Saturday..day off and favourite artists.

I don't know about you, but I have leaned from experience that I need to take a break from my artwork..sometimes I have sat for hours at my drawing table and not produced anything...that's not the break I'm talking about. what I'm referring to is a conscious self imposed day off where I do not pick up my pen...and in this case it's all the more difficult since I'm right at the start of an exciting new piece for which i am poised to start dotting. but I am strict about this and therefore today has been about watching rugby on the television, cooking pasta and reading about art and artists I really admire.

I thought I'd share with you one particular artist..well actually twin brothers who both produced some of the most amazing illustrations over a long and varied career. Tim and Greg Hildbrandt were born on 23rd January 1939 in Detroit , Michigan, USA. they were responsible for a prodigious output of posters, comic book art, science fiction book covers and pin up art. Commercial art has always been viewed as the poorer brother of fine art, but the degree of talent, vision and technical skill shown by The Brothers Hildebrandt is second to non in my opinion.

Whether you agree or not about the subject matter Tim and Greg produced, any student or observer and connoisseur or realism painting, fantasy and pin up art cannot possibly be anything other than amazed and awestruck by their work.

Tim Hildebrandt died on 11 June 2006 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Greg was awarded the Chelsey award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2010.

The official website can tell you much more than I possibly can...this can be found here.

And here is a small selection of images to wet your appetite!

 By Greg Hildebrandt

 Faramir - By Tim Hildebrandt

 Gandalf and Bilbo - by Greg Hildebrandt

 Warrior by Tim and Greg Hildebrandt



Greg Hildebrandt with his now famous movie poster artwork for Star Wars!

Sketch book...ideas...nurse!..no pics..but very excited!

Below is a picture painted by one of my favourite artists. Paul Delvaux was considered a surrealist..which he didn't recognise or accept, and considered himself inferior to fellow countryman Rene Magritte.

I chose to show this picture because I identify so strongly with Delvaux's recurring themes..the reverence and esteem in which he regards woman...the dignity he regards education and learning...the heroism he regards exploration and engineering development and the pioneers who designed and built the great railways of the world which we now regard with almost resignation that be part of our environment and landscape.

I too have recurring themes similar to this...however I'm not a painter..but I can bask in the moonlit blues and dreamlike landscapes that Delvaux produced knowing that on face value, they are odd, slightly disturbing works whilst simultaneously being peaceful and full of  symbolism...characters and locations..that draw the eye and imagination to question and wonder.

Painted in the year of my birth...it is one of a series of railway and academia themed works which represents the female nude as pure and dreamlike despite the stayed formality of the intellectuals.

LES ASTRONOMES

(1961)

As far as my work today goes...I'm very excited about my next piece...the sketches I showed you yesterday have undergone further development and I've arrived at (for me) a quite remarkable scenario which I will wait to share with you as you shall see it as it develops on the page.

I'm really looking forward to sharing that with you...very very soon!

Paul Delvaux...Surrealizing the Nude'

Chrysis (1967)
Pompei (1970)

I've written of my love of the paintings by Paul Delvaux before, but recently I've been reading a book Jan gave me for Christmas. 'Surrealizing the Nude' looks at and examines the link between Delvaux's work , the classic painters and modernists in context of 'history painting' and 'surrealism' . I give my gratitude to a fellow Belgium blogger (where are you Claudine?) for bringing to my attention this often overlooked painter....and the similarities in inspiration and execution of subject theory between his and my work is quite interesting. Whilst Delvaux is in a league far outreaching any if all my ambitions, his repeated use of fetishistic objects and figures is in common with my own.

Anyone who takes the time to study the work of Delvaux will quickly notice that his paintings, although in many respects are 'naturalistic' actually employ aspects of history, memory, experience and expectation...weaved together with dreamlike incongruity, they point and lead the viewer into an experience of privileged voyeurism and trust. weather male or female, the viewer can appreciate desire and longing whilst making links between literary figures , historical events and places.

I like the above pictures because they cause in me a response towards reverie and desire...there are elements of history. present and the future...whilst nodding towards classical views of the nude, they include (if you look) certain instances of improbability and impossibility.

Wordy bit over...back to Cello Girls tomorrow.

Paul Delvaux - Inspirations.

The Greeting

The Great Sirens (1947)

Here are two wonderful images by renowned Belgian painter Paul Delvaux. I've featured work by this Surrealist before mainly because a blogging friend from Belgium introduced me to his work as bearing some similarities to my own compositions and subject matter. The images here appeared on a blog which I often visit which is concerned with figure drawing: http://figure-drawings.blogspot.com/2009/04/sketch-by-paul-delvaux.html and is a great resource for anyone interested in anatomical representation.

Cello - 42

Todays work consisted of doing the one thing I try not to have to do..plane areas of the same shade.I have to do this so that there is a basis for the clouds to be added.That will be tomorrow!! You will see the exhaust from the diesel..it probably won't reach all the way to the girl but will fade out nicely...generally (or at least from my own observations) the greatest amount of smoke seen in a situation like this is where the engine has suddenly been rev 'd to accelerate the train up to speed...and usually it's a small contained 'puff' of exhaust.This would be so if (as my picture depicts) the locomotive was newly built.

Below is a small selection of work bu illustrator Simon Williams..shown here are album cover artwork for a favourite band of mine called 'Pendragon' The pictures contain scenes from the albums song lyrics and form a complicated group of interconnected images based within a larger landscape.

Bench - 7 Connections

It being the occasion of my 47th birthday today, I have not dedicated my time to my work...I have however done a little bit..a very complicated bit. I'm working on the iron fencing behind the trees..it's important to establish their lines before working on the houses in the street behind.What my drawing doesn't show here is the grandeur with which a lot of the houses were built . Originally built to house the wealthy owners of the surrounding industry including the Midland Railway and locomotive works, and Royal Crown Derby the factory of which is still on the boundary of this park. The housing has long since passed into private landlord ownership and is now a land of bedsits and small flats.

To this very day, not many people are aware that the Arboretum was THE first public park in the world and was the 'blue print' behind the development of Central Park in New York.

*

OK...so can you work out the connection all these famous people have apart from the fact that all but one of them are favourites of mine despite their connection ?....that's probably fairly easy...but can you put the names to the faces?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Good luck...answers tomorrow!

Favourite Artists - Jim Burns

Jim Burns was born in 1948 in Cardiff, Wales.After a time in the Royal Airforce, he joined Newport School Of Art to do a Foundation Year in art and design.After this he went on to complete his diploma at St. Martins School of art, London. Working for newly established arts agency 'Arena' who he still works for. today he is one of the foremost contemporary science fiction illustrators of our time. He won the 'Hugo award for best professional artist' three times( The only non American to have won it).

I love his work ..it's grandeur and contrasting images of people set against huge mechanical machines and space ships.Browse through any sci - fi section at your library or bookstore and you'll see covers by Burns.He also worked briefly with film director Riddley Scott for the design of the movie 'Blade Runner'.

I hope you enjoy the pictures here ..you can find further examples at: Jim Burns

If copyrite has been breached by my inclusion of any of the above images, I apologise and will remove if requested to do so.

Klimt

I am a Man who likes Women..seems an odd thing to say.I love women..I respect women..I am aroused by women..but i also 'like' women..I generally prefere the company of women, i like the sensitivity of women,the humour and the sadness of women.I understand the irony that the beauty and magnificence of women is counterpointed by pain, and takenforgrantedness.

I think that Gustav Klimt must also have had the same opinion as myself. Now you don't need me spouting off a historical lecture about an Artist..a Symbolist..a great painter...muralist and draughtsman such as we're looking at here...there are a myriad websites you can glean all the information you want.

Famous in most peoples knowledge for his painting 'The Kiss'..a million student bedroom walls will attest to his brilliance in capturing the tenderness, eroticism and sheer beauty of the young man and woman surrounded in gold and darkness.but i am drawn often to his portraits...his nudes. You will know by now that my pictures are indeed symbolist in nature..each part of the composition has a symbolic meaning weather known or unrevealed. so with Klimt...only better!Way way better!

I'll stop writing in a short while and leave the pictures to do the talking, but there's one thing I'll ask you to do, not necessarily with the examples I've posted here, but with all his other works as well. Hold you hand in front of yourself so that the face of the subject (in the case of the portraits) is covered.Look at the rest of the painting.Often no reference is seen to the fact that a person exists in the composition.A random abstract conglomeration of geometric forms, organic swirls can be seen. To me this suggests that Klimt is trying to show us that whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in,whatever life throws our way, it is ourselves and the character we are that defines our place in the world. It is the nature and personality contained in the faces of his women, that Klimt has used to define the painting..to bring perspective and relativity.

I love klimts paintings, I love women.

Potrait of Helen Klimt

Hope

Gold fish (to my critics)

Danae

Adam and Eve.

The Three Ages Of Woman(detail)

You can see more by visiting : http://www.ricci-art.com/en/Gustav-Klimt.htm or look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt for a historic perspective.

This post is dedicated to a special lady,Susan Stewart.

Paul Delvaux

OK, I'm not an art historian, I'm an artist and I'm often excited by images created by other artists...usually if you question the reason why an artist likes a particular piece you'll be told truthfully if the reason is "I wish I'd painted it".

In the case of Paul Delvaux, I see a painter i readily identify with.Repeated themes and characters..moonlit skies and clearly defined horizons with harsh metallic structures..railway Bridges and trains...severely dressed and serious old men posed alongside sensuous and classically posed female figures. the dreamlike nature of the subjects and the muted colourings do indeed make me wish I'd painted them. I hope you'll be fascinated by the surreal and fantastic world of Paul Delvaux whose biography and works can be seen here

Les Astomones 1961

Tout Les Luminiers 1962

The Sleeping Venus 1944

Favourite Artists.

John William Waterhouse (1849 - 1917)

Waterhouse belonged to the later period of the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood, he was famous for paintings of female charaters from myths and legend. Presented in melodramatic poses and rich hues, these paintings evoke in me a tranquil feeling..a sensual dark feeling...I suppose 'decadent' would be an apt description.Often thought of in the same category as Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema and Fredric Leighton . To see more of his wonderful paintings..follow this link:

http://www.johnwilliamwaterhouse.com/pictures/index.php

Circe Invidiosa (1892)

Hylas And The Nymphs (1896)

The Lady Of shalott, (1888.)

Ophelia (1894)

Favourite Artists. Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema

The Women Of Amphissa

1887

Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema (1836 - 1912)

"The festival known to modern scholars as the Oreibasia (whose name means "mountain running") took place during the winter months at Delphi. Official delegations from many cities including Athens came to this festival. Plutarch describes the rescue of a group of Thyiads who unwittingly wandered into the city of Amphissa in Phocis during a time of war, and exhausted by their frenzy, fell asleep in the marketplace. The women of Amphissa, fearing that harm would come to them, stood watch silently around them until they revived and could be given a hot dinner and safe conduct to the borders."

Further examples of Tadema's work can be seen at this site:

http://bertc.com/subfive/gallery_72.htm#x

I have always admired and been influence by the compositional style of Tadema. Often associated with the PreRaphaelites, Dutch born Tamdema won the respect of the Victorian art world with his classical and delicately rendered compositions. If you look at some other works, you can clearly see the division of the picture by the horizontal and vertical lines , often representing architecture...these are complemented by by curves and softness of the figures often creating a perfect balance.

I hope to bring you a new piece very soon which is very exciting...watch this space!