again drawings (2): notre dame des anges and hans holbein

notre dame des anges, hand on heart (own work, 2012, 30 x 21 cm, click on the image for an enlargement)


notre dame des anges in blue dress (own work, 2012, 30 x 21 cm, click on the image for an enlargement)


woman texting on the bed at night (own work, 2011, 30 x 21 cm, click on the image for an enlargement)

what could be an artist's motivation to draw, in such quantities too? being an artist used to be a living :-), which raises the possibility that drawing is a money scheme :-). there are those who like to demystify the great artists of the past in this way. one of those great artists in my eyes is hans holbein the younger. i have never seen any work of his which did not cause me to pause in my tracks. the drawing below was made in 1526, but looks as fresh and poignant as if made today.

the strikingly demure pose, the colouring, well everything really...goes to show that drawing is not a money scheme but a deep inner compulsion to express, to portray, to touch upon the world especially also in the non-visible layers, through visual means.



hans holbein the younger, portrait of anna meyer (1526)

and what about letting yourself be portrayed in this fashion? does that not show deep respect for the artist?

again drawings (1)

woman in orange unrest (own work, 2010-2012, 21 x 30 cm, click on the image for an enlargement)


mother and child threatened by circumstances (own work, 2008-2010, 15 x 22 cm, click on the image for an enlargement)


dog on the road (own work, 2008-2011, 30 x 21 cm, click on the image for an enlargement)

this type of posting apparently does not add to an art blog's quality, in some people's eyes. the artist should put her/himself in the position of the audience, and then magically `make it happen' for them, by being ever so interesting as a person etc.

oh well, fame is overrated anyway. but it would be nice to have some more links to this blog, so that the images will be better findable. that is one of the goals, i have to admit: i'd like the images posted here to be seen by interested people anywhere on the planet.

`normal' violence

when i found the victim under a street lamp, there was little i could do (own work, 2012, 24 x 30 cm, click on the image for an enlargement)

the daily `normal' violence in our society is something i find hard to bear. i remember reading some story by a russian writer (turgenev? chekhov? i really don't recall) in which the main character is shocked by seeing someone receive a fist blow on the street. `in this modern day, in this 19th century, how could it be possible?´, the character thinks (or something similar).

reading this passage, i found it more shocking to see that actually we have become far more violent since then. today, i sometimes have to switch channels because some movie or tv series depicts horrible violence in a very graphic way. and what about the gaming industry?

but let alone the graphic visualisations, it seems we accept a disheartening level of violence in our day-to-day life. a fist blow on the street doesn't quite begin to cover it. is george steiner right, when he says our civilization is past its prime?

beautyberry

beautyberry (2012, own work, detail)