Mary Qian Going West
(painting by Scott Tallman Powers)
Well... it's happened many times before,
quite a few of our
early members
went West to seek their fortune
and now
Mary Qian
will be following her dream,
crossing the Mississippi River,
and heading out to Silicon Valley
to Studio Escalier
to learn how to paint like this(i.e. something like a Siennese Mannerist )
And many good painters
have come and gone
at the Palette and Chisel
over the last 20 years
(remember Andy Conklin ?)
But
there was something special about Mary,
because she was so active at the club,
as monitor of the Sunday painting workshop,
and even as a member of board.
(although... all she did at the board meetings
was quicksketch the other directors)
I'd call her the ideal P&C member,
i.e. a person who is over-the-top
crazy-focused
about making good paintings,
who takes every class,
attends all the workshops,
and helps run the organization.
And -- let's not forget that she traveled
half-way around the world
to get here.
Yes,
an exemplary member,
in every way.
If only we had 10 more like her,
we would have a great academy.
posted by chris miller at 9:45 AM
3 Comments:
Go west, young Mary...we hope you strike gold in California! Yes, definitely an exemplary member. Not sure about the Sienese Mannerism comment, though. Hopefully under Jacobs Mary will develop her Duveneckian tendencies as noted earlier. Come back soon!
Readers here should visit David Hancock's website -- he's quite a painter -- in that great 20th Century Renaissance draftsmanship style of Pietro Annigone.
Does Mary have "Duveneckian tendencies" ?
I think that's a fine way of putting it -- the Munich school (via Cincinnati) is still alive!
Mary has forwarded this manifesto from the school:
"What is needed today is a new interpretation of visual reality, a new artistic realist vision.
The realism I see now is largely a skillful rehash of Nineteenth Century styles. It is too simplistic and formulaic. Art cannot go forward by walking backward. In fact, reviving 19th Century styles will strengthen the Anti-Realists' contention that realism is a dead.
Realism is not dead; it has been the artists' dynamism that died.
Restructured Realism (RR) has assimilated the past tradition and carried it forward.
Our essential subjects are Light and Form. RR analyses in depth the actions of light, and breaks down its gradations to a granular size. RR raises the illusion of the brilliance of light to a higher level. Light is Color! The world doesn't look like a dark brown painting.
Each change of value requires a corresponding change of hue and chroma.
Paintings done with a limited palette cannot suggest the limitless range of Nature.
RR carries the analysis of form, which is the study of structure, to a higher level than in the past. It breaks down structures from the largest, to very small. All structural shapes are analyzed as modified by their actions. You will feel as if you are seeing into the inner workings of Nature. The flow of Life!
RR applies general principles to very specific instances. It looks for the closest possible match that paint can create, to what is seen.
RR is essentially a science of perception. It is a vehicle, or vocabulary. It empowers you to make Art, to create a new vision appropriate to the Information age."
... which might be called a skillful rehash of early 20th C. Art manifestos !
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