[image_with_animation image_url=”8621″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Xu Wei (1521-1593) was a Ming Chinese painter, poet, calligrapher and dramatist. He was raised by a single mother who died when he was 14. He married a woman, who died 5 years later. He fought Japanese pirates. He had bipolar disorder, a condition recognized in China, so after the pirates things got ugly with his mental state. He attempted suicide 9 times, and murdered his third wife in paranoia she was having an affair. After dying in poverty, he became well known for his flower and bird paintings.
Age old question: Should we separate the art from the artist?
I’d prefer not to. These are flower paintings made by a man in a lot of pain. He murdered his wife. We are all complicated beings, and the flowers are no less beautiful to me. The story of the maker can surround the art with context, complexity, and depth. Knowing dirt about an artist can also totally ruin an artwork for me, but I’d still prefer to know the whole story, rather than ignorantly enjoying the half.
” load_in_animation=”none What do you think about separating art from artist? Your comments are welcome.
Welcome to day 2 of our 30 Day Creative Challenge! This year is so darned special, there are two simultaneous challenges. The primary challenge is to respond to the creative prompts in these posts, and see what happens. The alternative challenge is to make a comic based on the year 2020. You choose what you’re …
“Winter solitude- in a world of one color the sound of the wind.” ― Bashō Matsuo From yesterday’s post: As a child, I collected the little cards with Japanese prints that came in ochazuke (breakfast rice soup sprinkles). The compositions were asymmetrical (diagonals!), the illustrations imaginative, and the colors shifted elegantly from the blunt American palette – the …
[image_with_animation image_url=”10288″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] We’ve made it to the end of our 30 Day Creative Challenge! There have been a lot of inspiring artworks posted on Facebook and Instagram. I’ve enjoyed making these, and seeing what is posted. For our last project, choose a SAL Challenge post someone else made, and make an …
Today’s TRANSCRIPTION Challenge: Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass. Media is artist’s choice. In recent V. Notes I talked about how artists learn and get inspired by studying works by other artists. In art, to transcribe is to copy or record information in a different form than the original. To transcribe a painting or drawing is not …
Xu Wei
[image_with_animation image_url=”8621″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Xu Wei (1521-1593) was a Ming Chinese painter, poet, calligrapher and dramatist. He was raised by a single mother who died when he was 14. He married a woman, who died 5 years later. He fought Japanese pirates. He had bipolar disorder, a condition recognized in China, so after the pirates things got ugly with his mental state. He attempted suicide 9 times, and murdered his third wife in paranoia she was having an affair. After dying in poverty, he became well known for his flower and bird paintings.
I’d prefer not to. These are flower paintings made by a man in a lot of pain. He murdered his wife. We are all complicated beings, and the flowers are no less beautiful to me. The story of the maker can surround the art with context, complexity, and depth. Knowing dirt about an artist can also totally ruin an artwork for me, but I’d still prefer to know the whole story, rather than ignorantly enjoying the half.
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