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Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:14 pm
by Gary Childress
What are your favorite works of art and why are they your favorites?

Some of mine:

Van Gogh's "Starry Night" (Painting): There's a little town, peaceful and tranquil, made by human hands. Above the town are the gigantic swirling cosmic forces beyond our control or creation. It's like haiku, the very humble accomplishments of humanity pictured against the very grand forces of the cosmos. I never cease to find amazement in the way this finite painting captures the essense of something infinite.

Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" (Music): It's a strange mixture of forboding and beautiful harmony. It seems to take something seeminlgy horrible like revenge and turn it into a kind of force of nature. As natural as soil erosion, like a great storm that ravages the land and then in the second half the forces of destruction settle and behold; we have nature recovering from the cataclysm. It's interesting Wagner chose not to end this piece with the Valkyries wrath but with the aftermath.

The Music Group Len's "Steal My Sunshine" (Music Video): A fabulous protrayal group of youths just having fun, frolicking in sun. It really makes me feel optimistic about the younger generation, that they have a grasp of their time on this earth even better than the one I had in my youth.

Raphael's "The School of Athens" (Painting): It has a certain nostalgic beauty about it. Looking at it I get the feeling that I am truly in the presence of great individuals who transcend the barrier of time. It seems to reflect the very essence of what made the Ancient Greeks such a great culture.

Camile Saint Saen's "Danse Macabre" (Music): The sun goes down and all the lost souls awaken and begin their ghoulish ritual. Sort of a testament to when the going get's strange the strange take over! In another light (no pun instended) it's almost like the other side of us, the dark and suppressed side get's to play and bask in the light (the moonlight in this case). In a sense everyone gets their time to play on earth. It's like a kind of justice for the wicked.

I could go on and on and probably will occasionally when I revisit this thread. These are just some of my all time favorites and no where near a comprehensive list. What are some of your favorite works of art and what about them enchants you?

:)

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:46 pm
by chaz wyman
Greek Classical Sculpture, and other realist art such as the Pre-Raphelites such as John William Godward.

Why because it is the most difficult to emulate. Not just because it is close to representation, but because when you conform to photographic like imagery it makes it more difficult to include that certain something which makes it more that just a exact representation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lady_ ... ollier.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laoco ... 4-1067.jpg

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:05 pm
by Gary Childress
chaz wyman wrote:Greek Classical Sculpture, and other realist art such as the Pre-Raphelites such as John William Godward.

Why because it is the most difficult to emulate. Not just because it is close to representation, but because when you conform to photographic like imagery it makes it more difficult to include that certain something which makes it more that just a exact representation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lady_ ... ollier.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laoco ... 4-1067.jpg
Very nice. I have a lot of respect for realism myself. I won't diminish the contribution that other art forms have made like the Impressionists, etc but realism coupled with an interesting theme and its representation is hard to beat.

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:17 am
by Banjofrog
The Taj Mahal.

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:17 am
by artisticsolution
I couldn't pick a favorite work of art. Like a playboy, all beauty (in art) is interchangeable to me. Too many fish in the sea to tie myself down to just one. They all intrigue me and make me their slave.

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:39 pm
by Rortabend
The one with the dogs playing snooker.

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 6:13 pm
by Impenitent
Duchamp's Fountain puts me in the mind of organized labor...

-Imp

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 11:28 pm
by tbieter
Impenitent wrote:Duchamp's Fountain puts me in the mind of organized labor...

-Imp
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/ ... ution.html :lol:

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 12:36 pm
by chaz wyman
tbieter wrote:
Impenitent wrote:Duchamp's Fountain puts me in the mind of organized labor...

-Imp
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/ ... ution.html :lol:

The Fountain is only good for a piss. And then only if you turn it right side up.

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:00 am
by SlowThinker
artisticsolution wrote:I couldn't pick a favorite work of art. Like a playboy, all beauty (in art) is interchangeable to me. Too many fish in the sea to tie myself down to just one. They all intrigue me and make me their slave.
Much the same here. But I find my mood affects what I would choose at any particular time. A few months ago I went through a period where monochrome photos had more appeal than colour ones. Just recently I came across the work of Harald Mante, who worked almost exclusively with colour slide film (Kodachrome) and I now find myself drawn to colour works.

Likewise with my choice in music. If I am feeling down then Eric Clapton's Layla would have to be a favorite. If I am up then it would be one of Haydn's Op. 50 string quartets.

Does anyone else have similar experiences?

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:11 am
by Joseph
http://dali.urvas.lt/forviewing/pic25.jpg
Been into Dali, Raphaelesque Head Exploding recently

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:51 am
by elineholst
I like Starry Night too; however I like the story behind that piece of art and the creator itself. Another one is Michael Angelo’s painting on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel, unbelievably incomparable work of art. :mrgreen:

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:04 am
by esseneo
edgar alan poe

The Raven

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 12:19 pm
by Barquentine
Rememberance of Things Past.
Although perhaps a stereotypical choice, I feel the piece illuminates one of human-life's given benefits: the ability of the mind to explore and to contemplate on what we have and on what has past. To draw every residue of detail from every molecule of life.

Re: Your favorite works of art and why?

Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 5:20 pm
by Resha Caner
esseneo wrote:edgar alan poe

The Raven
That guy had some issues, but The Raven is a masterpiece.