some really nice #nature works made by Jok aka Aphisan, both're available & affordable; msg me if interested

"Study of a Nude Man," Gustave Courbet, early 1840s.

Courbet (1819-77) is an artist I find both impressive and annoying. Dude was beyond talented, and had an amazing audacity at times. He rebelled against Romanticism and French academic standards, deciding he would only paint what he could see. This ended up making him a huge influence on the Impressionists, but also his independence of spirit was an inspiration to more modern art movements like Cubism.

He also made a splash as a social realist, depicting the struggles of the poor without idealizing or romanticizing them, and confronting the viewer with how things really seemed to be. Later in his career, he indulged in artistic erotica, including "Sleep," a painting of a nude lesbian couple in bed, and "The Origin of the World," a highly realistic painting of female genitalia.

What's annoying about him? Dude was into himself. There's a number of self-portraits where he presents himself as a heroic figure, deferred to by the wealthy, all virile and studly.

This is a painting from early in his career, a work done as a training exercise. I can't help but wonder if he would do a nude of himself later on...

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

'Garden Party' by Émile-Antoine Bayard, 1878

"Little Boy Looking at the Sea," Edward Hopper, 1891.

Y'all know Hopper. But this is remarkable as this is very, very early Hopper. Early as in he was nine years old when he drew this, on the back of one of his report cards.

Born in Nyack, NY, a yacht-building town at the time, Hopper grew up on the water, with the Hudson clearly visible from his bedroom window. It's impossible to know if this was meant to depict himself, or someone he knew, or was drawn from the imagination, but here it is.

He showed artistic talent at an early age, and his parents encouraged it, keeping him stocked with supplies. Reportedly he'd wander the riverbanks with a sketchpad, drawing anything that caught his fancy.

What's remarkable is the air of isolation, and the small figure is so pensive and focused. This prefigures the themes of many of his grown-up works.

From a private collection.

#art by Jok aka Aphisan
oil paint on canvas
msg me if interested

A #painting of Tom Brady that I made for my aunt who is a huge Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan; done with acrylics on canvas; msg me if you have any sports stars you would like a beautiful colorful illustration of! ~

Peep Show – The Most Realistic Portrayal of Evil Ever Made (2020)

https://mattlakeman.org/2020/01/22/peep-show-the-most-realistic-portrayal-of-evil-ive-ever-seen/

#HackerNews #PeepShow #Evil #Portrayal #Realism #2020 #TVSeries

Stilleven met jeneverkruik en blokfluit (1932) - spelen met perspectief | Still Life with Gin Jug and Recorder (1932) - playing with perspective.
Dick Ket in #Museum More.
‪#modernart‬ ‪#artmuseum‬ ‪‪#art‬ ‪#exhibition‬ ‪#tentoonstelling‬‬ ‪#realism #originalart‬

#Realism ‘is deal[ing] with the circumstances you actually face, not the ones that you want to. The truly “ideological” decision is to think that the pressures on our planet and our public finances can be deferred in favour of easier topics and smaller challenges.’ https://on.ft.com/4kAdgYs

Drop the 'Should!'

We punish ourselves for not being someone we never could have been.
'Should' is an illusion. Cause and effect is reality.
Drop the should. Live now.
#Realism #Mindfulness #Philosophy

Full article here: https://substack.com/@debsahoy

For more in-depth analysis of this and other topics: https://patreon.com/martinbutler