Aidan Cartwright, local artist and teacher, talked about why he prefers to create paintings that are not realistic and some of the positive effects of his approach.
SA国际影视传媒淚 want there to be no illusion that it is just paint on a surface,SA国际影视传媒� said Cartwright.
He first explained how realistic paintings are made for comparison. He said that the first step in making one is by first defining what the overall color and shape of the painting is, then moving down to the next biggest shape which may only have a subtle change in color, and so on. He said if you keep doing that, it is surpising how realistic the painting would become. He added that if youSA国际影视传媒檙e painting with oil which takes longer to dry, you can blend the colors so they become seamless.
SA国际影视传媒淔or a lot of more modern painters, they didnSA国际影视传媒檛 see the need to go back and do the blending because you still get that impression of reality from just the shapes and colors matching,SA国际影视传媒� he commented.
As for the reason why you may not want to make a realistic painting, he explained that bold strokes, shapes and colors create an effect that grabs your attention because it is more jarring. In comparison, looking at a smooth, realistic painting that flows well provides more of a relaxing experience.
SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 something nice and meditative about that but thereSA国际影视传媒檚 nothing that grabs me,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淵ou need a snap in silence.SA国际影视传媒�
You may not be able to tell what an unrealistic painting is from up close. Cartwright explained that an unrealistic painting may look like squiggles from that perspective but the image envisioned by the painter becomes more cohesive as you look at it from further away since your eyes have an easier time interpreting the image as a whole.
SA国际影视传媒淣othing makes me sadder than a painting, when seen from a distance, and after going right up to it you get no additional experience,SA国际影视传媒� he commented.
He said that another element of his approach that is important to him is widening the scope of the audienceSA国际影视传媒檚 experiences and interpretations of his paintings. He mentioned that when he painted the landscape piece on display at The Gallery on 47th Street, he saw hills and trees under a sun. Cartwright said that the painting in question is more strongly defined as a landscape but it is still important to him to give his audience the possibility of seeing something that he hadnSA国际影视传媒檛 noticed before or possibly something completely different than what he envisioned.
SA国际影视传媒淚f I paint a bluebird and itSA国际影视传媒檚 exactly like a bluebird, great, everyone gets the same experience,SA国际影视传媒� he added. After a pause he mumbled the words, SA国际影视传媒淎 little bit boring.SA国际影视传媒�
He explained that he would rather paint something that is seen differently by more people. Using the same analogy, one may see a bluebird, another see a flower, and another yet may see a cake.
