Art that embraces humanity

Hill Country Solitude - 5.75"x 12" - Oil - 2007

If you've been following this blog, you know we just completed a three-part interview series with Michael John Angel, Juliette Aristides, and David Hardy, all master painters. In that series they discussed Classic Realism...its roots, resurgence and importance.
I've been spending some time on this Realism topic because of its importance. You might want to also read Does Realism Matter? and Realism in the Visual Arts.

Joys of a Country Drive - 9"x 12" - Oil - 2003

Realism as a style or movement is important in painting, sculpture, and literature for example, because it embraces humanity. Less representational styles tend to push people away because the work relates less to real life and is therefore often beyond understanding. Realism speaks, in an understandable way, to the hopes, dreams, and experiences (good and bad) of our humanity. The word "understandable" keeps coming up when we speak of realism.

Morning Has Broken - 16"x 20" - Oil - 2006

Daniel Graves, founder of the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, writes: "For an artist who wants to work in the humanist tradition, to learn the classical techniques of drawing, painting and sculpting is to learn the 'language' one needs to know in order to 'speak' in a way that will be understood." He believes learning this 'language/vocabulary' is necessary for artists in order for them to create works that can be understood by people of all levels of society.

Hush in the Air - 7.5"x 16" - Oil - 2007

October Light - 10"x 10" - Oil - 2006

Beginnings - 8"x 13" - Oil - 2005

Frank Reilly in an article, "What is Art" also stresses the importance of creating work that can be understood...in fact, he makes "understandable" a necessary ingredient of all "art".
"Art must contain a human experience and through the personality of an artist, skillfully communicate this experience in an understandable language to the greatest number of thinking people for the longest length of time."  

"Art is man's responsibility to man. Since it is the recording of human experiences, man must than first experience before he can share with others. Its subject matter comes from man's observation and imagination. Its moods and feeling come from man's emotions. It is creative. It inspires and exalts. It preserves nature and Godly creations. Art is for the many, not the few. Art is the unity of both inner and visual beauty."

I have taken the liberty to show some of my older works because of a request from some of my readers.

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Upcoming Workshops

22-24 March  -  Carthage, MO  -  info@cherryscustomframing.com

26-28 April  -  Pontotoc, MS  -  artist@dotcourson.com

3-5 May  -  Atlanta, GA  -  dthomas555@aol.com

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An Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master. Work and bio may be viewed HERE