I’m fascinated by ancient cave paintings - the fact that they are hundreds of years old, and those ancient artists told their stories with charcoal and blood and berry juice.
Another old art form - imagine unearthing a Pharaoh’s tomb! The incredible excitement in bringing to light treasures not seen for centuries…the tales they tell of Egyptian culture and history. The things that survived were crafted from materials that didn’t deteriorate, and we can still revel in their beauty today, because stone and gold has a pretty long shelf life.
A few weeks ago I visited an exhibit of artwork by Wassily Kandinsky – a pioneer in the field of abstract expressionism, and one of the founders of the modern art movement. This work was around 150 years old and still looked great. He worked mostly in inks and oils, and they’ve held up. Good thing, because there’s a sense of urgency in preserving it. It’s historically significant and needs to survive.
As a working artist today, some of the materials I use are fairly new to the scene. Acrylic paints don’t have nearly the history as stone, metal, charcoal or oils. I sometimes wonder if I should be using a different medium, but then I don’t imagine my art being pulled out of a cave one day.
My message is for today’s viewer…and all the persnickety care I take in preserving it should last long enough.
What do you think?
Elaine
Another old art form - imagine unearthing a Pharaoh’s tomb! The incredible excitement in bringing to light treasures not seen for centuries…the tales they tell of Egyptian culture and history. The things that survived were crafted from materials that didn’t deteriorate, and we can still revel in their beauty today, because stone and gold has a pretty long shelf life.
A few weeks ago I visited an exhibit of artwork by Wassily Kandinsky – a pioneer in the field of abstract expressionism, and one of the founders of the modern art movement. This work was around 150 years old and still looked great. He worked mostly in inks and oils, and they’ve held up. Good thing, because there’s a sense of urgency in preserving it. It’s historically significant and needs to survive.
As a working artist today, some of the materials I use are fairly new to the scene. Acrylic paints don’t have nearly the history as stone, metal, charcoal or oils. I sometimes wonder if I should be using a different medium, but then I don’t imagine my art being pulled out of a cave one day.
My message is for today’s viewer…and all the persnickety care I take in preserving it should last long enough.
What do you think?
Elaine
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