Post #220055 by ikitnrev on Fri, Mar 10, 2006 6:35 PM

What is interesting is how one's taste in art changes over the years - due to changing tastes, increased knowledge, and perhaps a bigger available budget to obtain artwork.

As a college student in the dorms, one's taste and choice of artwork might come from the poster section of the nearby mall Spencers or local music store, which is then thumbtacked to the wall. I can remember various Robert Crumb posters - my first dorm roomate had this on his wall.

while I can remember a large B&W poster photo of Bridgit Bardot in some leather mini-skirt standing in front of a motorcycle.

Then one will get your first apartment, and you decide that promotional beer posters no longer make the cut. Yet, you might not have much of a budget, but dislike the look of your bare walls. So one day you take your checkbook, and go to the local shopping mall or Ikea-like store with a mission - to purchase one of the pre-framed prints in stock. You flick through the many options, avoiding the too multiple Thomas Kinkade-like prints there, and eventually you find something that appeals to you, that you think will look good above the couch or fireplace, and you are proud of yourself for a job well done.

A few years later you might visit an art museum, and purchase a reproduction of a favorite painting you saw earlier in the day - that print might appeal to you both for its artwork, and serve as a souvenir memory of your trip, or other memories. In my bedroom I have one of these prints - J.D. Waterhouse's 'Lady of Shalott' Every time I look at it I am reminded of a dear friend who told me a story of being moved to tears by this print - and partly in honor of this friend, and partly because I like the painting, and partly because the tale of longing behind the painting isso moving ... that combination and connections makes me feel good, and more human

( For the story, and Tennyson's poem of the Lady of Shalott, visit http://www.pathguy.com/shalott.htm )

Waterhouse's 'Hylas and the Nymphs' reminds me a bit of both the earlier Waterhouse painting and Bonguereu's 'Nymphs and the Satyr' found earlier in this thread, all have a definite timeless seductive quality to them .... and perhaps a more adult version of a Bridgit Bardot poster hanging in a dorm room

I generally like Waterhouse and the other pre-Raphaelite paintings, and own several books of this style. It does have a nostalgic, medieval-age, innocence to it, although there is an element of 'you need to know the story behind the legend' to truly fully appreciate the painting.

But as much as I like the pre-Raphaelites, that art style doesn't generally agree with my fondness for late 50's/early 60's retro design and culture - and that is where Shag comes in. This was a new area for me - a current artist, whose work appealed to me so much, that fit in well with my tiki bar room, and I soon found myself with multiple copies. I didn't want to overdose on Shag though, and I soon later added prints by our own Miles Thompson (the Tiki Ti print), Esqui, and original paintings by Jared Davis and Congatiki. Through this board, I also discovered and really appreciate the art of Miguel Covarrubias, who did the world map on the inside cover of 'The Book of Tiki.'

I can see myself soon obtaining a print by Richard Fahey - his style fits in well with my retro preferences, and I guess is a continuation of the Bridgit Bardot/nymphs theme, this time with a more modern twist -- I guess I just can't escape my fondness for certain seductive qualities.

I really like this print of 'Elvis in Hell', done by Charles Burns. Perhaps this reflects some Catholic guilt over the temptations of the above paintings? For some reason, this print hangs in the same room as the above 'Lady of Shalott' painting.

Through the years I have also been buying various kitschy art (paint by numbers, string art, original paintings, big-eyed art), most of this purchased in thrift stores, and have been surprised by how some of these pieces have grown on me. Overall though, most of the appeal is from the grand spectacle of seeing much of this thriftstore art accumulated on one wall - just as one is often overwhelmed by the accumulated clutter feel of so many tiki bars.

I've been known to browse through the art books in used bookstores, looking for works that appeal to me. One obscure artist I really enjoy is a Taiwanese artist named Shiy De Jinn, and although the booklet I found by him that day has only twelve color prints, those portraits from the early 60's are simply wonderful. There isn't much of his work on the web - just this small-scale portrait

As I grow older, I find myself buying more original art - some from local artist friends. I often find myself in a situation where lack of available wall space is the biggest reason for not buying a painting.

Recently I took a new step - discovering an artist who painted in a style I admired, contacting the artist and commissioning a painting. My wallet can not afford to do this too often, but it is fun to interact with an artist in this way, knowing that you will have a one-of-a-kind piece. I will post more details on this in a few weeks - the painting has a tiki theme, so I think most of you will like it.

Vern

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2006-03-10 18:38 ]