daily-art-think

[daily-art-think]

Think of the day, #7:

Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas.

What emotions or memories does this piece bring up for you when you look at it? What details do you notice when you look closely? This style of painting has a lot of texture to it, do you think that adds to the piece or takes away from it? Why? If you were standing in the scene, what do you think the weather might be like?

[daily-art-think]

Think of the day, #6:

Priscilla Huggable Atomic Mushroom, from the Designs for Fragile Personalities in Anxious Times Project, 2004 by Anthony Dunne, Fiona Raby, Michael Anastassiades. Reflective fabric and polyester stuffing.

Take in the shape and minimal details of this piece; is it recognizable at a glance, even without knowing what it's supposed to be? How does looking at it make you feel? Would you want to interact with this piece? Do you think the fabric would be soft to the touch or more sleek? The name "Priscilla" in the title refers to a 37-kiloton test shot that was fired at an atomic bomb testing site in Nevada in 1957. Why do you think the artists chose to include this reference in the title? Consider the title of the series this piece belongs to; without looking it up, what do you think the artists' goal was in making this piece? Is this an item that is meant to be a stand-alone, or mass-produced? Would it change the meaning or impact if it were mass-produced?

[daily-art-think]

Think of the day, #5:

The Flower Carrier, 1935 by Diego Rivera. Oil and tempera on masonite.

What is your eye drawn to first in this piece? What feelings does it bring up for you? Notice how textured the colors are, and the dark outlines and details throughout. Notice the woman's expression, and the way the man's eyes are concealed by his hat. What do you think these figures are feeling in this scene? Think about how the basket of flowers is probably much heavier than it appears; how might it feel to carry it? Do you think the artist is making a statement with this piece, or just taking a snapshot of life around him, or both?

[daily-art-think]

Think of the day, #4:

Ubiquitous, from the Urban Nature series, 2009 by Naoko Ito. Glass jar, tree branch.

Take note of the ways the tree branch in this piece has been specifically cut and arranged, and the smaller jars in the larger ones being used to hold up pieces of the branch. How long do you think it might have taken the artist to create this piece? Do you think it took a lot of planning, or more trial-and-error? Notice how identical and nondescript the jars are; does this feel intentional? The word "ubiquitous" means "widespread" or "found everywhere." Why might the artist have chosen this word for the title? What do you think she is trying to convey?

[daily-art-think]

Think of the day, #3:

The Census at Bethlehem, 1566, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Oil on panel.

There is a lot happening in this scene, with many people and animals; what catches your eye first? How does the atmosphere of the scene make you feel? Do the people in it seem happy? Tired? Both or something else entirely? Take in the many small details, such as the ruins of a castle in the background, and the children playing on the ice. In the front of the scene, there is a man leading a pregnant woman on a donkey; they are intended to be biblical figures Joseph and Mary, arriving in Bethlehem and reporting to the census-taker to comply with the decree from Caesar Augustus. At the time this piece was made, this was a modernized portrayal of the biblical story and its characters. Why do you think the artist may have chosen to do this? Consider the colors used, and the fact that the piece is over 450 years old. Could the colors have looked different when the painting was newer?

[daily-art-think]

Think of the day, #2:

Satan, 1833 by Jean-Jacques Feuchère. Bronze.

What do you think the character of Satan is feeling in this piece? What does his posture convey? Why might the artist have chosen to portray him that way? Take note of the more animalistic details of the figure, such as the clawed feet, the horns, the wings; there is also fur and spikes along his back, out of view in this photo. Do these details make the character more imposing or visually interesting? More recognizable as Satan? In person, this sculpture is fairly small, only about 13 inches tall. Does knowing this change anything about your interpretation? Do you think the size of the piece was an intentional choice by the artist?

[daily-art-think]

Think of the day, #1:

Ad Marginem (On the Edge), 1930 by Paul Klee. Watercolor on cardboard.

What are your initial feelings when you look at this piece as a whole? What stands out to you the most? Take a moment to look closer at the little details, like the letters around the bottom of the piece, or the large black bird walking along the top. Why might the artist have included these? Why do you think he chose to make it look old and weathered? This piece was made during the Bauhaus movement, which aimed to unite art and industry and merge many different forms of art; do you feel like this goal is reflected in this particular piece? Does knowing this fact change your overall opinion of it?

[daily-art-think]

Hello and welcome! Here's an introductory Q&A with info about me and this blog:

Who are you?

I'm Jekyll, an independent artist and general weirdo. My degree is in sculpture (BFA), but I also do a lot of digital art, and dabble in crochet! I won't ramble about myself too much since this is only a sideblog, but some things I like besides art include D&D, horror, and a wide variety of fandoms. I'm very friendly and always down to chat (though fair warning, I'm terrible at timely responses,) so feel free to message me!

What is this blog for?

The description sums it up as well as I could manage, but to elaborate: I love art, and I love thinking about art, and want to encourage those qualities in others. I think there's a lot of value in slowing down and taking time to consider things from all sorts of angles that you might not normally, and sometimes it can help to have an external prompt to get the ball rolling. So I'll be posting a piece of art here every day, (not my own, just pieces I find, with credit of course,) along with some suggestions and questions to chew on.

Why does the description say "practice"?

In our fast-paced, often overstimulating world, it can be genuinely tough to choose to do things that don't provide instant gratification. On top of everyday life, I personally am a triple threat of having autism, ADHD and OCD; my mind is VERY fast and VERY loud, often in ways that are unpleasant or inconvenient, and mindfulness/slowing down doesn't come naturally to me. To me, and many others, it's a practiced skill, that requires conscious and consistent effort. But I believe it's a worthwhile one, and I hope running this blog will help my mental health as much as others! :)

What if I HATE (insert type of art here) with a burning passion and you post an example of it?

I chose the word "appreciate" specifically for a reason; in the art world, that word doesn't automatically equate to "love" or even "like". It simply means you are acknowledging aspects of the art- the skill applied to make it, how looking at it makes you feel, the materials used or left out, the artist's goal in making it and the impact it ended up having, etc.- and nodding and going "yup, that sure is A Art." You don't HAVE to like the art! I have art pieces and artists that I despise! But at the very least, it's good practice to consider it thoroughly so you can point to specific reasons you hate it.

I think you're pretentious and classist because you have an art degree, and I want to argue with you about why this blog is pointless and half the stuff you post isn't even REAL art.

Not a question, and if you don't like me or my blog, go right ahead and block me. I'm not here to start fights or engage in them, and while I certainly hope people don't think of me as pretentious and try not to be, I can't control people's opinions. I'm just a guy trynna share art and promote earnest conversations.

That's all I can think of for Q&A, but a couple additional notes:

- My ask box is always open for questions or comments, and if you have a favorite art piece you'd like me to post that I haven't already, feel free to submit that too!

- I put this in the description too, but some works I share may contain sensitive themes or artistic nudity; I won't mark this blog as flat-out 18+, as I highly doubt I'll post anything that's truly explicit or offensive, but just bear this in mind when browsing, and proceed with caution, especially if you're underage! No one can tell you what your comfort level is but you, and there's no shame in walking away.

Slow down, stay awhile, and enjoy some art!