AN ARTIST’S JOURNEY II
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Acknowledgement:
As a sincere gesture of gratitude, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the hard work to Mira Aguayo for her untiring help towards the completion of this book. Her polished professional skill, combined with warm human qualities, understanding, patience and a genuine interest in art made my job as an author much easier.
Dedication:
An artist’s soul is his profound understanding of ideas. This fragile substance is extremely sensitive to external influences and needs the moral support of his fellow man. The strength of this support is strongest when it is combined with friendship. Creative painting is my way of bringing forth of my ideas emotions and dreams. The enthusiastic moral support of my friends, but particularly that of my wife Lita, with her devoted love and undivided practical help which has greatly enriched my creative existence and to the George and Helen Foundation that has made this book possible.
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Helen Vari
George and Helen Vari Foundation.
George William Vari:
George Vari was born in Szepes County, Hungary to lawyer Istvan and Ida Vari in 1923. During World War II, George was able to flee to Switzerland in 1940, he studied in Lauzanne. As the war came to a close, he headed back to Hungary and attended the University of Szeged as well as the Budapest Technical University. He also received a law degree at the University.
Following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, George left his country in 1957 and headed to Montreal and settled there. In 1950 he had met Helen de Fabinyi in Hungary, they fell in love and married in Montreal in 1967.
He excelled in international real estate development. His Paris based company Sefri Construction operated in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, England, Brazil, Venezuela and Senegal. Mr. Vari oversaw the building of an entire town in Nigeria. He insisted on visiting every job site wherever the job was situated. He would perform this task at least once a month. George Vari invested in his own projects and excelled at building hotels, mainly 43 hotels on four continents. He was Privy in the Council of Canadian Prime Ministers. He sat on various boards. As a civil engineer by profession, he headed the construction of Tour Montparnasse in Paris. The Vari’s intended to return to Canada, but there were so many interesting and challenging projects offered to George that they stayed in France a total of 21 wonderful years. Another project worth an honourable mention was the Hotel Cosmos in Moscow, he was invited to build this major project when Moscow was to host the Olympics in 1980. Including in his substantial portfolio was 6 of the pavilions at Expo ‘67 in Montreal. He was also renowned for his outstanding record in philanthropy, in particular in the field of educational institutions, making significant endowments to Ryerson University, York University as well as the University of Toronto. Named after him is York’s Vari Hall as are various scholarships and awards at these institutions. The Centre for Computing and Engineering was renamed The George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre by Ryerson University, following a five million dollars donation in 2005.
In 1992, George Vari was named to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, becoming a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, he was entitled to be addressed as, “The Honourable George Vari”, a life time achievement. He was named to the Order of Canada in 1989. Helen and George were appointed to the Legion d’Honneur of France.
Mr. Vari passed away on December 9th. 2010 at age 87.
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The
Madame Helen Vari:
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science. Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
Helen Vari is the head of the Canada-France friendship committee and hence is associated with Embassies, Consulates, Heads of States. Mrs.Vari is Godmother to the International sections of the Legion D’honneur. She holds degrees at University of Toronto, Ryerson University. Helen also sits on the Board of York University. She is President of the Canadian House which is lodging Canadian students in Paris and is Honorary Colonel of the Toronto Scottish Regiment, (representing the regiment, HCol. Helen Vari has just returned from England where she was invited to celebrate Prince Charles 70th.birthday). Madame Vari is one of the heads in the committee of the Battle of VIMY WAR Veterans and has recently been awarded the Minister of Veterans Affairs commendation.
Recently, (hDr/HCol) Helen Vari has been named Co-Chair of the 100th. Anniversary commemoration of the Juno Beach Battle which will take place from June 4-7 in Normandy, France. The event will be attended by International Leaders and hundreds of Veterans.
Mrs. Helen Vari was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws for her extraordinary philanthropic and volunteer contributions to Canada through service to the arts, education, heritage preservation and health care. She has been described as a lifelong supporter of education, as well as a person committed to ensuring students of all abilities and backgrounds have opportunities to prosper. Her early life was spent in Hungary, married her late husband, the Honourable George Vari in Montreal, Quebec. Travelling extensively has taught her that, as she would quite often say, “a country cannot survive without engineers”. Indeed, the Vari’s engineering and construction company, SEFRI Construction International, created employment and successful careers to hundreds of professional engineers who constructed hotels, high rise buildings and airports around the globe.
George and Helen’s strong belief in the opportunity provided by education led them to establish the Vari Foundation in 1984, of which Mrs. Vari is President. The foundation has helped students at many educational institutions with scholarship donations, as well as support for teaching programs and financial gifts. Along with her leadership of the Vari Foundation, she has served on the boards of the Ontario Heritage Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Alliance Francaise de Toronto. International in scope is her service through work on the Maison des etudiants Canadiens at the University of Paris including her role as the founding President of the World Monuments Fund. She has received many international honours for her philanthropic and volunteer work including membership as an officer in l’Ordre de la Legion d’Honneur de France. Madame Vari is an Officer in France’s Ordre National du Merite and a Commandant de l’Ordre de Malta. In Canada, Mrs. Vari is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee medals.
This book is dedicated to the George and Helen Vari Foundation.
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In recognition of Gérard Paraghamian’s contribution in support of UNICEF Canada’swork for children.
UNICEF’s first holiday card was painted in 1949 by a seven-year old Czechoslovakian girl, Jitka Samkova, as a thank you to UNICEF for the help given to her village after the Second World War. More than 65 years later, UNICEF has saved the lives of millions of children around the World through its Cards and Gifts Program.
In Canada, the UNICEF cards program has been a long standing tradition beloved by many Canadians. Throughout the years, Gérard Paraghamian’s contribution of his renowned and cherished paintings has brought a Canadian panorama to UNICEF’s greeting card collection globally. Gérard’s gift through art has meant for five of his most prominent designs to be showcased by UNICEF, resulting in the public sales of greeting cards whereby all net proceeds benefit UNICEF’s vital work for the most marginalized children in the world.
Because of generous supporters such as Gérard Paraghamian UNICEF saves more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization. His work goes well beyond his obvious talent and creativity; it has made a difference for countless children.
Sincerely, Dee Diaz Director, Corporate & Community Engagement
13 April 2013
One of my stories.
I think I was 10 years old when I drew my first (masterpiece) I remember it was in my poetry class where we had to memorize certain poems of well-known French poets. I had decided to do a drawing trying to depict in a picture what the poem was saying in words. Why? I don’t know but whenever I saw a piece of paper and if I had a pen or pencil with me I would sketch. Needless to say that this was work in progress as even I did not know what finally ended up on the paper.
One reason for my inclination towards art could be that my father who was an “artisan” tailor in Nice, France also drew, wrote poems in Armenian sang as he played the oud. My mother also had a beautiful voice and sang whenever she could. Out of all this it was not difficult to be drawn towards the arts.
My father Essaye and my mom Anna were born in Turkey where they witnessed the atrocities, losing most of their parents, they ran away and were lucky to end up in France and stayed, they met there and married. My mom having settled in Marseille with her mother and my father having found relative and settled in Nice. Somehow they met and got married. My sister Anne-Marie, my brother George and I were all born in Nice.
My art developed, I would say “by mistake”. In 1995, we arrived in Québec City on the last voyage of Cunard line’s Franconia. I remember everyone being sick as it was not that big a ship. I will never forget the icebergs in the middle of the Atlantic and yes the ship stopped, it was night the stars were so big and bright that later on in life they reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “starry night”.
I say by mistake because I never thought that art was something people did seriously, it was much later in my world travels, visiting all the major galleries that I realized how wrong I was, nevertheless I never thought that I would be good enough to pursue this vocation full time, as a result I found myself scraping through high school with a diploma in machine shop and auto mechanics. With one period of art a week, my art teacher John Bennet suggested I should change courses and take art on a full time basis as he thought that I had merit, but I just wanted to finish high school the easiest way possible. Art was still a passive endeavor. After high school the jobs did not exactly fall into my lap. To keep warm in the winter I enrolled at Ryerson in Toronto, to ease my pain my professors urged me to find another way towards my future.
Not having any money but a bit of luck on my side, I learned to play the accordion as a very descent Armenian, French kid did, having had some background at the conservatory of music in France, it came easy. It wasn’t long before I formed the first all Armenian/French band in Toronto. At last some money was making its way into my wallet, but still no art. Is this what I wanted to be a musician all my life, well that is also a form of art. It was not until I met a fellow who saw one of my mediocre paintings on the wall that he suggested the Ontario College of Art in Toronto which by the way I had never heard of. With nothing to lose I enrolled in a 4 year advertising design course. Advertising they told me would be the only way that you might make it in art. After graduation there were no jobs in sight. My grandmother would sit in the living room and watch me come home with my portfolio in hand and a sad look on my face. She always gave me courage. The ad agencies all said that I had a good portfolio but were looking for experienced designers. At my last interview I said to the creative director….” Well, give me the job and I will have experience. That didn’t sit so well. I put my portfolio down and joined a band with a manager that was booking the group in all the Holiday Inns around the world as well as cruises. That can’t be bad I said to myself. As we were being measured up for our stage uniforms I received a call from an art director at Foster Advertising which at that time was the second biggest ad agency in Canada with an impressive list of clients such as GM. It so happened that they were looking for a
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freelancer, which I instantly became. I was hired 2 weeks later as a full time art director. I never looked back, climbed the ladder of this industry where art director awards were more important than the client. I was disillusioned, quit and went on my own, starting my own studio for the next 15 years.
It was not until 1983 that by chance I created a poster of Toronto which I named “On the waterfront Toronto” by Gérard Paraghamian. The poster took Toronto by storm. This brought me into the art publishing industry. Luck smiled at me again,
The biggest art publisher took me on and since then became the official artist of Expo ’86. Travelling around the world with a back pack, I was taken aback by the poverty and starvation. As a result I have donated art work to almost every nonprofit organizations, Unicef was in the habit of only using an artist once from each country in the world. They used 5 different designs of mine because they were well accepted. It’s this kind of thing that makes one feel good, money is such a secondary thing. As a result I was nominated to the “Order of Canada” and was featured in the “Canadian Who’s Who” book.
My subjects vary greatly as I am being commissioned on a project basis. One day a factory, a sports personality such as Gilles Villeneuve or the Hockey legend Bobby Orr or landscape scenes for calendars. I believe an artist should not restrict himself or herself on a single subject matter.
Creating, should it be in writing, art, acting or music always wondering if tomorrow will be the end of your creativity. Will you still be in demand, will trends change. Will you change, will you start having doubts about your work. These are questions always preoccupying the creative type.
To create in fine art is quite interesting. You know what you want at first, but don’t always end up with your wishes, that is what it makes it interesting, things evolve in front of your eyes, and the artist will change his mind a dozen times. He will have doubts, especially if the creation is not going in his or her favor, but at the end the rewards are great. Another words….you sweat it out to the end.
Wherever I travel in the world, I use photography as a means for my research. Not confusing great portrait photographers such as Karsh, in my mind the only great portrait photographer in the world. I believe there is no comparison between art and photography as I do both I can relate to that. But to be fair each art form has its merit.
A couple of memorable events was when a framed painting was presented to Jean Chretien two weeks before he became the Prime Minister of Canada and other dignitaries. I am now spending more time in the South of France where I was born, the light there is exceptional that is why most of the French impressionist painted there. As one gets older one looks for warmer climates. Friends that I have met in my travels asks whether I will see them again. Friendship is so powerful – we need more of it.
All in all the next subject matter will be what the next phone call will bring. I have just finished a painting of Venice, one of the most fascinating cities in the world, it will stay in my private collection.
The fact that my work gets published in all forms for the art industry such as in T-shirts, art cards, coasters, limited Edition prints, pens, decorative plates, mouse pads, etc. I am able to donate to any worthwhile organizations or one’s that we can work together with for the good of the world.
Gérard Paraghamian
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“In my own words”
Understanding abstract art is easy; all it requires is an open mind and a big imagination to boot, swirling shapes, an away of colourful patterns. A flowing river running through fields of lush vegetation, pure energy.
Abstract art is open to interpretation, definitely one of the most beautiful aspects of it. It does not jump out, instead abstract art requires an open, inspiring mind and creativity it gives you the freedom to explore the artwork and assign your own meaning, intense personal process that enriches the viewers experience towards an artwork, understanding that it is not a natural experience for everyone. Some people will scratch their heads and say “I can do that”. Most people do not realize that the best abstract artists have wonderful drawing skills, a unique sense of composition and an understanding of the magic colour. The majority of the abstract artists can very easily draw a beautiful life study or a detailed flower arrangement. Being able to conquer that, they choose to express their creativity by offering a visual experience that is freer. Abstract art also makes some people uneasy as they don’t automatically captivate what the art is all about. It could be they assume that because it does not look like anything, then it must not be about anything. Most abstract art does not contain recognizable objects, as a result the mainstream feel that there is nothing there with any worthwhile meaning. this could end up as being very confusing to certain observers trying to comprehend their own interpretation to what is in front of them. The fact being that abstract art is not about nothing, it is not empty, it is about texture, composition, pattern, line, colour, form, process and technique. They describe the art and creation process. It is an explosion of these qualities that are utilized to create a complete visual experience, but how do you begin understanding abstract art. People that try to explain the contents of a picture usually are driving up a one way street, the wrong way. Art cannot be explained accurately with words, its influence on people should lift them into a higher sphere, allow the artwork to take you somewhere, anywhere.
Abstract art has to be understood in a different manner, one that might not be normally used. Accept it for what it is, do not try to find meaning. When listening to music, do not try to hang on to each note, let them take over your soul. Similarly let your eyes wander over the creation the way individual notes of a symphony orchestra takes over your being let your eyes waltz over the painting. See what emotions and memories emerge rather than trying to find out what the painting is all about, just allow yourself to be taken in. Take note of the colours, forms and see how they interact with each other. Do not rush, in time the painting will ‘talk’ to you. You cannot get full impact of a modern art creation from a photo in an art book or what you see online, it would be more advantageous to see abstract art in person, with an original in front of you. You can get the full impact, feel the strength of the painting across the room, stand in the space the artist occupied as he or she was creating the piece, try to imagine the thoughts with each brush strokes.
To understand abstract art is an invitation to discover for yourself the meaning. Everything is open to interpretation, it is not easy to grasp life such as seascapes, still life, portraits, landscapes or other forms of representational art. Everyone will explain their feelings in a different manner. There are no two characters alike. Abstract art will allow the viewer to decide for himself what the art work is about, personally speaking.
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There is nothing to hold on in terms of describing the painting, you must engage with it as it won’t tell you what it is about.
Wanting to fully appreciate an artwork, it is imperative to see the reasoning behind it. To appreciate artwork, we do not need to know what the work is about in order to feel a full appreciation for it.
Knowing and understanding the artist’s background and thought process for his or her reasoning of a certain artwork might help in understanding the creator’s intention behind the execution of the work.
Artists are influenced by what is happening in politics, current events, society as a whole, they are shaped by the era they are working in. All these leave an unforgettable impression on the artist’s mind and daily life leaving in effect the direction and concept of the creation.
Abstract art has been discovered and earliest known work, dates back 70,000 years, there’s nothing new or radical in contemporary abstract art as we know it. All cultures have a form of abstract art, Lascaux cave paintings, African, Tibetan, Navajo, Armenian church paintings as a few examples. Cultures have been reproducing abstract art for many centuries, much before western art finally began producing its own version.
In the 19th. Century patronage from the church became less and less and public patronage took its place and had a better capacity in providing a meaningful life for painters. There were three art movements which leaned towards the development of abstract art, they were, romanticism, impressionism and expressionism. We touched on these three. The 19th. century saw the advancement of artistic independence. Post impressionists were instrumental in the forward movement of abstraction towards the 20th. century. Cubism ultimately depended on subject matter, it became, together with Fauvism, the movement that opened the door to abstract renditions. Pablo Picasso created his first cubist painting based on cube, sphere and cone. Analytic cubism was developed by Picasso and Georges Braque, between 1908 through 1912. The introduction of synthetic cubism was characterized by different textured surfaces. Many new ideas in abstract paintings were shown during the 1912 Salon de la Section d’Or. Since the turn of the century, connections between artists in major European cities had become overly active as they tried to accomplish an art form equal to the high expectations of abstract modernism. Many sources were opened to experimentation and discussion by means of books and exhibitions. There was a search for ‘pure art’, experimental works had been created by a few artists from 1909 to 1913. Artists used lines like rays of light , abstract language of horizontal and vertical lines with squares and rectangles of colours. Others in the group had intentions of reshaping the environment towards the future. Visual art became more abstract and developed some characteristics of music. Music is an art form that uses the abstract elements of sound. All our senses respond to various stimuli, they are connected at a deeper aesthetic level. Closely related is the idea that art has a spiritual dimension and can transcend day to day experiences, they are like colour, fundamental systems underlying visible reality.
With Russian avant-gardism artists in Russia became constructivists accepting the fact that art was no longer some remote product, but life as we know it. They became technicians, learning to use the tools and materials of up to date production. They abandoned easel painting and transferred their energy to theatre design and graphic design. Other artists argued that art was a spiritual activity, to absorb the individual’s place in this world, without organizing life in a practical, materialistic manner. Many of them that were opposed to this materialist abstraction of art left the country. By the mid 1920’s when artists had been free to experiment was terminated. By the 1930’s socialist realism was the only thing allowed.
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The philosophy underlying the teaching program of the Bauhaus was unity of all the visual and plastic arts from architecture and painting to weaving and stained glass. It had grown from ideas of arts and craft movements in England. In 1932 the Bauhaus was closed. The exodus began from Europe in general to Paris, London and the United States. Many of the artists at the Bauhaus travelled to America.
During the 1930’s Paris became the centre to artists from Russia, Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries affected by the rise of totalitarianism. Abstraction-creation founded in 1931 was a more open group. It provided a point of reference for abstract artists. During the Nazi rise to power in the ‘30’s many artists fled Europe to America. By the early ‘40’s the main movement in modern art were represented in New York. The rich cultural influences brought on by the European artists were built upon by local New York painters. The sense of freedom in New York allowed all of these influences to flourish. Certain artists at this moment became abstract in their work. Some artists of the time defied categorization while not joining any specific group of the period. New York city became the centre, artists worldwide gravitated towards it, as well from other places in America.
Before the 20th century, fine art in the western world was representational, it looked like something that one recognized. We could see what these things were whether, snow capped mountains and valleys or a bowl of fruit, they were instantly recognizable. There was a distinct change in the 20th century, life styles changed, technology moved forward in leaps and bounds, middle classes blossomed, new ideas came about, new discoveries were made, questioning our past perceptions of the way things were conducted. There were new questions about identity, purpose in life, our place in the universe, our very existence, artists were looking for new ways to express themselves without boundaries. Recent needs, need new techniques and statements in making their artistic talent felt. Abstract art was the fresh new way of expressing ideas in an ever changing globe. This was no accident. If photography could capture reality, as seen by the naked eye, what was the point of painting like a photograph. Artists began questioning the simple role of being an artist. Impressionism, post impressionism, fauvism and cubism were all forerunners to modern art. Being aware of the senses and taking it with the mind, they pave the way for abstract art to hatch. It all begin as an abstraction of natural forms. Starting with nature the images were more and more distorted to the point that they were not recognized as to what it once was. Two different type of abstracts seem to have emerged, abstract that are based on the natural form and the ones that are in the true sense of the word, purely abstract. As an example, an abstract landscape has tell signs. Focussing you can perhaps see rolling hills, trees, lakes, plants and a sun with some clouds. A purely abstract painting is not based on things that is seen in nature, au contraire, it is meant to be taken in, simply, for what it is, shapes comprised of colourful forms and designs. It is much more ethereal and conceptual than paintings that depend on normal forms. They can both be executed in the same style with bright colours, shapes and detailed patterns, energy and movements. One was based on perceived forms, the other purely abstract, definitely an important factor to consider when viewing an abstract/ modern work of art as you are trying to figure out what it is all about. A deep distinction arises between abstracting from what appears to be to the point of unrecognizable objects and making works out of forms drawn from the visible world. During the years preceding the first world war, artists turned to fundamentally abstract art. The Dada group was a nihilistic and anti aesthetic movement in the arts that flourished in Zurich, New York, Cologne, Hannover, Germany and Paris in the early 20th. Century. Dada did not constitute an actual artistic style, but it favoured group spontaneity. Many Dadaist worked in collage and found object construction rather than in painting and sculpture.
Abstract art was also called non objective art or non representational art in which things from the
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visible world played no part. Prior to the 20th. Century these modern elements were utilized by artists to describe the world of nature and civilization. Abstract art has its origins in the early part of the 19th. century. This period also produced a number of painters who examined light and visual perception. Gradually many painters of this period started to accept this new found freedom and also new responsibilities implied in the growing together or uniting into one body. A picture is a flat surface covered throughout with colours put together in certain order. There is a deep distinction between abstracts from appearance, even to the point of not being able to recognize and making art out of forms not drawn from the visible world.
After the Second World War an energetic American school of abstract painting called Abstract Empressionism emerged, it had wide influence and became a dominant trend in western painting during the 50’s. Modern art embraces a wide range of movements, attitudes and theories, it has a tendency to reject traditional, historical forms in an effort to create an art form more in keeping with changed social, economic and intellectual conditions. There is general agreement that the beginning of modern painting cannot be clearly set with the limits. The general understanding is that it started in 19th. century France. Gradually many painters of this period began to accept the newly found freedom and the new responsibilities that these attitudes brought on. It indicates a departure from reality in depicting art. This departure can be slight, partial or complete. Artwork which takes liberties, changing for example colour and form in manners that are visually questionable, can be said to be abstract. Both geometric abstraction and lyrical abstraction are often totally abstract. Among the numerous art movements with a specific common philosophy or goal were especially important during the period extending roughly from the 1860’s to the 1970’s and denotes the styles and the study of general and fundamental methods concerning matters such as an awareness or understanding of something which is acquired through experience or education with cognitive faculties, including thinking, judgement and language.
Abstract art is often seen as carrying a moral dimension in that it can be seen to stand for virtues such as purity, simplicity and spirituality. It is also applied to art that uses forms, such as geometric shapes or marks which have no source in an external visual reality. The term, “concrete Art” is at time mentioned but in reality the word abstract is used across the board, the distinction between the two is not always obvious. A group of artists known as Abstract Expressionists emerged in the United States in the years following the Second World War, their work was characterized by non objective images that were emotionally charged with personal meaning. Artists rejected implications of the name. The abstract expressionists shared common artistic and intellectual interests, even though not expressly political, most of them held strong convictions based on ideas of social and economic equality.
Throughout the 50’s, abstract expressionism became the dominant influence on artists in the United States and abroad. Some saw the undertones of abstract expressionism at odds with a society increasingly concerned with a consumer mentality, ignited by economic success of the mass media. It could be said that the designation, abstract expressionism is not an accurate description of the body of work created by these artists. The movement was made up of many different styles varying in technique and quality of expression, but they are basically abstracts, they emphasize personal emotional expression. Arshile Gorky whose real name was Vosdanik Adoian, was an Armenian painter, born on April 15, 1904 in Van, Armenia. He was the direct link between the European Surrealist painters and the painters of the American Abstract Expressionist movement. He greatly stimulated the native New York City painters and gave them a more intimate view of European painting. Abstract Expressionism had a great impact
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on both the American and European art scenes during the 50’s. It marked the shift of the creative centre of modern painting from Paris to New York City in the post war decades. By the 60’s, its participants had generally drifted away from the highly charged expressiveness of the Action painters.
Even though expressionism might not be accurately described, as mentioned, it gained momentum during the second half of the 40’s where two broad pictorial styles emerged. The first emphasized the expressive capacity of the brush mark itself. Paintings of that era were all notable for their ferocious looking figures enmeshed with a staccato like configuration of brush strokes. The second Abstract Expressionist pictorial style provided a strategy in the opposite direction to action painting. As opposed to producing canvases with a configuration of marks that supposedly indexed the artist’s mind set, painters of that era sought to purge their canvases entirely of details so that the viewer could be made aware of being surrounded in the sensation of space.
A German magazine was the first to use the term “Abstract Expressionism” in 1919 to describe the nonrepresentational abstract works of the German Expressionists. In 1946 an American art critic used the term to describe the abstract works of a group of American artists active between the 40’s and the 60’s. Different in style they sought to achieve an expressive effect. They worked mainly in New York and as a result came to be known as the New York School. Paris had been the centre of the art world in the early 20th. century. World War II had ended, the French capital’s predominance as the heart of the art scene. New York came to the forefront to take its place as the centre of avant-garde art. The 1951 exhibition “Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America” at the Museum of Modern Art capitalized the reputation of the movement as a major artistic movement. Artists associated with Abstract Expressionism had established their careers in the 1930’s partly because of the Federal Art Project, state sponsored program that promoted the role of the artist within society. The program which often required the artists to produce murals continued to develop large scale works for decades afterwards. They sought international recognition, those who worked under the auspices of the program tended to rebel against its prescriptive agenda. Artists were often required to render work in a social realist style. They also rejected the national style of painting that prevailed at the time.
In England, figurative painters were known for their, “Kitchen Sink Realism”, a term for a school of painting that depicted the daily encounters of the working classes. Some had very different vision of humanity. Their portraits presented the figures as fundamentally alone and isolated from society. These works were built up from a multitude of expressive brush strokes that revealed the artist’s own insecurities. They believed that a painting can never be completely finished and that an artist’s perception of the world was not just a matter of the accumulation of visual detail, other senses had to have a part to perform and an artist had to depict the whole experience rather than just the sum of its parts. Some artists became known for their use of impasto, thick paint and agitated surfaces that reflect their intense energy.
The years after the Second World War saw the widespread acceptance of abstract art in Europe, figurative artists generally preferred to portray figures and objects in a recognizable way. They painted challenging images of contemporary figures and their surroundings that were often unsentimental, at times poetic and occasionally brutal in the treatment of their subjects. Artists that were most closely associated with figurative painting embraced not only different styles of paintings but also different theories of what should be represented and how. For some artists, figurative painting was the only artistic style that could
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make sense of social and political realities, as well as some combined painting and collage to convey the heated debates about art and politics of the times. Controversies were frequently discussed because of the subject matter of the work. In France, communist painters also aroused controversy and were a great influence on the younger generation of Neo- Expressionists.
Graphic designs are made up of form/shape and colour. Art that is recognizable, realistic art, the viewer can with ease identify the creation. Abstract art can vary from distortion to reality to disorganized shapes and forms with no connectivity whatsoever. A variety of graphic techniques is used to create the work. It generally begins with a concept and develops into a format. Artists may produce random shapes and colours that will represent some sort of disorder. Abstract is a broad variety of art that comes under this theme. All form of art express emotions for the viewer. It does not matter if you understand art in its different forms. There are people who love art in its different format and others who do not really care or understand it to any depth. Many do not have personal feelings for symphony opera, classical or western classical but they still love it and will go and buy the records. The cost of a painting is really a specialist’s market with its own ups and downs, just like investing in the equity market. Many art buyers do not understand the process. It has more to do with who you are. If you are not famous or well known, check the prices of similar styles, techniques and skills, then take an average. Depending on your marketing skills, if you are known, the price of the original is established at auctions. Using your skill in convincing people about your art, you will have more demand, as a result the price will rise. Whether abstract, figurative or conceptual it will not influence the final price. Art is all about skill acquired through experience, observation and study. Form and colour in itself is a style that separates itself from drawing as it is represented in real life. Abstraction is not about interpreting real life as we know it, it is not about giving the impression of life itself but rather symbolizes the spirit of togetherness, life’s colours. People believe that it is easy to create abstract art but in fact, to do good abstract is really difficult. It is best for artists to initially learn how to draw figurative and then move on to abstract. Learning how to draw is a prerequisite before the transition into modern. You cannot create something from nothing. Mixing and using colour is of course very important. In abstraction you must create a space, decide without guidance what belongs where. Abstract art is constructed to evoke a feeling, it is on an individual level. Sometimes there is a figure in mind that goes through a few steps of development before the complete image is established. When it comes to applying a title to a painting, the selection is important, in abstract art non poetic titles can be utilized and is often the case. The art will always be seen through its title. This art is an open invitation to your personal interpretation, there is nothing wrong with this. Absolutely, one of the most fantastic thing about abstract art is the endless array of patterns incorporating beautiful colours and shapes. Investigating further, you feel pure energy, a flow of space, cosmic abundance. It does not jump at you to declare, “This is me, this is what I do”, this, is my feeling, my colours, my thoughts, my attitude at this particular point in time.” Open the door, open the window and have a wide open mind, inquire about what is in front of you, have the freedom to gain your own meaning to the piece, come in, walk into the painting, it will give you the freedom to explore, feel a personal attachment, make it personal, make it extremely personal, it will enrich your experience regarding the art and the life that you are so keen to follow.
I tell you, understanding and trying to make sense of abstract art does not come easy for most people. Scratching your head will not make it any easier to grasp the situation.
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“ in my own words.”
The general consensus is that the viewing population do not realize that the most skilled abstract painters do have wonderful and well-honed drawing skills as well as composition, design and an unparallel understanding of colour.
My first book entitled, “Gerard Paraghamian- An artist’s journey.” is anything but abstract art, it depicts what we were taught, (and learned), at art college, another words draw / paint what is in front of you without mumbling, do not deviate away from the curriculum.
Abstract art makes some people uneasy, as they don’t, at a glance know what is in front of them. Some cannot assign their own personal understanding to what they see. Abstract art is NOT about emptiness or nothingness , it is about composition, texture, form, technique , line, colour of course, all thrown in, in the process of creating the final product. This happy unification comes together when all these elements unite in the final rendition. Now we finally understand that it is not about some picture that was created with one’s eyes closed. It is a process, an accumulation of undeniable creativity, an exploration, a trek, almost in the unknown. It uses a visual language of shape, form, colour and line to create a composition. Western art had been, from the renaissance up to the middle of the 19th. Century an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. Cultures other than the European had become accessible and showed alternative ways of describing visual experience to the artist. By the end of the 19th. Century quite a few artists felt the need to create a new kind of art which would surround completely the fundamental changes taking place in science and philosophy. Diverse was the source from which individual artists brought forth their theoretical arguments. They reflected social and intellectual attention in all areas of culture of the west at that particular time.
Non-representational, non-objective, non-figurative abstract art are not firmly related terms. Similar, but not of the same meaning. Artwork that takes liberties, alterations of colour and form can be explained as to be somewhat in part abstract. It shows a departure from reality. Even art of the highest degree can be explained to be of an abstract genre, at least in theory, since perfect representation is likely to be imperfect.
Geometric and lyrical abstraction are completely abstract. Fauvism would be partial abstraction where colour is altered in terms of reality. Cubism, alters the forms of real life.
The viewers must decide in their own mind what it is all about. The majority will have a different rendition / idea on what they see. It somehow makes the mind work overtime as this puzzle must be solved. There is a certain air of satisfaction when a conclusion is reached only to be challenged by the next viewer.
Knowing the thought process within the artist towards creating a work of art will add to the meaning of individuality. After much effort, you have finally deduced what the work is all about.
We, as artists, just like the art that we create are influenced by the development of events around us such as society, intellectual summaries, politics and where the world is taking us.
Art of earlier cultures, marks on pottery, inscriptions on rock, used simple geometric forms which had a decorative purpose and perhaps even a symbolic one. It was the beginning of abstract art used as a tool of communicating with others. Chinese and Islamic calligraphy could be enjoyed without the knowledge
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of the language. Abstract art in itself. Chinese painting in the abstract form can be traced back to the painter Wang Mo who experimented in the splashed ink style of painting. The Buddhist painter Liang Kai applied the splashed painting style to figure painting. Yu Jian worked on a series of splashed ink landscapes that inspired a multitude of Japanese Zen artists. Another example of abstraction in Chinese art is viewed in Zhu Derun renditions. In Japan a few Zen monk painters created a circle that represented the absolute enjoyment, usually illustrated in one brush stroke.
In the distant past, art was of a representational nature, it meant that what artists were painting actually looked like what they were looking at. Easily recognizable, simple to understand, pleasing to the eye. The viewer did not have to toil towards an understanding of what was in front of him. It was there, in all its radiant colours. A tree looked like a tree and so on. Things really changed in the 20th. century, life, technology, the middle class, new ideas sprung up, science initiated new discoveries destroying the way things were done in the past. I do believe that, as a result life was not as easy to understand. People questioned their identity, their very existence, what life was all about, questions about the universe. Artists sought new ways to express their emotions in words, not objects, just beautiful colours. This was a fresh new way of bringing forth ideas in a rapidly changing sphere.
This was by any means no accident. The evolution of photography and the camera had a humongous impact on the art world. Why paint realistically with high details when a machine could do it much faster and better. The very role of an artist was coming into question, never mind modern art but all the “ism” such as impressionism etc., predecessors to abstract art, they paved the way for modern art to emerge.
Initially, modern art used natural forms, perhaps using nature as a starting point until they were made so abstract that they were made difficult to recognize.
One of my loves in life was travelling. As I trekked around the world with my faithful companion which was my back pack, not too many travellers chose to travel this way because of the uncertainties that would crop up along the way. I gazed in awe at the mountains towering above me, awesome deserts, rolling hills, deep gorges, beautiful vineyards and villages in the South of France, where I was born in the middle of a meaningless war. All this, all around me was about the magnificent hues of colour. All this visual splendour catapulted me into my art for years to come.
The state of affairs around the world is a particular thorn on my side. The suffering, the hunger, the wars created by people with no conscience either for political or religious gains. The selfishness of man finally forced me to understand that art was a way for me to express my feelings towards the direction this world was taking. Music also played a part, this was another way of expressing my creativity. I have written and recorded upwards of a dozen cds. I was always under the impression that music and art went hand in hand.
Enjoy the book and please, don’t get blinded by the colours.
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