Reflections On Art

After studying dozens of artists and hundreds of paintings over the last several years, I have (finally) come to some conclusions about who my favorite artists are. My conclusions will very probably evolve with time, but currently they stand as follows.

My three favorite-artists-of-all-time are Michaelangelo Buonarotti, John William Waterhouse, and William Bouguereau. I like all of them for the same reason - their paintings are realistic, and their subject matter is beautiful. Beauty is the number one quality that all art must have in order to deserve the title. The element of 'meaning' that a picture contains is also important, but secondarily. There are plenty of 'meaningful' pictures today that are downright hideous.

Buonarotti, as my favorite Rennasaince artist, really represents my love for the Rennassiance painters, among them Bernini, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio. I like their colors, which are rather dark compared to more recent artwork - I generally prefer darker colors to bright ones - and I like their style. Art in those days was just breaking out of the medieval 'ice age' where all the figures are frozen onto the page and perspective is worse than a six year old's, but it retained the grace and elegance of the art that preceded it, something that more recent art has lost. The Sistine Chapel still has the half-frozen fairy tale look to it, but it is very much alive. And I think that, as a sculptor by trade, and thus being well acquainted with the human body, Buonarotti captured the art of making his figures look even more life-like than most other Rennaisannce painters.

Waterhouse represents my love for the Pre-Raphaelites. The Pre-Raphaelites are my favorite 'group' of painters. Their colors are a little bright, but I don't really mind. Waterhouse's subject matter is what is really appealing to me. He illustrated mythological stories, and loved to paint beautiful women from legends. Seeing that I can't hardly find a Pre-Raphaelite painting that I don't like, I have many, many favorites among the Pre-Raphaelites, and I recommend looking up some of their paintings, which are simply beautiful.

Bouguereau is maybe the most talented of the three when it comes to painting. Bouguereau's pictures are striking for their soft, smooth texture. They could almost pass for photographs. They are gorgeous.

Runners up are Jacques-Louis David, Frederick Leighton, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Rembrandt, and Thomas Cole, among many others.

It is much more difficult to decide what my favorite paintings are. The first one is fairly easy, the second one rather more difficult, and in all fairness I must say that I am still not completely sure about the third one. There are so many. Anyway, here they are, in order.

The Creation of Adam, by Michaelangelo Buonarotti. The power in this picture is awesome.

My second favorite is Napleon Bonaparte at St. Bernard's Pass, by Jacques-Louis DaVid. This is truly splendid. Not that I care that much for Napoleon himself, but this picture is not about the historical Napoleon and what he represents. It is about wind in dark and frozen places, and the look on his face. This picture reminds me of Longfellow's poem, 'Excelsior.'

My third most favorite picture is probably Proserpine, by Dante Gabrielle Rossetti. This is a beautiful picture, but it really ties with several others for third place.

Five top runners up (in no particular order) are:

Tristam and Iseult, by William Waterhouse

David, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Hero Awaiting the Return of Leander, by Evelyn de Morgan

Innocence, by William Bouguereau

The Flagilation of Christ, by William Bouguereau

These paintings are what art is really supposed to be.