Executive summary about Abstract Paintings by Mark Merissa

modern abstract painting

Abstract oil painting is an easy gateway to the world of oil paintings for a budding artist. In abstract art, the novice artist does not have to paint anything complicated.

The Beginning
The art of abstract painting had its roots started by eminent late 19th century painters like Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and other master artists. Abstract artists relied on complex geometrical shapes and rich, vibrant colors to express their ideas on canvas.

Getting Started
Once an artist decides to create an abstract painting using oil on canvas, he/she only needs to let their imagination run wild. The artist is free to play around with shapes and colors to his/her heart’s content. The outline of the oil painting is also crucial and the artist should not change the main outline of the oil painting once it has been created.

Moving On
The process is very emotionally rewarding to the artist, as he/she looks at the finished canvas and sees a work of art that expresses his/her own feelings depicted by complex shapes and a kaleidoscope of colors.

Getting Rewarded
Skilled abstract artists can make a comfortable living by selling their own works to collectors or art enthusiasts. Many professional artists are quite successful by selling their oil paintings through online art galleries or art shops.

Abstract art can be an emotionally and financially rewarding hobby. Artists with little or no experience in creating art can easily take up abstract art painting as their way of expressing their inner self.

We have additional information on this subject you may be interested in reading: Abstract Art and Art Gallery

Executive summary about Contemporary Paintings by Adam Peters

Contemporary Canvas Paintings

Contemporary interior design consists of two main themes: minimalist decor: no frills, and a limited palette – main colors in white, beige or black, with spots of brighter colors here and there. The same principle extends to the walls. Colors Contemporary design stresses three colors – beige, white or black, for use in carpeting or on the walls, so that the furniture and wall hangings will stand out all the more. Furniture Contemporary furniture also eschews the over-elemental. Windows serve many functions in a home. For rooms where more light is needed, stylish track lighting is popular, and recessed lighting gives a certain civilized air to the room.

Create a Stylish Living Room

Executive summary about Contemporary Paintings by Danita Lickfelt

Spend some time with interior design books and magazines to develop a file of rooms, colors, fabrics, furniture styles and accessories that appeal to you.

The Contemporary Color Palette

If the room has warm wood tones in the floor or trim, use a color on the walls that enhances the wood.

Contemporary Interior Design

Functional, Comfortable Furniture

Add color accents by bringing in throw pillows, lamps and lamp shades, table top accessories and wall art that echoes the stylistic and color choices. Choose a geometric or color block rug in your accent colors, or use a nubby sisal rug to add some texture underfoot.

Accessorize with Stylish Wall Hangings

Metal wall art with strong geometrical lines will easily fit into a contemporary scheme. A bold contemporary wall mirror can be hung above a modern fireplace mantel to add space and reflect natural light.

Contemporary interior design is a study in understated elegance.

Check out my other guide on: Abstract Art & Modern Art

Peacock Sculpture, Jaipur © Andrea Galbraith

The major themes of Indian art seem to begin emerging as early as the Harappan period, about 2500 BC. With the arrival of the Indo-Europeans (or Aryans) around 1500 BC, came new artistic ideas.

Alexander left colonies of Greek veteran soldiers in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and these soldiers attracted Greek sculptors (maybe some of the soldiers were sculptors). Their Greek-style carvings attracted attention in India – the first life-size stone statues in India date to the 200’s BC, just after Alexander.

Scenes from the life of the Buddha became popular, and statues of the Buddha. Small Persian-style miniature paintings also became popular.

The vast scope of the art of India intertwines with the cultural history, religions and philosophies which place art production and patronage in social and cultural contexts.

Indian art can be classified into specific periods each reflecting particular religious, political and cultural developments.

the ancient period (3500 BCE-12ooCE)

Islamic ascendancy (712-1757 CE)

The Colonial period (1757-1947)

Independence and CARISSAISM the postcolonial period (Post-1947)

Modernism

Postmodernism

The Indian period is unique in its art, literature and architecture.

The visual arts are art forms that focus on the creation of works which are primarily visual in nature, such as traditional plastic arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, and printmaking), modern visual arts (photography, video, and filmmaking), and design and crafts. Many artistic disciplines (performing arts, language arts, textile arts, and culinary arts) involve aspects of the visual arts as well as other types, so these definitions are not strict.

SEASCAPE - GEORGE KELSO, 1999

According to the definition of visual arts: is the area of visual arts and design. Visual art then can be the following:  design (such as graphic design, painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, film and different arts and crafts, including ceramics and textile art.   What unites all of the visual art movements and styles and media… is that the artists are constantly revising what already exists, they are always making changes, making sure that art stays exciting, that art stays alive.

Artist: Lee Chung Hwa "Green Mountains"

Later there was the Bronze Age, Stone Age, Neolithic or New Stone Age. There were many different dynasties like the T’ang Dynasty, Zhou Dynasty, and the Qin Dynasty were a few dynasties.

Influence

Chinese arts are influenced by three major religions: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Another major influence was nature. Painting became an art form more than 2000 years ago then influenced the later painters.

Art Forms

Chinese arts come in many different forms such as: painting, folk arts, silk, calligraphy, pottery, sculpture, metal arts and papercuts. The Chinese invented paper, which was very important for papercuts. The Chinese painted emperors, landscape and zodiac animals, flowers, ladies, and birds.

Process and Material

The Chinese used many materials such as medal, bronze, lacquer, jade, clay, silk, and cloth. Chinese people used jade to make mirrors and clay and stone to make pottery and statues.

Subject and Style

Chinese arts cover a very broad range of subjects. In papercuts they like to cut Buddhas, opera faces, animals, flowers, children, and aerobics. Zodiac animals, landscapes, opera faces, figure painting, mountains, and cranes, which were a symbol for long life, were popular subjects for their paintings. Chinese art began more than 4000 years ago.

Executive Summary From Achmad Rizki Nurkarim

Abstract

Kano Seisenin 1796 - 1846 Diptych of Carp and Salmonid Fish

Japan as one of the developed countries that have high cultural and remain adhere to cultural is known as a pioneer in developing martial techniques. Martial Arts as a cultural product of a nation, can become a material in introduce the culture from which the martial arts come. Japanese Martial Art become a venue to introduce Japanese culture that specialize martial arts in Japan.

Japanese Art and Architecture, works of art produced in Japan from the beginnings of human habitation there, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present.

The earliest complex art in Japan was produced in the 7th and 8th centuries AD in connection with Buddhism. In the 9th century, as the Japanese began to turn away from China and develop indigenous forms of expression, the secular arts became increasingly important; until the late 15th century, both religious and secular arts flourished. In architecture, Japanese preferences for natural materials and an interaction of interior and exterior space are clearly expressed.

Japanese art is characterized by unique polarities. Japanese art, valued not only for its simplicity but also for its colorful exuberance, has considerably influenced 19th-century Western painting and 20th-century Western architecture.

Yoshikazu act. 1850-60s “Omi Hakkei”

Partition painting Shoheiga

Executive Summary About Book Art From Wikipedia.

Book Art or Artists’ books are works of art realized in the form of a book. Artists have been active in printing and book production for centuries, but the artist’s book is primarily a late 20th century form.

“Artists’ books are books or book-like objects over the final appearance of which an artist has had a high degree of control; where the book is intended as a work of art in itself.  ” Stephen Bury^“

Book Art by 18 Wishes

The Cover

cover 18 wishes

The first thing I did for this altered book art was sand and gesso all the surfaces. Because I felt that the pages, despite being a board book, were a little on the flimsy side, I decided that the book would have only two double-page spreads, and I glued pages together to make them sturdier. I used Golden soft gel matte medium and fluid matte medium for all the gluing in this book.

The next step was to paint the cover. I pulled every shade of purple and silver paint that I had off the shelf. I used a damp sea sponge and went over every inch of the front and back, dabbing on paint and using my heat gun to dry it every time I switched to a new color. I worked from the darkest shade of purple to my lightest shade of silver. This part was so much fun because I didn’t have to worry about brush strokes or being careful. I had a carefree time painting the cover.

I printed out a fairy picture onto nice piece of matte paper and ran it through the Xyron. Then I wrapped it around a thin piece of cardboard to give it a three dimensional look. I glued a piece of silver cardstock that I had trimmed with deckle scissors, onto the cover and then glued my fairy piece on top of that.

I used my Dremel with a tiny drill bit to make the wholes for the silver eyelets. This was a nerve wracking procedure because I didn’t want to destroy the picture by making a mistake drilling the holes. I was also worried about botching the whole eyelet smashing process. So I carefully measured and marked where I wanted the holes before doing any drilling. I wrapped silver wire through the holes and finished them off on the back side of the cover.

If I had been very clever, I would have done the drilling-eyelet-wire wrapping thing BEFORE I glued the book pages together. But that would have been too easy.

Underneath the picture, I used stick-on letters to write the title. Unfortunately, some of the letters didn’t stick so well, so I had to glue them down instead of relying on the original adhesive backing.

The First Page

Of course, when I turned to the next page of my altered book art, I found a bunch of ugly looking wire. I had to cover it up some way. I traced a piece of white card stock the same size as the book and glued it over the previously sanded and gessoed pages. A little pre-planning would definitely have made my life easier.

The pages of this altered book art are covered with all sorts of layers of paper. Layer one is torn lavender tissue paper.

Layer two is white tissue paper which I printed with images of butterflies using my ink jet printer. I have an Epson C84 printer. The DuraBrite pigment inks allow me to apply medium on the tissue paper without it smearing.

I needed to soften up the look a bit, so my next layer was lavender Japanese rice paper. I stenciled some purple circles here and there too.

Finally I added the images of fairies that I had scanned from some old books, and the first spread was complete.

The Second Page

Since I wanted these altered book art pages to be consistent in their weight and appearance, I laid down another piece of white cardstock on the second double page spread as well, but not before gluing a little Tyvec flap on the right page, since I knew that I was going to put a fold-out page of a fairy on that side. See, sometimes I do think ahead! Again, this page has lots of layers on it, starting with one of my favorite tissue papers with an ornate gray swirly pattern. On top of that I glued down handmade (not by me) purple paper with leaf inclusions. The little black shadow fairies around the page were ones I scanned and printed onto tissue paper. I also added purple lace paper, some purple flowers made with crystalline paper, and some little plastic gems I got from Goodwill.

The various fairy photos I got from Art-e-Zine, and they will probably be familiar to many of you. Gillian does photo swaps and then posts these great vintage images on her web site so you can download them and use them in your art. She also has lots of arty ideas for things to make with many talented guests offering directions and examples. Thanks, Gillian.

There’s one little touch on this page that I’m particularly happy with and that’s the little tulle skirt that I gave the fairy girl below. I cut a tiny piece of tulle and then sewed a little gather at the top. I cut under the girl’s arm and tucked and glued the tulle underneath.

Fold-Outs

In one of my old books I found a beautiful image of a fairy painted by Louis Rhead. I made a transparency of that image as well as a reverse copy on paper. I didn’t want the background behind the fairy to obscure her, so I cut and glued the fairy’s paper image behind the transparency so that she would be opaque. I made a little frame for her using cardstock, stamps and stamping ink. The same decoration is on the backside of the frame as well. The background behind the fairy was painted and covered with tissue paper. I glued the whole sandwich together, tucking the little Tyvec flap between the layers, creating a fold-out page for my especially beautiful fairy.

Finishing Touches

The last part of creating my altered book art was to add the eighteen wishes that I wanted Danielle to have. I had originally thought about writing the wishes around the inside of the book, but in the end I put them on tags to dangle from assorted purple and silver fibers from the top of the spine.

irst I measured the size of the round tags. (I lucked out and got a whole bunch of these metal rimmed tags for a buck from an office supply store that was going out of business.) Using my drawing software (AppleWorks, for all you Mac users), I made a faint gray circle the same width as the inside of the tag.

Then I used different types of fonts and text colors to write my wishes for Dani ~ love, curiosity, patience, courage, grace, kindness, strength, humor, tolerance, understanding, charity, friendship, success, dreams, individuality, faith, hope, and imagination. I printed this page out on heavy paper and ran it through the Xyron machine. I used a circle punch (which miraculously happened to be the perfect size) to punch out the words and stick them on the tags. I used all kinds of glitter, stamps, and stamp ink to decorate the individual tags. Then I tied them onto the fibers. I wrapped a piece of silver wire around the middle of the of the tags and twisted it closed. I stuck the straight end of the wire and through a hole I made at the top of the altered board book’s spine. I twisted it closed and let the yarn and tags jangle and dangle over the side of the book. So much fun!!!

I was a bit nervous when I gave Danielle her altered book art. Would she like it? Would it be what she was hoping for? I was so excited to see her reaction, and she assured me that she loved it. What a wonderful reward.

This book is available for purchase. Please visit Fairy Art :: 18 Wishes for more information.

Fantasy art is a genre of art that depicts magical or other supernatural themes, ideas, creatures or settings. Fantasy art is strongly linked to fantasy fiction. Indeed fantasy art pieces are often intended to represent specific characters or scenes from works of fantasy literature. Fantasy art should not be confused with the fantastic art genre, which can contain fantastical elements that are not always considered “fantasy” per se.

You’ve just been looking at some of your favorite fantasy art by artists you admire. Your character looks flat and boring as it faces you with cartoony eyes. I have to admit, art is hard. As an artist, especially as a fantasy artist, it’s important to study the basics of art and to draw from life.

Basics to Study

Shapes

Perspective

Values – lighting and shading

Human Anatomy

Animal Anatomy

Composition

Line quality

Design – Plants, animals, buildings, clothing, cars, machines, etc

Color theory

Brushwork

Textures

“Idea behind the image (storytelling, atmosphere, socio-political statement, emotional expression, intellectual exploration…etc)”

These basics will help you in all of your artistic endeavors, not just drawing fantasy art.

Fantasy Art Gallery From George Grie

Executive Summary About Absract Art By Gary Smith – © 2002 Pagewise

Abstract art does promise more freedom of expression. Although many artists have begun with abstract art, it generally needs some practice in form, color and modeling before it becomes a worthwhile endeavor.

Art Abstracts is a bibliographic database that cites articles from more than 300 periodicals published throughout the world. Coverage includes periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins published in English and other languages.

Abstract art has been around for a long time. Cézanne painted essentially abstract art even though his subject matter was ostensibly realistic. Abstract art is linked in the past century to a much larger movement. Artists rebelled against this restriction and especially against the idea of art only as imitation. Artists like Paul Klee developed his own vocabulary of form, symbol and color as well as new techniques to express his inner vision. How to create an abstract painting.

Firstly, as has been stated, abstract art is not merely messing with paint.

Abstract art requires great formal discipline. The following exercise in abstract art should make this clear.

Begin your first abstract work of art by painting or drawing something from real life. Consider this a form of sketching or preparation for the abstract painting. Sketch the cat on a piece of paper or canvas; depending on which medium and surface you are most comfortable with. The process of sketching is in reality a process of close study. Form: look at the form of the cat. There is seemingly, at first glance, nothing strange about the form of a cat. As you sketch, something should be happening to your old habitual ways of seeing the cat. The cat is in fact a very strange form. Color. Once you have sketched the shape, begin to look at the color of the cat and also the shades of color within the main colors. Paint with watercolor or very thin oils over your sketch. Once you have begun to find the cat to be more than just a picture of a cat but a complex relationship of form and color then you are on the cusp of beginning to understand abstract art.

After many more studies of the cat you should find that some areas or colors become more interesting than others- this is when abstract art becomes fascinating.

When you feel that you simply must paint the cat, then go back to your sketches. What finally emerges on your painting surface depends on how hard you have concentrated on the image of the cat. Working from this sketch, begin the final process of creating your abstract painting.

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art history

Put on your sensible shoes as we embark on an extremely abbreviated tour of art through the ages.

Art From the Stone Age to the Fall of Rome – 30,000 BC – 400 AD

Prehistoric Eras

30,000-10,000 BC – Paleolithic peoples were strictly hunter-gatherers, and life was tough. Humans made a gigantic leap in abstract thinking and began creating art. Subject matter concentrated on two things: food, as seen in Cave Art, and the necessity to create more humans.

Painting also became more symbolic and abstract.

Ethnographic Art – It should be noted that “stone age” art continued to flourish around the world for a number of cultures, right up to the present. “Ethnographic” is a handy term that here means: “Not going the way of Western art.”

Ancient Civilizations

More importantly, they unified natural and formal elements in art.

3200-1340 BC – Egypt – Art in ancient Egypt was art for the dead. The Egyptians built tombs, pyramids (elaborate tombs), the Sphinx (a tomb) and decorated tombs with colorful pictures of the gods they believed ruled in the afterlife.

800-323 BC – Greece – The Greeks introduced humanistic education, which is reflected in their art.

509 BC-337 AD – The Romans – As they rose to prominence, the Romans first attempted to wipe out Etruscan art, followed by numerous attacks on Greek art. Architecture became monumental, sculptures depicted re-named gods, goddesses and prominent Citizens and, in painting, the landscape was introduced and frescos became enormous.

Medieval to Early Renaissance Art – 400-1400

526-1390 – Byzantine Art

Not an abrupt transition, as the dates imply, the Byzantine style gradually diverged from Early Christian art, just as the Eastern Church grew farther apart form the Western.

622-1492 – Islamic Art

To this day, Islamic art is known for being highly decorative.

375-750 – Migration Art

Art during this period was necessarily small and portable, usually in the form of decorative pins or bracelets. The shining exception to this “dark” age in art occurred in Ireland, which had the great fortune of escaping invasion.

750-900 – The Carolingian Period

900-1002 – The Ottonian Period

This didn’t work out either, but Ottonian art, with its heavy Byzantine influences, breathed new life into sculpture, architecture and metalwork.

1000-1150 – Romanesque Art

For the first time in history, art is described by a term other than the name of a culture or civilization.

1140-1600 – Gothic Art

“Gothic” was first coined to (derogatorily) describe this era’s style of architecture, which chugged on long after sculpture and painting had left its company.

1400-1500 – Fifteenth-Century Italian Art

Artists flocked in for a share of the largess, built, sculpted, painted and began actively questioning “rules” of art. Art, in turn, became noticeably more individualized.

1495-1527 – The High Renaissance

Renaissance artists, after the death of Raphael, continued to refine painting and sculpture but they did not seek a new style of their own.

1325-1600 – The Renaissance in Northern Europe

Art took a back seat to these other happenings, and styles moved from Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque in sort of a non-cohesive, artist-by-artist basis.

1600-1750 – Baroque Art

Humanism, the Renaissance and the Reformation (among other factors) worked together to leave the Middle Ages forever behind, and art became accepted by the masses. If art or architecture could be gilded, embellished or otherwise taken over the “top”, Rococo ferociously added these elements. As a period, it was (mercifully) brief.

1750-1880 – Neo-classicism vs. Romanticism

Of the two, Romanticism had far more impact on the course of art from this time forward.

Realistic art increasingly detached itself from form, and embraced light and color.

1860s-1880 – Impressionism

Where Realism moved away from form, Impressionism threw form out the window. Mission accomplished, art was free to spread out now in any way it chose.

Modern Art – 1880-Present

The Impressionists changed everything when their art was accepted.

1885-1920 – Post-impressionism

Meanwhile, in Italy, Futurism was formed. What began as a literary movement moved into a style of art that embraced machines and the industrial age.

1945-Present – Abstract Expressionism

World War II (1939-1945) interrupted any new movements in art, but art came back with a vengeance in 1945.

Late 1950s-Present – Pop and Op Art

In a reaction against Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art glorified the most mundane aspects of American culture and called them art. It was fun art, though. In the last thirty-odd years, art has changed at lightning speed. We’ve seen the advent of performance art, conceptual art, digital art and shock art, to name but a few new offerings