on art

[inmyriadbits]

Have I ever mentioned that I love Jack Vettriano's paintings? Because I really do. His paintings are sometimes sad (A Kind of Loving), and sometimes sexy as hell (Game On), and often both sad AND sexy (Beautiful Losers II).

I'd say he's rather cynical -- or possibly, something like "romantically pragmatic" -- his paintings are often of isolated figures, or isolated couples, or couples in various kinds of antagonist or alienated embraces (he has a whole series called Betrayal - First Kiss, for example, or The Embrace of the Spider). Even ones that should be romantic feel a bit disturbing -- like The Last Great Romantics and The Last Great Romantic (which was my best friend in high school's favorite); their eyes are all closed tight. Or At Last, My Lovely (I find that over-large shadow just...beautifully unbalanced in all meanings of the word). And some are just straight-up disturbing: The Assessors, Feeding Frenzy, The Master Tattooist, The Perfectionist.

Anyway, I think he's brilliant, and I love the slight retro aesthetic and lonely tone and under-cut romance of it all. ♥

Most of you have probably seen The Singing Butler, which is probably his most famous. I like it, but it doesn't grab me as much as the rest of his work, for whatever reason. I've been trying to decide about a print of his to buy -- I'm finally putting more art back on my walls; I left them blank for the entire year of 2010, but I have four framed pieces now that I want to add to. I used to have a bunch of his stuff that I cut out from an old calendar, but I want real prints. I kinda wanted The Temptress, but I can't find it for under $150, and I can't do that. But I also really love The Letter, so I think I'll ask for that for Christmas.

Comments

[gingerwall.livejournal.com]

OMG. So hot. I'd be tempted to just wait for the Temptress if I were you... how much over $150 is it? Game On is my other favorite.

How have I never heard of this guy before?

[inmyriadbits.livejournal.com]

I think I found one version that was $135 plus shipping? And the others are like, $600 or $800 for really nice prints. $135 is still too much money to consider spending on art at this point in my life, though. Prints of it will still be around in years to come, I'm sure. And I do love Game On, but I don't think I could ever comfortably hang it on my wall. Maybe in the bathroom. You should totally wander around his website, since you like Game On; he has lots of pretty sexy paintings.

I only discovered him because Emma randomly saw this calendar at a bookstore and thought I'd like it because of the retro aesthetic he has going on, and bought it for me as a Christmas gift. I'm glad she did!

[gingerwall.livejournal.com]

That's so true: it's perfect bathroom art... until you have kids. And then it becomes awkward.

There's this amazing gay coffee shop in the middle of nowhere Indiana (where I sample for zooplankton) - literally it's the only cool place for an hour in any direction - that has these amazing murals of naked people painted on the inside of their bathroom doors. It was the first that I realized bathroom art was a sub-genre. :)

I may have showed you this before, but I think this is my favorite painting of all time: http://www.oilpaintings-sales.com/images-big/john-singer-sargent/john-singer-sargent-el-jaleo-78610.jpg

When you look at the real thing in person (Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston) it's HUGE and completely captivating. I think I stood and stared at it for 15 minutes without moving the first time I saw it.

[inmyriadbits.livejournal.com]

LOL, too true!

Oh, I've never seen that one! That's gorgeous, thank you for sharing. ♥

I've always loved Van Gogh's paintings in museums a million times more even than normal. The textures and brushstrokes...I always start getting paranoid that someone's going to yell at me for breathing on the priceless artwork, because I go and stick my face right up in it. :)