Forest Trail 5x7
Hello and welcome to Tonalist paintings by M Francis McCarthy.
Today's study is 'Forest Trail' 5x7.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its earliest stages on up through the final touches, as well as my usual rambling narration, so check it out.
Putting a sincere good effort out is what matters most when it comes to being an artist.
These days the word artist can mean a lot of different things to different people. Ultimately, it's up to each one of us to define for ourselves what being an artist means to us. For me, being an artist means that I am more than just a craftsperson, more than just the person doing a job for a salary. Being an artist means that I do my best to communicate my deepest and most earnest feelings in a way that is as compelling and beautiful as I can manage.
The feelings and impressions that life brings me are always felt deeply, but my ability to communicate and express those impressions is improving all the time. The best measurement that I can think of to judge a piece of artwork is on its ability to stimulate an emotive response in the viewer. In other words, it should touch them emotionally and not just or even necessarily in an intellectual way. Art is best created at the level of being and not the level of ego and art that is produced with this forthright intention tends to be more worthwhile.
I should say here that what I mean by provoking an emotional response, is provoking an enriching emotional response. Not the sort of emotive response like, 'oh my God I can't believe how hideous this painting is. I want to gouge my eyes out and would rather be blind than look at it again'.
Unfortunately, there is an epidemic of ugly art that exists now, solely due to the intellectual machinations of various artists, art dealers and the art establishment in general. Much of this arts goes for big bucks and is treated like a commodity and also as a store for wealth instead of being regarded for what it is, which is abysmal dreck in many cases.
I read an article on my Flipboard newsfeed recently about this wealthy art collector who had won the bid on a piece of 'art' by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Here is a link to the article that I read. I invite you to look at this painting in the article as well. It is jaw-droppingly ugly and I am in a state of dumbfounded disbelief at the price that this art investor paid for this thing.
I don't mean to stir up crap with the modern art lovers out there but Jean-Michel Basquiat (as a painter) leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. This is like a case of the Emperor's new clothes in that something that is so ugly and extremely displeasing to look at as Jean's painting, is being afforded an extraordinary amount of respect and money, in my opinion unduly so.
I won't rant about this again here. If you look around on this blog you can see several times where I commented on the state of the modern art market. Fact of the matter is, that this travesty of the sensibilities called 'modern art' is not even modern anymore. That's just the term that we are forced to use to refer to this type of ugly inexcusable nastiness that is being treated as something worthy of collecting or even looking at. I know almost nothing about Jean-Michel Basquiat other than the fact that I've heard his name before and for that reason alone he's probably collectible.
There are a lot of people these days buying art that have no sense of connoisseurship and little knowledge of what makes art great and why. I read about a lot of rich people trying to preserve their enormous and obscene wealth by buying artwork like this. The funny thing is that they may know, no more, about someone like Jean-Michel Basquiat than I do, and yet are willing to spend millions and millions of dollars not only to purchase a piece of 'art' like this but in so doing they actually afford this insanity a level of respect that should never have happened.
I said I wasn't going to rant, I guess I'm not so good at not ranting. To end this post on a positive note I should talk about what I feel is the solution to this dilemma.
My view is that if something that is moving and beautiful and touches people it will always be valuable, if only to the people that are being moved by it. As an artist, one's sole responsibility is to connect with the universe and to expend their energy in realizing the greatest and most powerful and potent art that they can muster. If an artist has done that, then they have done their best and should be proud.
I do not begrudge people like Jean-Michel Basquiat doing paintings if it pleases them. All of us should be free to express ourselves in any way we please, as long as no one is being actively harmed. However, something as ridiculous and ugly as the painting referenced in that article should only be loved by the mother of the artist and only then because she loves the artist.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Forest Trail' 5x7: As I stated in the video, this painting is a study only and I did not paint this motif larger. Check out the video narration for all the reasons why. That said, I am happy with this painting and proud to present it to you today.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
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| Forest Trail by M Francis McCarthy, 5x7 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Today's study is 'Forest Trail' 5x7.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its earliest stages on up through the final touches, as well as my usual rambling narration, so check it out.
Putting a sincere good effort out is what matters most when it comes to being an artist.
These days the word artist can mean a lot of different things to different people. Ultimately, it's up to each one of us to define for ourselves what being an artist means to us. For me, being an artist means that I am more than just a craftsperson, more than just the person doing a job for a salary. Being an artist means that I do my best to communicate my deepest and most earnest feelings in a way that is as compelling and beautiful as I can manage.
The feelings and impressions that life brings me are always felt deeply, but my ability to communicate and express those impressions is improving all the time. The best measurement that I can think of to judge a piece of artwork is on its ability to stimulate an emotive response in the viewer. In other words, it should touch them emotionally and not just or even necessarily in an intellectual way. Art is best created at the level of being and not the level of ego and art that is produced with this forthright intention tends to be more worthwhile.
I should say here that what I mean by provoking an emotional response, is provoking an enriching emotional response. Not the sort of emotive response like, 'oh my God I can't believe how hideous this painting is. I want to gouge my eyes out and would rather be blind than look at it again'.
Unfortunately, there is an epidemic of ugly art that exists now, solely due to the intellectual machinations of various artists, art dealers and the art establishment in general. Much of this arts goes for big bucks and is treated like a commodity and also as a store for wealth instead of being regarded for what it is, which is abysmal dreck in many cases.
I read an article on my Flipboard newsfeed recently about this wealthy art collector who had won the bid on a piece of 'art' by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Here is a link to the article that I read. I invite you to look at this painting in the article as well. It is jaw-droppingly ugly and I am in a state of dumbfounded disbelief at the price that this art investor paid for this thing.
I don't mean to stir up crap with the modern art lovers out there but Jean-Michel Basquiat (as a painter) leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. This is like a case of the Emperor's new clothes in that something that is so ugly and extremely displeasing to look at as Jean's painting, is being afforded an extraordinary amount of respect and money, in my opinion unduly so.
I won't rant about this again here. If you look around on this blog you can see several times where I commented on the state of the modern art market. Fact of the matter is, that this travesty of the sensibilities called 'modern art' is not even modern anymore. That's just the term that we are forced to use to refer to this type of ugly inexcusable nastiness that is being treated as something worthy of collecting or even looking at. I know almost nothing about Jean-Michel Basquiat other than the fact that I've heard his name before and for that reason alone he's probably collectible.
There are a lot of people these days buying art that have no sense of connoisseurship and little knowledge of what makes art great and why. I read about a lot of rich people trying to preserve their enormous and obscene wealth by buying artwork like this. The funny thing is that they may know, no more, about someone like Jean-Michel Basquiat than I do, and yet are willing to spend millions and millions of dollars not only to purchase a piece of 'art' like this but in so doing they actually afford this insanity a level of respect that should never have happened.
I said I wasn't going to rant, I guess I'm not so good at not ranting. To end this post on a positive note I should talk about what I feel is the solution to this dilemma.
My view is that if something that is moving and beautiful and touches people it will always be valuable, if only to the people that are being moved by it. As an artist, one's sole responsibility is to connect with the universe and to expend their energy in realizing the greatest and most powerful and potent art that they can muster. If an artist has done that, then they have done their best and should be proud.
I do not begrudge people like Jean-Michel Basquiat doing paintings if it pleases them. All of us should be free to express ourselves in any way we please, as long as no one is being actively harmed. However, something as ridiculous and ugly as the painting referenced in that article should only be loved by the mother of the artist and only then because she loves the artist.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Forest Trail' 5x7: As I stated in the video, this painting is a study only and I did not paint this motif larger. Check out the video narration for all the reasons why. That said, I am happy with this painting and proud to present it to you today.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| Forest Trail 5x7 (Detail) |