Reynolds is the only English artist of the period whom I occasionally feel: he could almost have been a Goya if things had been different.
The others would never have understood. DA. On Thu, Jun 26, 2008 at 8:56 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Not unlike Derek I don't see Reynolds as flashy. Few of his work I really > like. But for me Gainsborough and Turner (especially w/c) are more interesting > then Reynolds. Too much Academy, but very wise men. > Boris Shoshensky > > > -- "Derek Allan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Re: 'Sir Joshua Reynolds, a flashy painter ...' > > Alas we disagree about Reynolds. For me he is one of the best English > painters. I even prefer him to Gainsborough and Turner. Certainly to > the Romneys etc. He is definitely in my 'canon'. > > (The sooner the word 'canon' is forgotten in relation to art, the > better, in my view. It fosters a very short-sighted view of art > history.) > > D > > On Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 12:22 AM, William Conger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: >> Every artist works with a model in mind, however vague >> or eclectic. The artist is always working for and >> against some model of what art can be. There's no >> such thing as a canon. That's the creation of art >> history and it has no life of its own, as it were, but >> is animated solely by art historians doing their work >> and competing with one another for what's in and >> what's out. >> >> Artistic death occurs when some supposed canon becomes >> the measure of what an artistic success is. This has >> been proven over and over in the course of history. >> Sir Joshua Reynolds, a flashy painter and English >> Royal Academy director said it best: "He who follows >> must necessarily stay behind." >> >> It was said that the most adventurous American >> frontier pioneers moved on when they heard the sound >> of another man's axe. Similarly, for artists, as >> soon as the canon is defined, it's time to move on. >> In pioneering days the preachers, teachers, and >> lawyers followed after the frontiersmen. Likewise in >> art. For that reason I agree that art schools should >> "preach and teach" some of the "traditional" curricula >> and studio practices, the civilizing impulse and >> shaper of the art theory, but no one should equate >> those with the need for the serious artist to >> continually "break new ground" by moving on, and on, >> and on still more, and excited by the freshness and >> wildness of lawless discovery and free from canonical >> cautions. >> >> WC >> >> > > > > -- > Derek Allan > http://www.home.netspeed.com.au/derek.allan/default.htm > > ____________________________________________________________ > Are you safe? Click for free quote on home security system. > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2241/fc/Ioyw6i4ueRweF7ZXv4qhV8KNwp4ywd > ej8eaqhyy2JtdlaEc4vyQvkw/ > > -- Derek Allan http://www.home.netspeed.com.au/derek.allan/default.htm
