In addition to having the longest title i’ve ever encountered in a work of art, Apotheosis is also one of the most exhaustingly detailed and exquisitely interesting.  Gorgeous angelic maidens welcome the deceased french soldiers who trail off into darkness, an army dog is greeted by a cute little black bear, and in the lower left a demon fights his way into the frame.  And yet all of these take second fiddle to the benevolent (and balding) god.  The composition and energy of the piece inspired me to try my hand at a remix, and I’m quite happy with the result.

Hope you enjoy it!

even

]]> http://baroquenheart.com/?feed=rss2&p=26 http://baroquenheart.com/?p=28 http://baroquenheart.com/?p=28#comments Sat, 09 Aug 2008 03:22:53 +0000 http://baroquenheart.com/?p=28

“Past Present Future”
Art Opening, Thursday August 22nd, 8:30pm
Small World Gallery, 2120 Commercial Drive, Vancouver BC

I’m pleased to be sharing my art once again at Small World Gallery. The show features all new work, exploring both my flowformed painting style and my baroquenheart remixes of old masters paintings. Opening night I’ll also be bringing down my automatic divine reflection generator which I’ve rigged to save images of the evening. Come on down and be immortalized with your very own divine reflection.

If you can’t make it down opening night the show runs from now until September 15th.

blessings
even

The Arnolfini portrait is one of the most exquisite works of art that I have ever encountered.  The level of detail in the piece, from the chandelier with its single burning candle, to the circular mirror in the centre of the portrait that reflects not only the subjects backs, but also Van Eyck himself painting the portrait, this piece is my favourite portrait ever painted.  In the centre of the piece is the tag ‘Jan van Eyck was here 1434′, a unique addition to the wall that makes him one of the first taggers ever.

Van Eyck’s other work carries the same level of detail and i’m looking forward to remixing another piece of his in the near future. In the meantime, as always enjoy!

blessings
even

It’s interesting to discover the different threads of influence while exploring the history behind the works that I remix.  Having never studied art history, the connection will often be visually obvious once it has been made clear.  Foppa was an elder contemporary of Da Vinci, and was likely influenced by Mantegna, who I remixed in one of my earlier works.  As a self taught artist with my own style of painting, I’m not always aware of where my artistic influences come from.  I’ve been attempting to make myself more aware of them, and can definitely identify sources that excite or lead me, but I’m curious what other influences can be seen in my work.

blessings
even

Mary Magdelene was another common subject of 15th century painters, though I’ve most often found her painted praying at the feet of a crucified Jesus. I’ve already presented her in that light but I’m happy to share this remix of Francesco Bacciacca’s portrait because I know many people who connect with her energy in a different light. There’s been scholarly speculation that she was the wife a Jesus, which I resonate with, being of the opinion that he was a man like you or I. I know that some people will find that statement controversial, but for me that makes his story that much more powerful.

This piece came together quite quickly; the painting I created fit really well with portrait, right down to the subtle details. I spent some time trying to clean up particular areas, and make certain sections fit better, but I ultimately ended up going back to the original remix. As always, I hope you enjoy!

blessings
even

Delacroix was best known for his political work. His most influential work came in 1830 with the painting Liberty Leading the People. It is an unforgettable image of Parisians, having taken up arms, marching forward under the banner of the tricolour representing liberty and freedom; Delacroix was inspired by contemporary events to invoke the romantic image of the spirit of liberty.

Rather than remix this painting, I was drawn to one of his earlier works, “Orphan at the Cemetery.” I’m speculating, but I suspect that this piece was linked to his experiences after his mother passed away, leaving him an orphan.

The piece is my first oval, and I’m looking forward to finding an ornate frame for it. In the meantime, enjoy!

blessings
even

My second Van Dyck piece went in a very different direction after painting a new flowformed piece in a style different from my usual. The new hairstyle is my favourite aspect of this piece, transforming the subject into a wild anime punk. I love the Victorian costumes and details of Van Dyck pieces. His mastery of fabric and flow is somewhat lost here, but I’ll try to better represent that in future remixes.

blessings
even

This portrait of Napoleon really reflects the opulence of the time; the costumery of the period is stunning, and I had to work hard to make sure that the details weren’t lost as I remixed. Royal blue and yellow seemed most appropriate for the subject, and I’m relatively happy with how the piece turned out. Hope you enjoy!

blessings
even

Hayez produces the most interesting caractertures I’ve seen, and this one is the most distinct by far. Judging from other photos of Ferdinand the likeness was Hayez own design, although the genetic problems of the heavily inbred Hapsburg family are well known.

The realistic detail in his other work leads me to believe that his portraiture was a stylistic choice. Given that photography was beginning to take off around the time that this piece was painted, I wonder if he was attempting to distinguish himself by taking artistic license with the subject. It’s certainly a distinct piece for the period.

blessings
even

Van Dyck was one of the first famous court portraitists, with many incredible portraits of British high society. He employed a number of assistants in his London workshop and created something of a production line. Many pieces attributed were never even touched by him, however most of his assistants and copyists could not approach the refinement of his manner, so compared to many masters consensus among art historians on attributions to him is usually relatively easy to reach.

This piece was an exploration of some darker imagery, influenced by the Beinart surreal art community. In most portraits I try to maintain the features of the subject, but this piece went in a different direction.

The costumes of Victorian high society in Van Dyck pieces are stunning, and I’m definitely looking forward to remixing more of his works.

blessings
even