In class today, we looked at many examples of Alex Colville's work, as well as some of Christopher and Mary Pratt's work.
Both as an amateur artist and as an appreciator of art I greatly admire Colville's technique, and the way that it shapes the viewing experience of his work. I appreciate the precise use of geometry in his composition, as well as the unique angles that he chooses; these things seem to urge the viewer to engage with his work even in some cases where the subject matter is not quite as interesting (and doesn't "do much for me" either). There are still other cases, though, where his intriguing choice of angles and use of geometry combine with more subject matter and scenes that I find much more interesting (such as in his painting "Horse and Train"), which makes his work really incredible.
I really like the over-all "vibe" or feeling that I get when viewing Alex Colville's work; I definitely recognize that feeling of "dread" that was discussed in class. In most of his paintings I find there's this sense of the-calm-before-the-storm, and though most visual art doesn't make noise, his scenes--to me--seem especially quite, and still...maybe even heavy, if that makes sense. I think his use of geometry, unique angles, and lack of colour saturation really contribute to this.
There are many aspects of Colville's work that a appreciate, but there is one tendency of his that I couldn't help noticing this afternoon, and which I find a little bit--I'm going to use the word annoying. That is the lack of diversity when it comes to his subjects. It was pointed out in class that his figures tend to be fairly generic, and I know that must be a purposeful way of achieving the effect that he is going for, but...I don't know; I just found myself becoming a bit irritated seeing painting after painting of white (probably middle class, given their setting and clothing), light-haired folks.
Of course, Alex Colville is a product of his time, and I realize he was mostly using his own family for models, and moreover it is doubtless that many painters, film makers, TV show creators, advertisers, and creators of other forms of media are also sorely lacking in racial or class diversity in their work both today and in the past. As well, I do not at all believe that Colville was trying to be discriminatory at all. Come to think of it, I'm not even necessarily arguing that his work would be better if it were any different, because a break in pattern of the generic white, middle-class figures--even in this day and age--might alter the experience of his paintings...All I'm saying is that Alex Colville has been called a regionalist, and I guess I just find myself feeling a bit annoyed that some parts of the "region" seem to be left out of his work. It might not even be fair of me to be making this criticism given the time that Colville began his career, and this certainly does not keep me from enjoying a lot of his work.
Both as an amateur artist and as an appreciator of art I greatly admire Colville's technique, and the way that it shapes the viewing experience of his work. I appreciate the precise use of geometry in his composition, as well as the unique angles that he chooses; these things seem to urge the viewer to engage with his work even in some cases where the subject matter is not quite as interesting (and doesn't "do much for me" either). There are still other cases, though, where his intriguing choice of angles and use of geometry combine with more subject matter and scenes that I find much more interesting (such as in his painting "Horse and Train"), which makes his work really incredible.I really like the over-all "vibe" or feeling that I get when viewing Alex Colville's work; I definitely recognize that feeling of "dread" that was discussed in class. In most of his paintings I find there's this sense of the-calm-before-the-storm, and though most visual art doesn't make noise, his scenes--to me--seem especially quite, and still...maybe even heavy, if that makes sense. I think his use of geometry, unique angles, and lack of colour saturation really contribute to this.
There are many aspects of Colville's work that a appreciate, but there is one tendency of his that I couldn't help noticing this afternoon, and which I find a little bit--I'm going to use the word annoying. That is the lack of diversity when it comes to his subjects. It was pointed out in class that his figures tend to be fairly generic, and I know that must be a purposeful way of achieving the effect that he is going for, but...I don't know; I just found myself becoming a bit irritated seeing painting after painting of white (probably middle class, given their setting and clothing), light-haired folks.
Of course, Alex Colville is a product of his time, and I realize he was mostly using his own family for models, and moreover it is doubtless that many painters, film makers, TV show creators, advertisers, and creators of other forms of media are also sorely lacking in racial or class diversity in their work both today and in the past. As well, I do not at all believe that Colville was trying to be discriminatory at all. Come to think of it, I'm not even necessarily arguing that his work would be better if it were any different, because a break in pattern of the generic white, middle-class figures--even in this day and age--might alter the experience of his paintings...All I'm saying is that Alex Colville has been called a regionalist, and I guess I just find myself feeling a bit annoyed that some parts of the "region" seem to be left out of his work. It might not even be fair of me to be making this criticism given the time that Colville began his career, and this certainly does not keep me from enjoying a lot of his work.
No comments:
Post a Comment