Republicanprofessor, I have been waiting for you to post some more abstract stuff, since I have ambivalent feelings toward it. Thanks.
I'd like to post a section of an email that I sent to another freeper:
"I have been fairly careful to say on these threads that theoretically, there is no reason I see that abstract art cannot be great art. I say this because representational art is abstract in itself, being nothing more than compositions of color shapes (painting). And it follows that the way in which the shapes are arranged (the "abstract" part of the art) is more important to the "art" of the thing than the accuracy of representation."
I mean to say that even with great representational art, it must be the abstract qualities which contribute most to that greatness.
Having said that, it is representational art which is my personal love, has been since I was a child. The artist I am currently enthralled with is Edward Hopper (Thanks to seeing his painting "Groundswell" on one of your threads, Professor). Who freely takes license with reality.
As for the Matisses and the others, it is hard not to like them...even so, I am not yet convinced that they go beyond good art to being great art.
Sam,
I'll just have to keep working on your appreciation of abstraction. You've made the following comment about represenational art and abstraction before, and you are absolutely right.
I mean to say that even with great representational art, it must be the abstract qualities which contribute most to that greatness
Piero della Francesca's Flagellation and Resurrection from the mid-to-late 15th century.
These works are about as abstract as "representational" artworks become. Notice the incredible geometric composition: all rectangles, triangles, circles. He also balances colors in a very abstract way. The Resurrection here is a bit on the purple side, but otherwise notice how colors are repeated and placed next to each other many, many times. I still remember an art history lecture, on site in Italy, from 1976 that noted all these qualities. I was amazed. (He was a great professor.)
Hopper is also awesome. I'm so thrilled with each name you mention of artists you love. There are so many out there.