[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.
Humans are wired to see faces, even in inanimate objects. It’s called Pareidolia. Pareidolia is the tendency for seeing faces in inanimate objects like the moon, clouds, ink blots, or abstract patterns. Pareidolia used to be considered a symptom of human psychosis, but it is now seen as a normal human tendency. We are so …
[image_with_animation image_url=”7643″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Bruce Nauman, Failing to Levitate in My Studio, 1966. In art school I learned about the clever and funny Bruce Nauman. In particular, I learned about a series for which he said (I’m paraphrasing broadly) “I am an artist, therefore everything I do is art, therefore this is art.” And …
Welcome to day 2 of the 30SAL creative challenge! To learn more about this challenge, click here. Today is Sunday, OBSERVATION day. The challenge for today is to draw or collage a cup, a table, and a wall as you are looking at it. Describe the surface and space of each object, as well as …
Statuesque Emma standing on flowered blanket, drypoint on 14×11″ Rives gray BFK A sister image to the last drypoint I posted. The model’s pose reminded me of classical sculptures. This is one of the first prints I made with drypoint, for this series. I was surprised and thrilled to see what the lovely pattern on …
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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