EYE-LIKEY: September 2010

THE LANDSCAPE EXHIBITION

THE LANDSCAPE/ Traditional to Modern Urban
Collective favorites + inspiration from the studio.
These are some particular works that inspire us.

George Pratt

C. Parker

PICKS
George Pratt
George Inness
Stuart Shils

George Pratt, I particularly like this landscape because of how "moody" it is.
Its really dark but has enough warmth in it to evoke a pleasant emotion.
George was an instructor of mine and was one of those people that make a
difference in your life. He would say, "If your not having fun, your doing
it wrong."

George Inness
A lot of Inness's paintings are really tight and lack that
certain magic. I could certainly do without most of his stuff. But when he
loosened up and focused on light and atmosphere, he threw down some serious
stuff. One of the best American landscape painters for sure. You can see
this one in person at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Stuart Shils
Shils work looks effortless. But we know better and if you
think otherwise I defy you to give it a shot!

Stuart Shils

George Inness

M. Robertson

I seem to gravitate to the more abstract expressionistic landscapes from the 40's and 50's.
I like the way artists like Dove and Avery are able to pare their landscapes down to the bare
minimum, and really use color and simple forms in an almost naïve way to convey their image.
I also really like two contemporary artists, both of Indian descent. Their urban landscapes
are uncannily similar, and I love the painterly quality of their simple forms and planes.
To me, they are almost reminiscent of the works of Hans Hoffman.

PICKS
Siddharth Parasnis
Suhas Bhujbal
Milton Avery
Arthur Dove

Arthur Dove

Milton Avery

Suhas Bhujbal

Siddharth Parasnis

J. Fitchwell

PICKS
Mark English
Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth- Although Andrew is best known for" Christina's World",
His famous landscapes of native Pa and Maine, will always be my most favorite of all time.. They
have always stayed with me as an artist and awaken me each time I see them.

Mark English has been one of the leading illustrators in the US for decades.
Mark's work has been awarded many times in New York for Society of
Illustrators.I personally love his color pallets and use , his landscapes are built
from shapes and color...captures emotion ..... Jenny

Andrew Wyeth
Where would the world be without Wyeth, he is and will always be my most
favorite

Andrew Wyeth

Mark English

D. Fedan

PICKS

Grant Wood

M. C. Escher

Roger Dean

Here are 3 landscapes that I really like:

Grant Wood

1). "Young Corn" by Grant Wood, 1931.

I love how all the elements of the picture have been abstracted to

rounded, sculptural forms, yet still read as trees, shrubs and hills without

any effort from the viewer. Even though everything is rendered to the hilt,

the image still radiates a warm feeling.

2). "Castrovalva" by M. C. Escher, 1930.

This lithograph was inspired by Escher's travels in Italy and shows a

beautiful range of light and dark shades. While the image doesn't have any

of the visual, mathematical trickery for which Escher is well-known, the

viewpoint and contrast do give it an austere quality.

3). "Relayer" by Roger Dean, 1974.

This watercolor painting for the rock group 'Yes' took Roger Dean over

300 hours to complete, and it's easy to see why with all the detail in the

rocks and formations. Dean's moody, fantastical landscapes give his

paintings a wonderful, distinctive look.

Roger Dean

M. C. Escher

Grant Wood

R. Faust

PICKS

EgonSchiele
PaulKlee
Sarajo Frieden

Sarajo Frieden

Paul Klee

Egon Schiele

R. Roth

I think my favorite landscape of all time is this Twachtman. On the flip side, I also enjoy landscapes pushed into abstraction. A perfect example for me would be Diebenkorn’s early works in New Mexico / circa 50’-60’s. Another Painter that had a big influence on me was my professor at RISD Thomas Sgouros. His early watercolors were amazing and to me are at the same level as Andrew Wyeth. The Cleveland Museum has one of his pieces from the 50’s which I have yet to see. Now 83, his eyesight is failing only seeing blurred shapes and color. He now paints “The Remembered Landscapes” large scale oils.

PICKS

Richard Diebenkorn
John Henry Twachtman
Thomas Sgouros / RISD professor

Thomas Sgouros / RISD professor

John Henry Twachtman

Richard Diebenkorn

H. Nackowitz

PICKS
Maurice prendergast
Scott Hartley

Maurice Brazil Prendergast

Maurice Prendergast was one of my inspirations since art school. He was a
American Post-Impressionist artist from the turn of the nineteenth century
who worked primarily in watercolors and later in oils and mono prints. His
stunning watercolors are full of light, color and energy forming mosaic
patterns. It is surprising that most of his paintings depict people at work
or play in crowded cities or sea shores since pastoral scenes were much more
in style at that time.

Scott Hartley

One of the most difficult subjects to paint are cities and buildings without
making them look mechanical. Scott is a Michigan artist who accomplished
that when he discovered the angular forms, textures and colors of our
contemporary urban and small towns. His paintings of alleys and fire escapes
dazzle the eyes with shapes and angles but are softened by his expert use of
washes and reflected light and colors.