Sunday, 5 December 2010

Buying Paintings: Expressionsim

When speaking on buying paintings of the Expressionist movement, it is always a good idea to review what elements make Expressionism unique, and to gain an understanding of some of the artists representative of this particular artistic movement.  The agreed upon intention of Expressionist artwork is not reproduce a subject accurately, but to instead portray the inner state of the artist, with a tendency to distort reality for an emotional effect.  The movement is closely associated with its’ beginnings in Germany, and has a few different but overlapping schools of thought within.

The term Expressionism was first used to describe the movement in the magazine produced in 1911 called “Der Sturm”, and was usually linked to paintings and graphic work that challenged academic traditions at the time.  The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche later helped to define the area of modern expressionism better by clarifying the movement’s links to ancient art before any more modern interpretation had, and applied his own unique philosophy to the movement.  He has been quoted stating that disordered and ordered elements are present in all works of art, but that the basic traits of Expressionism lay in the mainly disordered aspects.

The Expressionist point of view was usually conveyed through the use of bold colors, distorted forms, and a lack of perspective.  Generally, a piece of expressionistic art is one that is expressive of intense emotion, and much of this kind of artwork occurs during times of social upheaval.  Though it can be argued that an artist is expressive by nature, and that all artwork is truly expressionist, there are many who consider the movement particularly communicative of emotion.  Later on, artists like Kandinsky changed 20th century Expressionist work through the formation of Abstract Expressionism.

The art historian Antonín Matějček was elemental in coining the term as the opposite to the Impressionist movement as well, and though Expressionism seems well defined as an artistic movement, there have never been a group of artists that called themselves Expressionists.  The movement was primarily German and Austrian, and many of the different groups of thought were based around Germany at the time.  Another artistic movement that heavily influenced Expressionism was Fauvism.  This kind of artwork is characterized by primitive, less naturalistic forms, and includes the works of famed painters Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse.

With this influence firmly in place, Expressionism grew into striking compositions that focused on representing emotional reactions through powerful use of color and dynamic approaches with subject matter, and seemed to counter the qualities centered on by the French Impressionism of the time.  Where French Impressionism was to seek rendering the visual appearance of objects, Expressionism became an opposing movement seeking to capture emotions and subjective interpretation, and it was not important to reproduce a visually pleasing interpretation of the matter that the painting represented.

Expressionism has crossed over into many differing fields of artistic vision, with sculpture and filmmaking being primary examples today, and have influenced many people throughout the course of its’ existence as a movement in art.  These visions have combined over time to create the comprehensive idea of what Expressionism has become, and many people have found this type of art very appealing and eye-catching.  Throughout this century, much Expressionistic artwork has come to be representative of what art can come to be, and many people have been influenced by this very emotional artwork.

Buying Watercolor Paintings

I’ve been buying watercolor paintings for decorating jobs.  I’ve found some really nice pieces on eBay.  I recently bought a watercolor painting by an artist named Y. Gianni.  The painting was produced in 1890 and depicted an Italian village.  It was very vivid and pleasing to look at.

I was trying to find just the right watercolor painting for a client when I came across one by an artist named William B. Gillette.  The colors were pastel, ranging from soft greens, browns, blues, purples and peach.  The scene was that of a pebble beach and crashing waves.  The hills on one side gave the beach a feeling of privacy.  It really spoke to me and my client loved it.

There was a cabin that I was decorating for a discerning client that needed one more piece of art to complete the look I was going for.  I found a wonderful watercolor painting that fit just right.  It had a lot of mossy green colors and there was a lake with a lake house.  The artist turned out to be Charles Dickens Wader.  He is a well known artist from New York.

I have a client that collects art from Romeo Tabuena.  I was fortunate to find two watercolors that the owners had purchased directly from Tabuena in the fifties when they lived in San Miguel.  The owner settled with me for an even thousand dollars.  My client was thrilled.

A lawyer friend of mine hired me to redecorate his office.  I had a lot of fun putting in things that reflected his interests and tastes.  He loves polo and I found a wonderful watercolor painting of two polo players on horses.  My friend liked the paintings and they have become a conversation piece in the new office.

My friend’s dad liked the office I decorated so much that he commissioned me to redecorate his office.  He is a hunter and I found a really nice watercolor painting of several mallard ducks flying above a marsh.  The painting was done by Jim Killen and he has painted for Ducks Unlimited.  His work is well known and respected.  My friend’s father really liked the find and proudly hung it in his reception area.

I was really unsure where I was going to find suitable art for the program director’s office at a local radio station.  When I went to visit with him for a consultation, his office was absolutely stark.  I like watercolor paintings and that is my first choice for buying art.  I found a fantastic watercolor painting of Bob Marley surrounded by sunflowers.  It was awesome and perfect for this job.

There is a musician that I was working for a couple of years ago that wanted their studio decorated with paintings from the artist Raoul Dufy.  Raoul Dufy made a whole series of paintings called Hommage to Mozart.  I was able to purchase three watercolor paintings in this series.  I have always been on the lookout for more paintings to purchase for this client.

A friend of mine asked me to find a watercolor painting to give to her mother.  I found one by Henry H. Parker that was of cattle in landscape.  The frame was what caught my eye at first because it is heavy gilt.  It would never hang in my house, but it looked great at my friend’s mother’s house.

Buying Impressionist Cityscapes

I have been looking for impressionist cityscapes in various mediums to decorate my home.  I prefer to hang art that was created in the last fifteen years.  There are so many great artists to choose from.

I have decided that I want to have three impressionist cityscapes painted in acrylic.  I will be buying one called Stormy Desert that was painted by an artist named JoanAnn.  The piece is painted on a 40” X 30” canvas and has flowering cactus plants in the foreground.

The next impressionist cityscape painting I plan to buy is called Tuscan Waterfall.  The piece is a triptych and is on three gallery wrapped canvases.  The artist lives in Tennessee and supports herself with her art.

The last acrylic impressionist cityscape that I plan to buy is called Autumn Dream.  Autumn is my favorite time of year and the painting captures every color of autumn.  The artist painted the sides, so there is no need to have it framed.  I can’t wait to see this hanging in my home.

I have found only two impressionist cityscapes that I liked in the Gouache medium.  The first was from an artist named Joe Wojdakowski and the subject is an area located in Wells, Maine.  I’m not sure why I am so drawn to this particular impressionist cityscape, but I am and plan to buy it.

The other Gouache impressionist cityscape that I plan to buy features Big Ben in London.  The artist is an Englishman named Alasdair Rennie.  The scene is rainy and I like it a lot.  It reminds me of my time in London when I was a child.

The first oil impressionist cityscape painting I bought was called Koi Pond Reflections.  I’ve seen this artist’s work before and I always really like it.  The painting was completed using brush and knife.  The painting has not arrived, yet, because the paint is very thick and needs to complete the drying process undisturbed.  I cannot wait to get it!

I really like having various styles of impressionist cityscape paintings.  I don’t just like variety in the mediums; I like variety in styles and influences.  I really fell in love with an oil impressionist cityscape painting called En Sendero that was originally purchased in Oaxaca, Mexico.  I purchased the painting for just over three thousand dollars.

The oil impressionist cityscape painting of Paris that I want was painted by a well recognized painter Radik Atoyan.  He is Armenian and signed the painting in his Armenian language.  He has a unique way of using color that just makes his painting look special.

I have also been interested in watercolor impressionist cityscape paintings.  There is an original painting that depicts an urban rainy night that I think would be perfect for me.  The painting just makes me feel good to look into.

I made a purchase not long ago that was painted by an Israeli artist named Yosef Kosssonogi.  The use of color in this watercolor impressionist cityscape is so vivid.  I could not wait to hang it on my wall.  After the shipment arrived with the painting, my brother came right over with a level to hang it.

I found a painting that reminded me of a vacation I took to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The impressionist cityscape painting was created by Adam Maeroff and I think that it is the perfect painting to complete my collection.

Buying Abstract Paintings

Buying and collecting abstract painting can be a labor of love.  I love abstract paintings.  I think that my favorite medium is gouache.  I recently purchased a work from Oscar Bluemner.  The person I bought the abstract painting from had it in storage for over twenty years.  I am going to hang this piece in my office.

I found an oil abstract painting that was dated 1947 that was painted by Louis Bassi Siegriest.  I liked the composition, it felt oddly soothing.  The artist signed the back of the painting.  It was a little out of my price range, but I bought it anyway.

Trade Winds is the name of an abstract painting I bought from the artist Joanne Riddle while I was in Connecticut.  The piece was huge and I had to have it sent by freight to my home.  The blue in the painting was so vivid.  The whole composition was absolutely inspired.

I bought an abstract painting for my sister-in-law last year.  The artist of the piece was Leonardo Nierman and the medium he used was oil.  I bought the piece unframed and took my sister-in-law to framer to choose the frame.

I tried to buy an abstract painting from the mayor of our town.  I offered him two thousand dollars for the modernist abstract colorful figure.  The artist used red, white and blue and I wanted to acquire this for my stepmother.  She would have loved it, but the mayor was unwilling to part with it.

My mother has decorated her home in a style that she liked in Santa Fe.  I bought a large abstract painting for her from her favorite artist, Lou Monti.  She has seen his work in a number of homes and always raves about them.  She was so happy when she saw the painting I bought for her hanging on the wall of her living room.

I dated a guy once that had a signed abstract painting by Robert Gilberg on his wall.  I saw something different every time I saw it.  That painting had an attraction that I just can’t quite explain.  He was always buying art and changing out abstract paintings on his walls, but this particular piece always stayed.  I guess he was attracted to it as well.

The abstract painting that I bought for my older brother did not work in his apartment.  I ended up buying a painting that was a little too large for the room it was intended for.  The colors did not work in the only room that worked for its size.

I ended up selling that abstract painting the same place that I had bought it, on eBay!  I ended up making a profit on the abstract painting.  There was more information in my auction about the artist, Richard Diebenkorn, than there had been in the auction that I won.  I think the extra hour of research I spent made the abstract painting’s value increase.

I learned a long time ago that an abstract painting is worth exactly as much as someone is willing to pay for it.  I have friends that just cannot be convinced of this basic truth.  I think that if no one wants a particular abstract painting, then it is worth nothing.

My brother used the money from the sale of the unwanted abstract painting to find himself another abstract painting.  He ended up with an abstract collage that was made in the late 1930s.  I liked it when I saw it and it worked beautifully in his office.