"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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unbelievable...I don't mean to diminish the work because these are unblievable examples to hyperrealism...and my most favorite art is representational...but I've asked myself this question over the years and without a firm conclusion...why make something look just like the photo when you already have the photo?...isn't a beautiful or interesting photo a work of art in and of it's self?...shouldn't the photo be only a starting point...a point of reference that the artist then brings himself to and in the end the finished work says something more than the photo ever could?...of course if you're working from a great photo and you have the ability to reproduce it exactly then that's what you will get...an exact reproduction of a great photo...is this more of a technical exercise than an artistic expression?...for what it is worth I guess one can always say it looks just like the photo...that is no small thing to say...and don't get me wrong...I greatly admire this ability...I strive for it myself...but I'm asking a question that has been a conundrum for me over the years and I would be interested to hear what others have to say on this matter.
posted
Rusty I was introduced to your question for the first time as a high school artist and it went right over my head. Up to then and some time after i still judged one's artistry by how "real" the draftsman could make it look. I am still amazed by the technical aspects of this kind of skill but maybe more so by the dedication to pull it off (perhaps the motivation too). After 30+ years in this biz I like to loosen things up some myself. I would much rather see your pencil roughs than your photos of finished pieces. I enjoyed your thoughts Mr. Bradley, well said.
-------------------- Bob Sauls Sauls Signs & Designs Tallahassee, Fl
"Today I'll meet nice people and draw for them!" Posts: 765 | From: Tallahassee, Fl | Registered: Jun 2009
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When we had a discussion on Dru Blairs work a few years back I brought up the same Question... Why? Like you I was amazed at the ability, I guess it's like saying why climb a mountain? Because it's there.
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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I tend to like art that shows more "tool marks", but I would never knock someone with that kind of talent and passion. It would be interesting to see the difference between the photographic reference and his final rendering. I wouldn't be surprised if he adds and removes things to craft the ideal image.
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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That's why there is so many types of art- different people are drawn to different types and styles. Most of my formal education came from former medical illustrators, so realism appeals to me more than some other types- In college, I used to hate it when other art students would have to critique their art, and they would come up with some wild explanation of what it "represented": just because they struggled with proportions and composition, all of a sudden, it was intentional and symbolized something like woman's struggle for equality and the heavy, undeserved burden of motherhood, or some other nonsense... what a load of crap...
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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Michael...I think you've got it...there are many different styles of art and these examples certainly are at the top of this style...maybe I was making much ado about nothing...your later point is also interesting and this story speaks to that point...I knew a man who was trying to do realistic landscapes...and he struggled...it was just beyond his ability...so he ultimately turned to more abstract work...now with his new approach he said he was "making a statement"...and for some reason it now had become a more serious and deeper expression of his inner being...not that this cant be valid...but IMHO often times this reason is used as an excuse for lack of ability.
posted
I read in Trump's Book, "The Art of the Deal" of how he was visiting an Artist friends Studio in New York... long story short, he asked Trump "Do you want to watch me make 50 grand before we go to lunch? He said "Sure".. buddy threw some paint on a Canvas and said lets go to lunch, I just made 50 grand... anyway it went something like that.
I was never a Big fan of these abstracts, can't help it, I think it's a cop out for inability or is it just laziness?
[ May 09, 2011, 12:41 PM: Message edited by: Neil D. Butler ]
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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