional art appraiser, I am held to a different standard than someone functioning strictly as a dealer.
? PLUS I like to be right!!!

Photographs do NOT reveal all condition issues and the public is not trained to properly describe them. How many of you can recognize light staining, mat burning, foxing, etc? These and other condition flaws significantly impact value.

? A reproduction attached to canvas virtually looks the same as an original oil painting in a photograph. Unless I know which museum is currently hosting the actual painting, I cannot be perfectly sure you are showing me a photographically generated reproduction or an actual painting when viewing a photograph. Now there are gicle? prints printed on canvas and enhanced with paint, a hands-on inspection is a must.

Categories: Art

Title: Art in London

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Word Count:
518

Summary:
London has always been one of the most well known cities in the world. A culturally rich city, London is visited by millions each year.

Keywords:
london, art

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London has always been one of the most well known cities in the world. A culturally rich city, London is visited by millions each year. Currently London has several fascinating and unique art exhibits on display, one of the most impressive being a collection of Michelangelo drawings at the British Museum. This exhibit is entitled, ?Closer to the Master? and is on display from March 23rd until June 25th.

This spectacular exhibit displays an incredible selection of one the world?s all-time best Renaissance artists. It draws together various pieces from several other museums, creating an entirely unique collection. It brings together pieces of Michelangelo?s work that have never been seen together before and that have been separated since the dispersion of Michelangelo?s studio during the mid 1500?s. The exhibit displays pieces in chronological order and emphasizes connections between various pieces as well as the importance of various drawings.

Several of the drawings included show the meticulous forethought Michelangelo had in making many of his famous pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and architectures. It is made apparent how he spent hours perfecting every element of a project on paper before he began the actual work itself. Along with the various drawings several paintings and sculptures are also on exhibit on loan from the National Gallery. Several letters written by Michelangelo himself are also on loan from the British Library, offering unique insight into Michelangelo?s persona, showing his complex and petulant character. Among all these drawings are several pieces that stand out more than others as far as their significance. These more notable pieces include; the Study for Adam from the Sistine Chapel, studies for the figure of Day from the Medici Tombs, Flying Angels from the Last Judgement and his final and slightly disturbing Crucifixions.

The London exhibit is open daily from 10 am until 5:30 pm and runs on a timed-ticket entry. The latest time of entry is 4:40 pm, however it is open late on Thursdays and Fridays (until 8:30 pm with the latest entry at 7:40). The cost of entry is ?10 for adults and ?5 to ?9 for concessions. Tickets are available directly at the box office however it is recommended that you book in advance so as to ensure admission alone and also to be able to schedule your admission time. The British Museum is located on Great Russell Street, WC1 and is most easily accessible from the tube (subway) stations at Tottenham Court Road or at Russell Square.

This exhibit in London is exceedingly captivating and will provide memories to last a lifetime. This is certainly one of the most unique exhibitions you will ever have the opportunity to see and its ability to bring together various aspects of Michelangelo?s life is said to be unreal. If you are an aficionado of Michelangelo?s this exhibit is a must and even for those less knowledgeable in art this exhibit is highly enjoyable. This is a must see for anyone who is remotely interested in Renaissance art. If you are going to see only one art exhibit in London all year this is definitely the one to see!

Categories: Art

Title: Art Gallery

Word Count:
365

Summary:
Visiting an art gallery is an educational and worthwhile venture. Why not take the time and visit your local art gallery with a friend or take the whole family.

Keywords:
Art gallery, art centers, art, online art gallery

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Art Galleries are generally known for art that highlights the natural beauty all around the world. Everyday there are people creating entirely new works of art, and placing them in art galleries all over the world.

The type of art included in a gallery can vary. Art can encompass a wide variety of medium, such as, drawings, paintings, photography, and sculpture, to name a few. The purpose of the art gallery is to show off the work of local and national artists in a way that people will want to purchase them. Many of the artist?s works can also be bought as prints. This allows the artist to sell more, while making the price more affordable to people.

Local Art Galleries

Most major cities have wonderful art galleries. If you have never visited an art gallery, you should make a point to do so. You may think that an art gallery is not where you would want to spend the afternoon, but you may be surprised at how interesting an art gallery can be. Check your local phone book for an art gallery near you.

Virtual Art Galleries

If you have Internet access, then you can find an online art gallery, my choice as well. If you can view and possibly order from the comfort of your own home why not. Virtual tours of art galleries are a lot of fun.

As with walk in art galleries, virtual art galleries are also worldwide. Listed below are a few galleries that you can visit online.

o Art Vitam, Miami, Florida
o Art of this Century, Paris, France
o Art Space/Virginia Miller Galleries, Coral Gables, Florida
o Artco Galleria de Arte, Lima, Peru
o Casa d?Arte San Lorenzo, Pisa, Italy
o Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts, Miami, Florida
o Espace D’Art Yvonamor Palix, Paris, France
o Galleria El Museo, Bogot?, Colombia
o Galleria Habana, Mexico D.F., Mexico
o Galleria de Arte Isabel Aninat, Santiago, Chile

Take the time to experience wonderful works of art at your local art gallery or on the internet. Even if you are not an art enthusiast, the works of fine artists all over the world will impress you.

Categories: Art

Title: Art For Sale: Keep An Eye Out

Word Count:
438

Summary:
As an interior designer, I always have my eyes peeled for the latest and greatest things for decorating homes and office spaces. I have a knack for detail and a knack for making mis-matched things come together, so interior design is the perfect job for me. One of my favorite things to watch for and to encourage my clients to watch for is any art for sale. You really have to keep a good eye out for art for sale. Why? Because it is rare to have unique pieces of great art be fo…

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art for sale

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As an interior designer, I always have my eyes peeled for the latest and greatest things for decorating homes and office spaces. I have a knack for detail and a knack for making mis-matched things come together, so interior design is the perfect job for me. One of my favorite things to watch for and to encourage my clients to watch for is any art for sale. You really have to keep a good eye out for art for sale. Why? Because it is rare to have unique pieces of great art be for sale to the public, and when art is for sale, it often goes quickly to the highest bidder. So your eyes must be peeled with a pretty good idea of what you’re looking for if you want to find art for sale.

Something you must do before you purchase any art for sale is create a budget. With any decorating project there is need for a budget because things can quickly get out of hand. So sit down and be realistic about the percentage of your funds that you can devote to finding pieces of art for sale. If you go into searching with a budget you will have a far greater chance of finding things you like and of not being disappointed when things are out of your price range.

Another important thing is to have an idea for what kinds of things you are looking for being you look for art for sale. The world of art is much more vast than you might think, so you have to be prepared or you will likely get overwhelmed. Grab an interior designer or a friend with good taste and begin to gather good ideas for pieces that would add to the uniqueness and style of your home. Finding art for sale that meets your needs will be much easier if you know what your needs art.

There are countless places that you can find art for sale, and a lot of that depends on what kind of art you hope to find. Look in your local newspaper to see what kinds of art for sale ads you can find. See if there are any great art shows in your area or if there will be a local exhibition by an artist. Finding great art for sale is hard and yet easy to do. Talk to friends or family members that support local artists and get their ideas about good art for sale. Make your home a place everyone will want to spend time in and enjoy by finding the right art for sale.

Categories: Art

Title: Art – Make It Your Next Investment

Word Count:
441

Summary:
There are a lot of people who enjoy decorating with beautiful and original pieces of art. Some may think that they spent a fortune on it, but if the attended an art festival they nay have found a bargain.

Attending an art festival to look for your next purchase of a piece of art is a great way to save money. You never know what you are going to find. There are many different artists supplying a variety in different pieces. Whether it is a wall hanging of sculpture for your…

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art,painting,paintings,museum,sculpture,exhibitions,education,gallery,artist

Article Body:
There are a lot of people who enjoy decorating with beautiful and original pieces of art. Some may think that they spent a fortune on it, but if the attended an art festival they nay have found a bargain.

Attending an art festival to look for your next purchase of a piece of art is a great way to save money. You never know what you are going to find. There are many different artists supplying a variety in different pieces. Whether it is a wall hanging of sculpture for your prize garden there is a choice. You could even be buying a piece of work made by a future artist who works will one day be worth a small fortune.

If you are a collector or a dealer of art this is an excellent opportunity to purchase for your own investment. It doesn’t matter what you are looking for you will most likely find it.

You don’t have to go just to make a purchase either. You can just simply get an idea of some things you might want to purchase in the future. Get an idea of the different types of art that is out there. Discover what your taste in art is. It is a nice way to just enjoy your day. Art usually has a calming effect on most people so just go to simply enjoy a day off. There are other things to do when you attend an art festival.

Some people go to art festivals in search of other homemade products. There are stands that sell beaded jewelry. Silver and turquoise is another popular choice in homemade jewelry. This is a great way to purchase something different. Some of it being better quality then jewelry you’ll find in a department store.

Crafts are another thing sought out when one attends an art festival. Some of us love crafts, but just don’t have the knack to make our own. It is also a great way for crafty people to sell their pieces. Making a profit off their hobby.

Art festivals are annual events in most areas. You may not live somewhere an art festival is held. You can search on the Internet to find out if there is an art festival held in a near by location to you. If you truly love art you won’t mind the extra time it takes to attend a festival. Art festivals are a rewarding experience to both who attended them and the artists selling their works. It is something to look forwarded to every year knowing that you will again experience the endless talent of the locals near you.

Categories: Art

Title: An Education In The Arts

Word Count:
649

Summary:
For some people art is just something you put on your refrigerator doors. It is something you have to do for schoolwork, or to while your time away. In truth, there truly is something beneath the surface of art that will tantalize every student and teacher. And this is the truth behind art education.

Q. What Is An Education In The Arts?
A. Art Education is the means by which a student gains an understanding of form and design. An education in the arts is typically divided…

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arts education liberal,arts education united,the arts,art arts,arts instruction material,arts craft,arts entertainment

Article Body:
For some people art is just something you put on your refrigerator doors. It is something you have to do for schoolwork, or to while your time away. In truth, there truly is something beneath the surface of art that will tantalize every student and teacher. And this is the truth behind art education.

Q. What Is An Education In The Arts?
A. Art Education is the means by which a student gains an understanding of form and design. An education in the arts is typically divided into three areas – the fine arts, such as music, drama, sculpture or painting, the general arts, programs such as education, criminology, etc, and design, such as graphic design, web design, or interior design.

Q. Why Arts?
A. Art has a great power to influence people. It also has a significant effect on the history of man. Art may seem like it is just something pretty, but under the hood it boasts of a pretty powerful engine. One that has shaped the world, and indeed your very life. You can’t go one day in the span of your life without being exposed to some form of artistic design, from the

A wise man once said that an education in the arts is the absolute best education one can have because it exposes you to the most general field of studies. Over time, you will know a little about everything. If you chose a more specialized field, you would gradually learn more and more about less and less. And I’d rather know a little about everything than everything about something, don’t you agree?

1. Express Yourself

Art is by far one of the most rewarding careers because, unlike a career in the sciences or a trade, it allows you to express your creativity. And no two days are the same. The power to captivate and inspire is also very rewarding. Hasn?t the Mona Lisa drawn its share of oohs and aahs? And hasn?t many a tear been shed at the beautiful works of art around the world? Man has always expressed his deepest thoughts and desires in a tangible form. This form is Art.

Industries need artists who have had a good education in Art. Creating labels, stickers, and advertisements for their products isn?t easy. These things require plenty of thought and design. Every detail has been considered to make its effect on the consumer optimal. Have you ever been interested in a product simply because of the packaging? This is art at work.

2. Art Is Everywhere

– Color
– Psychology
– Design esthetics
– Advertisements
– Television & Movies
– Furniture
– Clothing

3. Who Should Study Art?

Almost everyone has gone to art class in grade school or high school. Even those who are not artists can benefit from an Art Education. They will come to appreciate the rich history and significance of Art.

4. I Want to Learn! How do I Sign Up?

Art education is not confined to undergrad studies. It also extends to tutors, art classes, vocational classes and other learning methods. Many schools exist that teach the history, principles and appreciation of Art. These schools carry the tradition of imparting to the next generation the significance of art.

5. The Rewards Of An Art Education

You may be tempted to think you will be able to wing it through a career without any formal training. That is possible, but not likely. Industries are on the lookout for those with professional education. Even with an education from a post-secondary institution, in this field, you never stop learning and keeping up with technology.

An Art Education is clearly important to artists and laymen alike. It may not be the path everyone takes, but it is the path that richly rewards those who take it. The riches here are not only of the material kind but that of a good education and a heightened appreciation of the world around you.

Categories: Art

Title: Affordable Paintings: Art Prints Buying Guide

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483

Summary:
The fastest way to bring beauty and style to a room is to put up prints of beautiful paintings. Here’s what you should consider:

Painting Prints Price Range:

Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-$500 for an unframed print–anything less than $50 is likely a poster. You should expect to pay a similar amount to have the print framed–note that many prints are designed to be exhibited without frames.

Before art prints were sold online, the only way to get …

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The fastest way to bring beauty and style to a room is to put up prints of beautiful paintings. Here’s what you should consider:

Painting Prints Price Range:

Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-$500 for an unframed print–anything less than $50 is likely a poster. You should expect to pay a similar amount to have the print framed–note that many prints are designed to be exhibited without frames.

Before art prints were sold online, the only way to get them was through galleries or museum shops, which had to charge a large markup. Nowadays, art prints rarely cost more than a few hundred dollars, and it is possible to find good-quality prints for under $100. Still, those lower prices generally come on prints that have been put on sale. Expect to pay more for perennial favorites like Van Gogh’s ?Starry Night?.

Selection

There is at least one print of every painting or photograph on display in a museum anywhere. Thanks to the internet, you can find the right art print among the tens of thousands in existence and have it sent to you, regardless of where the original is located. Since websites will let you browse thumbnail images of the artwork, it’s easy to find a particular piece even if all you know about it is the name of the artist or even just the time period in which it was created.

Painting Print Media

Prints are available in a variety of print stocks.

Prints vs. Original Paintings

If all you’re interested in is a picture to decorate your wall, rather than in collecting, prints are a better value than original paintings. Here’s why:

* Expense. Creating an original work of art generally takes weeks. If you had to employ someone for several weeks or several months, how much do you think it would cost at even a modest salary? That’s why original artwork generally costs at least thousands of dollars. In order to have a real chance of your work of art having investment value, you need to buy the work of an artist who is moving up in the art market.

* Questionable investment value. Original artwork only has investment value if the price goes up eventually. Very often, the price does not. In short, if you’re interested in investing, buy stocks–it’s a safer bet. Only buy art because *you* value it.

* Knowledge. You need to be very knowledgeable about what you are doing. Make no mistake: there’s plenty of fraud in this business. There is also plenty of wishful thinking on the part of art dealers when it comes to a work’s long-term market prospects.

Ready to make your home more beautiful with prints of great paintings? You’re already in the right place: the internet has numerous websites offering an unbelievable array of art prints. Start looking now.

Categories: Art

Add extra value to your art work – part one

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picture frame


There are several things that you might not have thought of, that add extra value to your artwork and can make it worth more money when you come to sell it. I’m not talking here about reworking pieces you feel haven’t come up to scratch. Yes, it is sometimes possible to rescue a less than perfect watercolour by using a pen and ink technique, and you can paint right over parts of an oil or acrylic painting to in effect completely rework the area, but here I am talking about techniques that don’t involve changing your artwork in any way.

Sometimes you only need to put a cardboard mount around a painting to bring it out of the doldrums, and there is no doubt that the right mount and frame can do wonders for a slightly mediocre piece of art. For a sculpture, or a piece of ceramics, the right stand and appropriate lighting can make a big difference to the way it displays, but after you’ve made sure that your artwork is being displayed to its best what else can you do to add to its worth?

The first and most important thing you should do is make sure that your artwork is signed legibly. It’s surprising how many people forget to sign their art, but it makes a big difference to the buyer. A signed piece of work is worth more money than an unsigned one, and it doesn’t matter whether you sign it on the front, at the top or bottom, within the composition, or even on the back, just as long as you sign it. If you have an illegible signature spare a thought for future generations trying to make out what it says and wondering whether they have a piece by a famous artist. The first thing almost everybody wants to know about any piece of artwork is who made it, what’s the name of the artist. If it’s unsigned it’s almost as though you didn’t rate it enough to put your name to it, and if you don’t rate it no one else will either.

The second thing you need to do, in order to add value to your art, is to give it a title. Now, some people don’t like titling their work because they feel that it pigeonholes it and in some way restricts the viewer to seeing it within a particular set of conceptual boundaries, so if you are one of these people then you should really consider calling it ‘Untitled’. Even with the title that says ‘Untitled’, a piece of work is worth more money than if it doesn’t have a title at all. Artwork without a title leaves the potential buyer wondering whether perhaps it had a title once that has been lost, it leaves the buyer with an unanswered question and means they are less likely to buy it and more likely to move on to another piece instead.

Along with the title, your artwork would benefit from a short explanation about it. The more a buyer knows about a piece of work the more likely they are to buy it. If you think about it by putting yourself in the buyer’s shoes for a moment, if you’re faced with two pieces of work which are similar and you like them both, but you know nothing about one and quite a lot about the other, which one would you buy? Of course you would be much more likely to buy a piece of artwork that had information about it, because you’d feel more involved with it, you’d understand something about its history and about the person that created it, so it has more meaning for you and you feel a connection with it right from the start.

The short explanation or description about your piece of art can say whatever you want it to, there are no rules, but it’s useful to tell people either what it’s about or what it means to you. One thing you don’t want to do is tell people what it should mean to them, the viewer or buyer of your artwork wants to be able to decide for themselves what the piece means to them, and it doesn’t matter if it’s something entirely different from what it means to you.

Most people buying artwork do like to know what it was you meant as you created it, or what drove you to create the piece the way it is. This can mean telling them something about you, your thought processes as you were beginning and working through the piece, or maybe what was going on in your life at the time you were creating this piece of art. You might decide to tell them about something you’d seen or heard that affected you in a particular way and that prompted you to express something specific with this particular medium. You might be telling them that this particular piece of art is one of a collection from your ‘blue period’, or your ‘impressionistic landscape period’, or whatever.

If you don’t really want to give this information away, then perhaps instead you could describe the medium you have used, the particular techniques you’ve employed in using this medium and even the length of time it took you to create the piece. Really any information you give about the piece is better than no information at all, and it doesn’t matter whether the potential buyer understands your concept or not, it still makes it more attractive to them to know that there was an intention of one sort or another behind the original idea.

Categories: Art Tags: Tags: , , ,

Acrylic Painting Lesson – Mistakes To Avoid In Your Acrylic Paintings

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acrylic painting

When you are just starting out with acrylic painting, you will most certainly make your share of mistakes. This is the natural process of painting and we all learn and grow from our mistakes. This article introduces some of the more common mistakes beginner acrylic painters make.

Mistake #1 to avoid:

Not using enough variety in your painting. An interesting painting has variety. It creates curiosity and interest, and the viewer wants to return again to observe it. So how do you create an interesting painting? Use a variety of different brushstrokes, techniques and values in your paintings. Change the direction of your brushstrokes or mix different techniques in the same painting.

Mistake #2 to avoid:

Being too technical or copying. In order to truly paint a subject, and when I say “truly”, I am not saying you should copy the subject exactly as you see it. I am referring to connecting to the painter inside and truly painting your own impression of what you see. This is how your inner creativity shines on the canvas. It is what set painters like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet apart from the rest. They each injected their own style and heart into their work. I believe your own unique creativity comes to the surface the moment you stop relying on the technicalities and theories associated with painting. I am not saying one shouldn’t study techniques and theory, but at some point we have to put that stuff on the back burner and let our creativity do some of the thinking. Whatever you do, don’t copy other artists. There is nothing wrong with allowing other artists to influence you, just make sure you allow your own unique style to come through.

Mistake #3 to avoid:

Not observing your subjects. Do you spend time observing the subjects you feel inspired to paint? If you are a portrait artist, have you done any studying of the human anatomy? If you paint landscapes, do you spend enough time outdoors in that environment? If you aren’t spending enough time observing the subjects that you wish to paint, then you won’t know have enough knowledge to paint them.

Mistake #4:

Not using quality art supplies. Are you using quality acrylic painting supplies? A really experienced and talented artist could probably create an entire painting using a toothpick, but who really wants to work that hard? When it comes to fine art supplies, you usually do get what you pay for. If you paint with a 50cent paintbrush, it will probably paint just like a 50cent paintbrush. The ferrule will more than likely become loose and the hairs will probably shed. If you are using really cheap paint, you will more than likely get really cheap results. The colors will not have the same brilliance or the right consistency. So invest in quality art supplies and take great care of them as well.

Mistake #5 to avoid:

Not using enough paint. Learn how to apply paint to your canvas. Many beginners don’t reload their brushes often enough. I made this same mistake when I first began painting. I would squeeze out a little glob of paint and try to cover as much area as possible. In my case, I was just lazy, but many beginners are fearful of wasting paint. This is a reasonable concern considering the cost of supplies. The truth however, is that your paintings will be more interesting if you lay down the brush stroke, leave it alone, and then reload your brush. Don’t try and scrub the paint into the canvas, otherwise you are just staining, and not painting.

Mistake #6 To Avoid:

Over Thinking. Don’t overly criticize or judge your own work while you are painting. This only creates discouragement and forces many beginners to become frustrated and quit. Just relax and let go. Trust yourself and your abilities.

I hope this article on acrylic painting has been helpful. Never get discouraged if you are making mistakes or not happy with your work. Mistakes are learning tools. Learn and move on. The most important aspect of painting is the enjoyment we receive from it anyway. Frustration and discouragement should never dominate the painting experience. Happy painting!

Abstract Art As Therapy

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Abstract art is not just a mixture of colourful meaningless patterns and arbitrary shapes.

There is, I believe, a definate therapeutic value to be found in most of the enigmatic marks made by the very different styles available today. What appears to be the most important decision to make is a very careful consideration of the specific audience in conjunction with the choosing of the appropriate artwork. This is not something to be taken lightly or quickly. This can cover anybody within the wide spectrum of individual audiences: a busy boardroom environment or a single office or room where quick thinking, fast reactions, and serious decision making is required; or a worker who returns from a hard days work simply wanting to be visually massaged by an easily observed enigma; or even the space inwhich the desperate and mostly misunderstood person who is gradually loosing their tentative hold on the sense of reality. There is a tremendous variety of possibilities.

Here are some suggested associations from one artists point of view:

Colour plays an obvious healing and therapeutic role to be found in a carefully selected crafted piece, and so colour-field work, which is growing in popularity, first conceived by artists like Mark Rothko and Ellsworth Kelly with their vast areas of empty colour space, might add a general feeling of peace and quiet to an otherwise noisy and hectic environment. With there being very few variations within such a large image a gentle sense of immersion into abstract stillness can slow down any fretful or irratic thinking, and even assist with the adrenal challenge of a creative.

Indefinate shapes or patterns by the likes of Jackson Pollock, Peter Lanyon, and Howard Hodgkin (again, similar works inspired by these very different abstract styles can be seen in many exhibitions, shops and galleries), show a very positive association, and may perhaps persuade a mind filled with illogical thoughts to pause, simply take in the apparent spontenaiety, and then take a different direction. Hodgkin style works in particular can be seen as puzzle like canvases inwhich the observer has no real point of reference so is free to “start” anywhere upon the picture. And because there are very few defined areas sometimes the observer inevitably finds themself either regarding the piece with little emotion, and therefore can freely make a comment – positive or not.

Let us not deny, however, the fact that many an image that has the potential to provoke a negative response can also be of great value to the observer who might actually benefit from seeing such a challenging picture that bears such a bad association. Better there on the wall than here inside the head. In this case the classic associations of red for blood and danger, black for death and sin, brown for decay and illness, along with dramatic lines and movements found in a painting are equally valuable stimulii if revealed within the appropriate environment. This comes back to my point made at the beginning – when choosing a picture, very careful consideration must be taken in order to find that one work of art which speaks directly to the very deepest parts of the observer.

Categories: Abstract, Art Tags: Tags: , ,