An Artist's Corner

I don't really consider myself a good artist. I do not paint or sculpt, and my doodlings are nothing to save from being tossed in the garbage can. I heard that there is a study out there somewhere that says you can tell a lot about a person's psychology by the things they doodle. It has to do with whether or not you doodle geometric shapes... I, for the most part doodle flowers (analyze that if you want). 

Although I don't really consider myself an artist, I LOVE ART! I am not really sure when this whole loving art thing started. I don't believe it started until I went to the National Gallery with my Mother one year. I started seeing art in a different way. It was no longer just something pretty or sad to look at. It was someones soul put in a frame and allowing someone like me to behold it. Sure, artists have painted for thousands of years and many of them painted more for gain and prosperity than the outpouring of their soul, but I honestly believe you cannot create art without investing something - even the tiniest little bit- of yourself into it.

There is nothing like seeing a loved piece of art, known only as a inadequate graphic in a textbook, in real life. For me, this is like a child stumbling out of bed to behold a Christmas tree overflowing with presents. I beam. My mind starts to make all sorts of connections and suddenly I am having "a moment." 

So here is my blogging memento to a moment. Every now and again I will highlight an art piece that I've had a moment with. Today's is this one...Look carefully and try to decipher what the image is depicting.

You probably see a godlike figure holding some sort of ball, a person who seems to be out in the midst of the waves, and maybe a boat of people? So what do you think the painting is depicting?

This painting is by the American artist, Albert Pinkham Ryder - and I first had my moment with it as a freshman in my very first Humanities class. Here's the fun facts:

• Because he was poor, Ryder's paints were not high quality. Hence, his paints have darkened overtime. (Wonder what they looked light originally? me too)
• He hated to sell any of his work
• He never felt like his paintings were finished, so he kept adding little things. His paintings have so many layers of paint that the top layers have begun to crack and the under paint oozes through the cracks. 
• He fell in love with and proposed to a woman after hearing her sing
• He is one of the most forged painters in America. 

Now...look back at the painting one last time. Do you see the whale? Very few people see the whale on the first glance. I didn't. (look to the far right side of the painting) Now it should make sense that the painting is of Jonah. 

Sometimes we need to take a deeper look at things in order to truly understand the meaning. This is probably especially true when trying to understand our fellow human beings. We cannot just assume we see the whole picture because sometimes there are things as big as whales that people tuck deep under their layers. 

Just some art for thought...till next artist's corner!