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Roger Macdivitt .

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Let's discuss Pictorial Art.
12/17/2010 12:44:36 AM

Pictorial Art

Love it or hate it there is no ignoring it.

A forum dedicated to our good friend Miguel (Luis) who rekindled an interest in studying art for me).

The power of the artist has been recognised by religious and political leaders worlwide for centuries. After all, before the invention of photography, the pictorial and portrait artists in particular were capable of delivering messages about civilizations, leaders, kings and queens and movements for change. Why? Because sight is the most influential of the senses but also the easiest to deceive.

The result is that much art contains intrigues. Did the artist plan to portray what we perceive? Did the artist bow to personal or financial pressures in an effort to survive or in an effort to gain a financial independance which in turn led to the artist being able to live a dream?

So, what do I aim to do in this forum?

I aim to open a discussion which moves on, returns and encompasses pictorial art as we understand it but also to compare possibly related themes or ideals and coincidences.

Why?

Because, while there is a need to study and understand any one particular artist there is also a need to discuss without destroying the original thread of a forum.

Firstly, let's compare two artists who's careers slightly overlapped but, to my knowledge had no conection. Or do you know differently?

The first is

NICHOLAS ROERICH

Luis has brought us beautiful images created by this most spiritual of Russian painters

Examples:

The second is

Ferdinand Hodler

I bring you just some images first but no opinions yet.

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Roger Macdivitt .

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RE: Let's discuss Pictorial Art.
12/17/2010 10:12:10 AM

Ok.

So mountains are mountains.

So colours are colours.

But, can you see differences AND similarities?

One similarity is that these two artists lives overlap but are not of exactly the same time. Both were painting at a time when the Art Nouveau movement was on the rise and this can be seen particularly in the Hodler paintings.

A difference, that I think that I'm right about, is that the mountains in Hodlers are European and in Roerich's case are mountains of India/Nepal etc.

So, do you, like me, see the likenesses that go beyond the obvious differences? Roerich's paintings are obviously spiritual and often contain spiritual characters whereas Hodlers scenes are largely unpopulated.

Both artists show skills beyond these iconic images. Both are capable of producing detailed and realistic art but developed a style which they clearly loved to develop. I know that Hodler was influenced by Camille Corot and Gustave Courbet. Did Hodler have similar influence?

I for one would love to know.

Here are another two very different Hodler paintings which show another aspect of his art.

Roger

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Myrna Ferguson

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RE: Let's discuss Pictorial Art.
12/17/2010 5:17:11 PM
Hi Roger,

Thought I would drop in and let you know I think this one is neat. Looks like they are writing something in the sky. The colors are so nice, it really caught my eye.

LOVE IS THE ANSWER
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Roger Macdivitt .

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RE: Let's discuss Pictorial Art.
12/17/2010 8:02:27 PM
Quote:
Hi Roger,

Thought I would drop in and let you know I think this one is neat. Looks like they are writing something in the sky. The colors are so nice, it really caught my eye.

You are so right Myrna.

This is the first of his paintings that I saw and this was the one that first made me see the similarities between these artists.

Apparently this artist was interested in balance in composition and you can see how both sides of the picture are very similar without being an exact mirror image.

Luis has taught me so much about appreciation and I'm finding more and more wonderful artists but more than that, I'm beginning to piece together the development of movements.

I love the colours too. So often the great paintings have a few well balanced colours and shades, instead of the whole range of the spectra.

I am so glad that you found me here.

Roger

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: Let's discuss Pictorial Art.
12/22/2010 2:29:41 AM
Hello Roger,

What a great honour that you have dedicated this topic to me, I had no idea you had; I don't have to tell you how much I appreciate it. Of course, there is something that makes it all the more significant to me: the fact that you have investigated about and found a possible connection between Ferdinand Hodler and my admired Nicholas Roerich.

I have just been making a short search for facts about Ferdinand Hodler and they abound, perhaps as much as about Nicholas Roerich. I see that they were most similar to each other in at least two aspects: they painted profusely (though N. Roerich was a phenomenom in this regard) and they were deeply interested in something else, this something for its most part being psychiatry with the former and mysticism with the latter, and to such an extent that they apparently were not interested in painting about subjects that were not somehow related to those interests. There was also a strong symbolic element

On the other hand, their interest in painting mountains most probably originated in their seeing a huge number of them along their lives, though what the mountains represented for them individually could explain why they felt special predilection for painting them.

One aspect of Hodler that I think is most interesting psychologically speaking, and probably revealing of his inner nature, is the fact that he apparently felt urged to paint symmetrical landscapes, as pointed out by Myrna. I don't know, maybe he did it as a way to find inner harmony and balance unlike N. Roerich, who I don't think had any need for such things as had already found them perhaps from the very moment that he started travelling across Asia. I have found the beautiful landscape below that makes one think this is possible. Please accept it as my modest contribution to your topic here.

Ferdinand Hodler - Autumn Evening (oil on canvas, c. 1892-93)

Thanks again,

Miguel

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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