"For me, those paintings are just "old paintings", devoid of meaning."
I have no idea about the meaning of them, I just like the movement and colour and the feeling that people are doing something in them thats a little out of the ordinary
I was not looking at the first paintings, my eyes dropped on the video when there is the old man eating the baby he is holding in his hand. I mean, "old painting" or not, it is just there, with a rather crude realism. And then a series of different people in different poses killing each other. Quite stomach-contracting.
Then I looked back the whole video to see if there are only horror-paintings. I could see there is a kind of crescendo, on the first pictures people meet each other nicely, then some guys are kidnapping ladies, then some more calm pictures and by the middle of the music the horror begins.
I actually knew Goya's "Saturn devouring his son", I guessed this may be the theme...
I definitely could not see these paintings as "old paintings". I am not seeking a "meaning" that would need historical knowledge, as I just see what the people are doing in the painting.
So I find it very interesting that some people would not see this. I really don't mean to say it is bad. It is just really astounding that we looked at the same images and really didn't see the same things.
There can be something with the painter's style. And, well, there are always art pieces that speak to you, and others not.
I guess there is a kind of visceral reaction to "old paintings", maybe coming from boring art classes in the schools, that makes people close their eyes and mind as soon as they see something "old", because that is certainly boring.
For me, with all the happenings going on now, for example the amazing massacre in Gaza that the world just let happen without any reaction from any government, my visceral reaction to these paintings is that... well, they are very contemporary.
Paintings like these never held my attention at all, I think it has to do with the profound lack of reality in them. Just look at the poses. Nobody ever stood like these people stand. Highly artificial.
It's hard for me to see the paintings well in this small format. (Which is also a reason I'd not looked at them.) But I have to look close to see an eating of a baby, it did not occur to me. And the rest of them are just classic crucifixion images or battling mythical beasts, very abstract "horror" to me.
It is funny, because this is the kind of painting you would find in churches... And that we have seen in museums, out of context, as being great pieces of art.
I think I knew the "Saturnus devouring his children" from before (the old man). That one is expressive...
I think I've spent a lot of time outside these circles, and some years in indonesian cultural circles, so I lost the ability of ignoring their content. Even the paintings of crucifixion look quite violent to me.
Actually I see them quite abstract as paintings. A lot of people compressed in the frame, in compositions totally contradicting the gravity, though with quite real bodies and people. Quite real and metaphoric at the same time.
Those guys sure knew how to paint. The only guy doing that stuff these days that I know of is David LeChapelle. Great music too.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you put this ?
ReplyDeleteBecause I like the music, of course.
ReplyDeleteThere are the paintings too...
ReplyDeleteYeah, admittedly.
ReplyDeleteI didn't look at those. This was the only video I could find for this piece which wasn't live.
Life was tough in the old days shown in these paintings.
ReplyDeleteBe grateful for the small pleasures we enjoy every day.
Joe
For quite a lot of us, it is still very tough today...
ReplyDelete"Be grateful for the small pleasures we enjoy every day."
- Yes !
The video made me think of the method in "A Clockwork Orange", where the guy has to look at terrible images while listening to Beethoven.
What is tough?
ReplyDeleteYou may have more of a relationship with art history than me. For me, those paintings are just "old paintings", devoid of meaning.
Eolake said...
ReplyDelete"...only video I could find for this piece which wasn't live."
What?! No LIVE Bach...on YouTube?! I'm SHOCKED!! ROFLMFAO! ;-)
You're FUNNY, Eo! lol! Thanks for the laugh!
:-)
No, there's lots of live Bach on youtube, but I wanted one non-live because the sound quality on the live ones were amateurish.
ReplyDelete... Addendum: Aniko, I see Joe's comment only now, I did not know to which you referred.
ReplyDelete"For me, those paintings are just "old paintings", devoid of meaning."
ReplyDeleteI have no idea about the meaning of them, I just like the movement and colour and the feeling that people are doing something in them thats a little out of the ordinary
So interesting, this discussion!
ReplyDeleteI was not looking at the first paintings, my eyes dropped on the video when there is the old man eating the baby he is holding in his hand. I mean, "old painting" or not, it is just there, with a rather crude realism. And then a series of different people in different poses killing each other. Quite stomach-contracting.
Then I looked back the whole video to see if there are only horror-paintings. I could see there is a kind of crescendo, on the first pictures people meet each other nicely, then some guys are kidnapping ladies, then some more calm pictures and by the middle of the music the horror begins.
I actually knew Goya's "Saturn devouring his son", I guessed this may be the theme...
I definitely could not see these paintings as "old paintings". I am not seeking a "meaning" that would need historical knowledge, as I just see what the people are doing in the painting.
So I find it very interesting that some people would not see this. I really don't mean to say it is bad. It is just really astounding that we looked at the same images and really didn't see the same things.
There can be something with the painter's style. And, well, there are always art pieces that speak to you, and others not.
I guess there is a kind of visceral reaction to "old paintings", maybe coming from boring art classes in the schools, that makes people close their eyes and mind as soon as they see something "old", because that is certainly boring.
For me, with all the happenings going on now, for example the amazing massacre in Gaza that the world just let happen without any reaction from any government, my visceral reaction to these paintings is that... well, they are very contemporary.
Paintings like these never held my attention at all, I think it has to do with the profound lack of reality in them. Just look at the poses. Nobody ever stood like these people stand. Highly artificial.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard for me to see the paintings well in this small format. (Which is also a reason I'd not looked at them.) But I have to look close to see an eating of a baby, it did not occur to me. And the rest of them are just classic crucifixion images or battling mythical beasts, very abstract "horror" to me.
eolake said...
ReplyDelete"Paintings like these... Highly artificial."
I think these paintings were not showing a single event, but a combination of several separate events.
These paintings look to be more war pictures, if not then it seems they are violent crimes of the strong against the weak.
Involving a short sword, and simply bashing the children to death.
The victors raping and pillaging. Taking the women as a prize. The complete destruction of the defeated.
The classic crucifixion images show one of the methods of execution of the day.
Joe
It is funny, because this is the kind of painting you would find in churches... And that we have seen in museums, out of context, as being great pieces of art.
ReplyDeleteI think I knew the "Saturnus devouring his children" from before (the old man). That one is expressive...
I think I've spent a lot of time outside these circles, and some years in indonesian cultural circles, so I lost the ability of ignoring their content. Even the paintings of crucifixion look quite violent to me.
Actually I see them quite abstract as paintings. A lot of people compressed in the frame, in compositions totally contradicting the gravity, though with quite real bodies and people. Quite real and metaphoric at the same time.
"Even the paintings of crucifixion look quite violent to me."
ReplyDeleteWell, they are. Christians love their violence, just witness the success of Passion Of The Christ.
For a bit of fun in the conversation, here are some religious images that look so much better ! :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://aniko-antinyamuk.blogspot.com/2009/03/beware-of-your-toast-religious-images.html