Painting Process: Woman in Blue Stripes by the Ocean

Sometimes, the most challenging thing is not to care and just get things done. Going with whatever set of skills we’ve got at the time and not having a roadmap for success can lead us to enticing discoveries. In such cases, I can’t help wondering, is being good really important?

When working on a painting, I rarely work on sketches or preliminary studies, and the painting on this post is no exception. As I get older and have had the opportunity to grasp a few things over the years, I realize that workflow reflects my ignorance and laziness to push myself.

Before committing to complete this small board, I went for a long time without bringing any given painting to its final stage. I gave up in frustration, going over multiple canvases and boards, painting layer over layer; It felt like being entangled in a spiderweb.

Looking at this painting, I find a few qualities that turn my attention toward future pieces. Arranging the compositional elements more carefully through drawing would deliver a more precise definition, but more importantly, it invites me to explore deeper into why I must continue to paint.

Looking Within to Move Forward

Trying to find ways to stimulate creativity interferes with the real world, and organization is something that has always made me feel energized.

 So a few days ago, I decided to start cataloging my paintings; ranging from works I’ve done as a teen back in the 90s to some most recent ones. Once cataloged and photographed, I searched for the most affordable storage space I could afford.  Being able to clear some space near my easel makes me feel somewhat reinvigorated.

Having looked at all the early drawings and paintings from back then has helped me get a sense of orientation, it brought me back to a place and point in my life when drawing and painting was both an adventure and emotional exile.

Art Master: Peter Paul Rubens

For me, Rubens is perhaps the first master to integrate multiculturalism in his art. During his lifetime, Europe experienced many changes, it was not the enormous union it is today, most particularly, those changes were the introduction of humanism and reformation.

Traveling through Europe as a diplomat, experiencing various European cultures served him well on his craftsmanship, after all, not many artists can be credited for starting a movement or being collected by other artists.

Known as a painter of human emotions as he is considered someone who blurred the edge between poetry and painting in response to his allegorical work, Rubens learned from previous artists, but he also developed a style all of his own which made a strong influences on other artists that led way to new movements in painting, like Rococo and Romanticism. For the Spanish, Rubens was an ambassador for the counter-reformation, however, the impression he made over Velásquez encouraged him to travel to Italy and also influenced over his equestrian portraits. In a very similar fashion, Rubens influenced British artists with his portraits and execution of the landscape and French Painters were more keen to his figurative work paving the way to Rococo and Romanticism. Subsequently, Rubens became a role model for other important masters like Van Dyck, Rembrandt among others.

ART MASTER: PETER PAUL RUBENS

Paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and reinterpretations of his work by other artists.

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Entre los grandes maestros de la pintura, Rubens es quizás el primero en integrar la multiculturuzacion en sus obras. A lo largo de su vida, Europa no era la gran union de países que es hoy; y esto era evidente al mirar los movimientos sociales de si época, como el humanismo y la reforma. Rubens, siendo el gran pintor que fue, también ejerció como abril diplomático, algo que le ayudo en su desarrollo creativo que finalmente le condujo a iniciar un movimiento pictórico que parte desde su nombre e incluso ha sido coleccionado por otros artistas.

De su estilo, se destaca su habilidad para retratar las emissions del ser humano y de incorporar la alegoría; algo que le acredita como un pintor que pudo fusionar la poesía con la pintura. Como muchos otros artistas de su época y como sigue siendo hoy por hoy, Rubens estudio las diferentes técnicas de otros maestros, sin embargo, es de los primeros maestros en la historia del arte del que se puede decir desarrollo su propio estilo hasta el punto de impulsar nuevos movimientos como el Rococo y el Romanticismo.

Para la corte española, Rubens fue un embajador entre España y la contra-reforma, pero para Velasquez, la presencia de Rubens en la corte significo un soplo de aire fresco pues fue Rubens quien le introdujo a la pintura italiana e influjo sobre la estética de sus retratos ecuestres. De modo muy similar, la presencia de Rubens en la corte Británicas también dejo huella sobre sus artistas en la ejecución del retratismo y la inclusion del paisaje. Para los Franceses, la incursion de la figura humana en el arte de la pintura le debe mucho a la influencia de Rubens. Entre los muchos artistas de gran renombre que le deben crédito a Rubens se encuentran entre muchos, gigantes como Van Dyck y Rembrandt.

From Birth to Beheading, Illustrating a Biblical Story

This conversation between Dr. Jennifer Sliwka and theology professor Ben Quash surrounding the stature of St John the Baptist in the history of art and christian iconography is truly fascinating. Something that was new to me was new to me was how medieval and early renaissance artists presented the prophet as a teenager emerging into the wilderness, As I was watching these videos, apart by being in state of awe, I also couldn’t help noticing how nicely its shot on DSLR video, and thus, giving its production a much more film-like and candid appeal. Art history has never been boring, and I enjoy how this material is presented. Watching these videos also reminded me how mass media forces us to look quickly at things, whether as painting forces us to slow down and digest our vision.

La conversación que rodea la figura de San Juan Bautista en la historia del arte y la iconografía cristiana que surge entre una historiadora del arte, como la Dra. Jennfer Sliwka y el Profesor de Teologia Ben Quash es realmente fascinante.

Algo novedoso para mi fue descubrir como al profeta lo representaban como un joven adolecen dejándolo todo para sumergieres en la naturaleza; estos videos son una maravilla, tanto por el contenido que transmiten como por la manera en que han sido producidos usando cámaras de 35mm, also que a mi parecer hace del contenido mas gustoso y fácil de digerir pues comunica una sensación de candidez. La historia del arte jamas ha sido aburrida, y al ver estos videos recuerdo el como los medios de acceso masivo nos obliga a ver cosas demasiado rápido, la pintura, por su parte, nos fuerza a detenernos y digerir las cosas que encuentran los ojos.

Episode 1: Introduction

It’s amazing how St. John the baptist is presented as a strong, alienated character on Crivelli’s Altarpiece. I really liked how the artist painted the veins on the figure, giving the saint a rebellious, uncompromising appearance. La manera en que Crivelli ilustra la imagen de Juan Bautista en esta pieza de altar es algo que me parece bien particular, las venas en la figura del profeta proyectan una imagen de rebeldia que llama poderosamente la atención.

Episode 2: Visitation

It's intriguing to imagine how Saganelli combined both stories in one single composition. It reminds me of how when on film or literature, an specific character (Elizabeth) leads another character (Mary) indicating about what's to come.

Me parece curioso como Saganello combino ambos pasajes biblicos en una misma composición. Me recuerda a esas escenas del cine o la literatura en que un personaje, en este caso Isabel, guía otro personaje como Maria enseñándole lo que ha de pasar en el futuro.

Episode 3

Episode 4

I really liked how Bronzino depicted infant Jesus, it almost resembles a snap shot captured at the right moment El modo en que Bronzinio ilustra la figura del Niño Jesus le da una apariencia a la obra basante natural, casi parece una instantanea tomada en el momento justo.

Episode 5

John the Baptist presented as a teenager, entering the wilderness is a real cool idea, I don’t recall ever seen it before. Juan el Bautista pintado como un joven dejando la sociedad para internarse en la naturaleza es bastante peculiar, no recuerdo haber visto antes esta idea plasmada en una pintura

Episode 6: Preaching

One subject matter, and multiple directions to reach the idea. La misma historia narrada desde diferentes ángulos.

Episode 7: Baptism

Water sculpture, contrast between light and dark to create depth (small painting) Piero de la francesca, design, simple execution

Episode 8:Martyrdom

Caravaggio’s painting shows the process of the beheading, as it’s happening. chavanne’s scale, theatrical effect

Episode 9: The Baptist’s Head

Caravaggio’s life size, cropped composition. Salome’s expression looking out of the picture. Ana Maria Pacheco

Episode 10: Power and Judgement

kings. christian kings.