Friday, September 10, 2021

So Confusing! Expressionism and Minimalism


It's been a week full of surprises, which scrambled my plans,
so I'm back to my old tricks of pulling a late night on Thursday to finish my post.

Last week I didn't participate in my Rain's Thursday Art Date, 
when she and others shared Expressionism:
"Art in which the image of reality is distorted in order to make it expressive
of the artist's inner feelings or ideas."  Google
 
Yikes!  
I played with a few of my photos in Waterlogue and came up with three pictures.

Red Roses
(with their delicate, ephemeral blossoms evoking love)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Hungry Deer
 (life and vitality on a winter day)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Fluffy Cumulus Clouds
(make my spirits soar into the heavens)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
 
This week Rain's art prompt is Minimalism:
"In both music and the visual arts, Minimalism was an attempt to explore
the essential elements of an art form.
In Minimalist visual arts, the personal, gestural elements were stripped away
in order to reveal the objective, purely visual elements of painting and sculpture."


I played with Waterlogue again and came up with three examples.

Cleveland Clinic - Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Cottonwood
Aurora, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Working on the Power Line
Aurora, Colorado USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




I looked through lots of my photos and realized
that I have rarely photographed anything minimalistic.

Sand Dunes and Blue Sky
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Brighton Beach Huts
Brighton, United Kingdom
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




On September 4, 2018, I spent a very confusing afternoon
at the Tate Modern Museum in London in the UK.
I really don't get modern art, and minimalism has me scratching my head.

IKB 79 1959 by Yves Klein
Klein invented and trademarked the intense ultramarine blue color in this painting.
He made nearly 200 IKB (International Klein Blue) paintings, inspired by the sky on a sunny day. (Tate)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  
All Rights Reserved






Materials and Objects 9 by Magdalena Abakanowicz
These soft sculptures reflect Abakanowicz's interest in biological systems, 
organic matter, and regeneration.  (Tate)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  
All Rights Reserved






Composition B (N0.11) with Red  
by Piet Mondrian
He reduces his color to a single red rectangle
and gives the black lines more importance as compositional elements.
He off-sets the structure, reflecting his opposition to the "false ease" of symmetry. (Tate)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  
All Rights Reserved






Terry Contemplates Hélio Oiticica's Metaesquema 1958
His compositions of opaque, monochrome, geometric forms
were inspired by Piet Mondrian and Kashmir Malevich.
Oiticica introduced elements of instability into his paintings.
The forms appear to jostle and bump together as if they were moving.  (Tate)



This last picture has nothing to do with expressionism or minimalism.
I was lucky enough to snap it earlier in the year, and it was too cute not to share.

Mama and Twins
Aurora, Colorado, USA
June 6, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



See you next week!  Stay happy and safe!




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue



On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved









 

32 comments:

  1. Love your take on those challenging prompts - and that VERY cute photo to finish with.
    Minimalism can be simple and elegant - and can have me scratching my head and saying 'What the????'

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    1. Thanks, EC! I would like to return to the Tate Modern. It contained many perplexing pieces of art, but it was fascinating as well. I like trying to see the world through different eyes. Yves Klein's blue square is the exact color of the sky in Colorado and other parts of the Four Corners area. Have a great weekend!

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  2. I love the sand dune picture. Reminds me of Dune, Arrakis, Desert Planet.

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    1. Thanks, Sandi! I need to see those movies. I read the Dune books decades ago and loved them. I made it to the top of those dunes and beyond to the top of Hidden Dune. The visitor's center is at 8170 feet in elevation, so it was a long hot slog to climb to the top of Hidden Dune at 8727 feet. It's a three-mile long round trip, but I wandered around more trying to figure out how to climb in sand. That trek was one of the best things I've done in my life! Have a great weekend!

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  3. Your photos are better than anything in that museum.

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    1. Thanks, Alex! You made my Friday morning ~ LOL! Have a relaxing weekend, my friend!

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  4. I find that minimalism can be quite restful because it reduces the "background noise" of art and reduces it to essentials. And I've always been fond of Mondrian's art.

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    1. I can see that minimalist streak when I look at the beautiful, serene altars you have created throughout the year, Debra. I do like Mondrian, and for years I wore a long, patterned sweater that so many people recognized as a Mondrian print. Have a great weekend with your Rare One!

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  5. I like your renderings of minimalism and expressionism, well done! I am not a minimalist and have problems with this art form. Many year ago at the Tate Gallery I walked through a room where there were lots of bricks on the floor, and I thought they were building somethings. Then I got shouted at by an attendant for walking across the art! Oh dear! And a great pic of the mama and her twins. Have a great day, hugs, Valerie

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    1. I burst out laughing when I read about your walking across the brick installation, Valerie! Art can be confusing! Thanks for sharing your memory ~ It was delightful! Hugs to you and stay safe!

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  6. Great takes on Rain's themes, we have all learned so much from them!

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    1. Thanks, Christine! Yes, Rain's TADs are a learning experience. Have a good one!

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  7. I'm sorry I am so late visiting. I was so sick yesterday, I could barely cope.

    I was quite impressed with your take on Expressionism. You are incredibly talented. I love what you created.

    I have always been a big fan of Piet Mondrian. I'm not sure why, but I love his work. Your take on Minimalism is wonderful, too. You certainly have made this challenge your own. These are all wonderful, even if you aren't sure you get it at times.

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    1. I'm glad that you are feeling better today, Elizabeth. Thank you for your kind words about my pictures. You are really encouraging, and I appreciate it. I have enjoyed Rain's blog for years, and I finally took the plunge into art. Happy creating!

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  8. Wonderful post and piscures Louise, I reconised one in particular Brighton here in the UK....... just along the coast from me.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Thanks, Yvonne! I've spent many happy days in the past in Brighton! I hope you are having a lovely Saturday. Hugs to you, my friend!

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  9. My favorite is the deers and the sanddune. But I thought it was snow at first. :)

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    1. That sand had a light color, but it was scorching hot, Monica. It burned my feet in sandals. I had to put socks on. Have a happy week!

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  10. I have the Waterlogue app. It's really cool. Have you tried using Brushstrokes? I like it even better. Your image recreations turned out nicely! Thanks for visiting, my friend!

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    1. Hi, Cathy! I hope you are looking forward to a great week. I will check out Brushstrokes. Thanks for the suggestion. Take care!

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  11. Your work is lovely. When I visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, one of the exhibits--I don't know what to call it--was crayon scribbled on a wall. I would have been concerned that a parent hadn't watched a child, but it was indeed supposed to be art. I'm afraid I couldn't see anything in it.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. It's good to see you, Janie! Your crayon anecdote is so funny. It wouldn't do anything for me either. Stay safe and happy! Hugs to you!

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  12. The sand dune pic sure counts indeed. Great shot. The deer one sure was a great capture too. Yeah, modern art is super weird. All I can do with it is poke fun at it lol

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    1. The deer and fawns were pure luck, and I was delighted that I captured them. Have a great week, Pat!

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  13. Better late than never as they say. I was pleased to see you had posted this week and, though it took me a few days to get to it, you never disappoint. I am with you in that some minimalism, like a square of painted blue, doesn't get me, but clearly it gets somebody or it wouldn't be out there for us to see, right? Your selections of both Expressionism and Minimalism are superb. Your "waterlogue" paintings are wonderful and more than beautiful. And, of course, your Mother Mule Deer with nursing babies is a catch of a lifetime. You always blow me away ... and today, even more than usual :)

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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    1. Thank you, Andrea! Your kind words are a lovely finish to my day. Wishing you a happy week!

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    2. I fall in love with cottonwood dear Louise :) you made it more alive indeed and added depth to it by modifying it modern expressions :)

      you are really smart to play with these photos and bring out such astonishingly cheerful results :) you nailed it successfully i must say specially the health building had me for a while !

      i belong to era when modern art were entering to our part of land so my favorite is natural form of painting though i like to enjoy putting my mind to solve new arts mystery sometimes :)

      the last image is heartwarming indeed special thanks for this !
      hope you and Terry are feeling good and enjoy your days together ,
      est wishes for all you do ahead .hugs!

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    3. Thanks, Baili! The cottonwood tree is actually my favorite, and I want to paint it. The "brain" building is the weirdest building I have ever seen. I watch for it every time I take the bus from the airport to downtown Las Vegas. Supposedly the inside of the building is normal. I decided to devote some time to art, thanks to Rain. Now that it is September and cooler I am feeling more energetic. I hope you have fun at the wedding in Karachi. The love story and dedication of your son's friends really touched my heart, and I always enjoy seeing the couple in your son's photos. Terry and I are doing well. Love and hugs to you!

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  14. Hi Louise!! I'm so sorry I somehow missed your entry! I think, despite the themes having you scratching your head, you did a GREAT job with them! I love what you did with Waterlogue especially the roses and the helicopter! Your sand dune photo is definitely minimalism!! Well done!!! ☺ I love the museum pieces too and of course the deer!!! ☺☺☺

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    1. Hi, Rain! Thanks for your feedback. I'm having fun with all of this, even if I don't always get it. I'm working on today's post now. Thanks for all you do to encourage people in art. No worries about catching my post just now. You are one busy person, and I understand what it is to be busy!!! Have a good one, my friend!

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  15. Most modern art makes no sense to me

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Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.