ArtCorner

Few paintings make the transition from museum circle legend to pop culture icon. We have our favorites, be it by Degas, da Vinci, or Duchamp.

Mona Lisa and The Scream

The above listed paintings are two examples of famous paintings that have achieved pop culture icon status. What else do these paintings have in common? The latter, The Scream, is a “study of my soul,” according to Munch, a universal expression of human anxiety according to others. Mona Lisa is supposed by some scholars to truly be da Vinci himself. But aside from being supposed or literal interpretations of the artist, these two artistic icons have something else in common – music.

Mona Lisa Inspires Nat King Cole

Not yet another rigid profile painting of nobility by a notable painter, Mona Lisa is a girl who captured the world by her secretive smile. As a painting, we can impress upon her any of our experiences and imagine who Lisa del Giocondo was, what her life might have been like. We can suppose what his life might have been like, for those who favor the theory that da Vinci disguised himself in her. For those who do favor the theory, it may interesting to note Marcel Duchamp, among others, created L.H.O.O.Q. as an artistic parody of the original, including a mustache, goatee, and flattering inscription of “Elle a chuad au cui,” translated as “She has a hot ass.”

“Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa? Or just a cold and lonely lovely work of art?” Nat King Cole asks this of the painting in a song that topped Billboard’s charts for eight weeks as the number one song in 1950. “Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep. They just lie there and they die there.” Mona Lisa is the woman the viewer can’t have, by her expression as much as she is a painting which inspired a chart topping song.

The Scream and Screamo?

Before creating his 1893 masterpiece, Edvard Munch was taking a stroll down 76th Drive in Forest Hills (Queens, New York) only to be struck down by a most invasive muse. Munch said that the painting was a study of his own soul, describing the moment of inspiration thusly,

“I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature.”

At this particular point in his artistic career Munch was struggling with a major bout of madness, and in the coming years underwent therapy which brought upon a new era in Munch’s art.

According to Bob Olson, a professor of contemporary music at Texas State University, it was a revolutionary moment in music heard from a nearby apartment that gave Munch more than an anxiety attack. “It’s just another example of great art begetting great art,” said Olson in a CNN.com article, “A genius in one medium inspiring a genius in another.”

Whatever Munch heard that day is not yet clear. Given the era, it certainly was not Screamo, but the sound incurred a similarly unique expression in Munch. Art begets art. Great art begets great art, and art changes lives.

We each have our favorite paintings, be it a part of a museum collection, a favorite of popular culture, or a local creation. It will be exciting to see what new revolutions in music inspire art and what artists we know today, be they locally or nationally recognized, who will create the next great art icon. Who knows what Jimi Hendrix or Lady Gaga may have secretly inspired?

Until we find out, explore Mona Lisa, The Scream, and other iconic favorites at overstockart.com.

I ran across these recreations of Gustav Klimt‘s work on the Behance network and simply had to share them with you.

This collection of beautiful and artistic photos is called “La Esencia de Klimt” which translates to “Klimt’s Essence”.

As a long time admirer of the Austrian Art Nouveau painter, these fashionable, real-life recreations of his works captured my immediate attention. A group of talented folks have combined their photography, digital art, illustration, make-up, hair and styling (all found through Kattaca) to recreate some of Gustav’s most famous paintings.

I’ve added Klimt’s original paintings for contrast:

The month of March is Youth Art Month – an annual observance to emphasize the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school art programs. one might ask, what is so important about art that we need an annual event to observe it?

If we sit and observe whenever little kids draw, finger paint or play, it’s intriguing how they seem without self-doubt, judgment or fear of doing it wrong. A preconceived expectation of the end product doesn’t seem to play a role in what they are engaged in and in that moment they simply get lost in the doing of it. It’s as if they approach their art, free of inhibitions and with an openness to take risks, experiment and most importantly have fun. It’s as if being fully present in the moment and entering that space of spontaneity, comes so easily.

I recently spoke to someone who runs a local community art school. She shared with me that they had noticed a decreased attendance in their children’s art classes. When I asked why, she speculated that it was the result of kids being less and less encouraged to do art for the sake of the experience and for play. Instead, in order for parents to feel they were getting their money’s worth they were expecting their kids to produce a nice finished product at the end of each class. If the art piece resembled something out of preschool, their child must not be learning something valuable.

Is it possible that in this day and age of video games and computers, where shapes are colored within the clean lines of digital images, we’ve suppressed the urge to color outside of the margins? Are our children losing touch of their innate nature to create something in the mud, draw in the sand and venture down the road of their own imaginations? Is the art of trial and error no longer valued?

As we “grow up” the courage to create slowly moves into the background of our lives and we measure what we produce with labels of “Success” or “Fail” with nothing in between. We develop an apprehensiveness towards taking risks and the fear of doing it wrong keeps us from looking foolish in the process. Is learning to suppress free expression, suppressing our own imaginative instincts that we were naturally born with when we first entered this world?

“All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso

I once heard a grade school teacher encourage parents to, “Praise the effort rather then the outcome.” We often have the bad habit of discounting the process in it self. Undermining the steps in the middle that hold moments of exploration while focusing too much on the end product. If we approach our careers or our art giving value to the effort perhaps we will resurrect the courage to create; remembering what it was like to drenched our fingers in paint and draw out of the lines.

Sir Ken Robinson said it best, the ecology of our education will need to change and adapt. Art and creativity will need to take an active and central role for this world to develop and the only way we can do it is by seeing our children for the hope that they are.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
– Albert Einstein

The value of creativity has been discussed by many business visionaries. Michael Dell said, “It’s through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we’ve always mapped our path at Dell.” Bill Gates said “I’ve always been an optimist and I suppose that is rooted in my belief that the power of creativity and intelligence can make the world a better place.”

Leaders often place a value on “thinking out of the box.” But if creativity is so important why do large and small companies often leave it to chance?

The development of creativity in your organization should be approached with conscious intent. You need to create an atmosphere that fosters creativity. Many organizations have gray cubicles, bare walls, bland conference rooms, and semi-isolated employees working in small areas covered by creativity-reducing colors, visions and sounds. How can we expect people in this environment to think creatively for our organizations?

So what can companies do to improve this most critical element called creativity? It is amazing how much can be done with a relatively small investment.

• Replace standard corporate posters in conference rooms, hallways and offices with beautiful oil paintings. Hand-painted reproductions of great masters such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Klimt.
• Invest in a simple sound system that plays classical music. If this is inappropriate in some work zones, designate break rooms and conference rooms for music. A study by the University of California, Irvine demonstrated that IQ scores rise significantly (although temporarily) when subjects are tested while listening to Mozart.
• Designate a room a company “thinking room.” Place small toys, crayons, markers and paper in the room. Let employees express themselves in this room a few times a day. You can even have a mandatory “10 minutes thinking time.”

The ability to think creatively should not be the sole responsibility of the leader or CEO of the business. This function could be shared by all and by doing so increase the productivity of any company. The three steps listed above are simple to take and require a relatively small investment. It’s vitally important to enjoy this process and let your own creativity dictate the application of these steps.

One of the most beautiful things about art is that every individual can interpret the meaning of a piece in his or her own way. The same work of art could mean a million different things to a million different people. Many people who grow to greatly appreciate art do so because of the personal connections formed and derived from their own individual interpretations, regardless of the artist’s original intent.

That being said, an individuals appreciation for a particular piece can also grow upon learning the original intent and messaging the artist was trying to convey. One of the most effective ways of deciphering this original intent is by looking at the symbolism used within the painting itself. There are many commonly used symbols that go beyond the paint, symbols used to convey a deeper set of ideas, meanings or principles.

To help you make sense of such symbolisms, here is a short guide to help decipher some of the most commonly used symbols in art.

Heart pierced by an arrow: Symbolized how love is both pleasurable and painful.

Heart: Stems from the old belief that the heart is the spiritual center of our emotions, love in particular. A heart symbol is used to replace the word love.

Red: Red is often used to carry meanings of love and passion.

Honeysuckle: A symbol of love and generosity.

Black Birds: (Crows, Ravens, Etc. ) These birds typically symbolize death and destruction.

Scythe: A scythe (more commonly known as a sickle) is a curved, sharp blade at the end of a long handle. It represents death as it originates from pagan harvest ceremonies where living crops were cut down using it.

Cypress Tree: Commonly used as a graveyard planter as it is believed to preserve bodies.
Daisy: A white daisy is a symbol of innocence.

Clover leaf: Three leafed clovers typically represent the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Four leafed clovers represent luck.

Sunflowers: As a flower which blindly follows the sun, sunflowers have become a symbol of infatuation or foolish passion.

Bamboo: Bamboo is a symbol for longevity as it always has green shoots. It also symbolizes strength and grace, for it bends but does not break easily.

Carnation: A symbol of engagement or intimate relationship.

Juniper: Juniper has multiple forms of symbolism. One, it symbolizes chastity because juniper berries are protected by thorny leaves. Two, it symbolizes Christ (crown of thorns), and Three…it symbolizes eternity for juniper wood is rarely attacked by bugs & worms.

Lotus: The lotus symbolizes birth and rebirth. It is also a symbol for creation, fertility and purity. The long stem symbolizes our connection to our origins, while the flower represents aspirations toward enlightenment.

Violet: Symbolizes humility, faithfulness and chastity.

Orchid: A symbol of perfection.

Poppy: A symbol of death.

While this guide provides you with the many common forms of symbolism, there exist many thousands. These may start you on your path toward gaining the artist’s intent, but an accurate understanding can only be found by taking in the entire work as a whole…and even then…often times artists will purposely leave some components up for audience interpretation. For this, we should be thankful. Sometimes it’s best to let our imaginations run toward infinite, when each view opens the door toward new possibilities.

On a chilly Tuesday morning, a young man dressed in a pair of jeans and a baseball cap walked into a Washington D.C. subway station. The man then pulled out from his case a $3.5 Million Stradivarius violin and started to play. That auspicious young man was Joshua Bell a world-class violinist, one of the best violinists in the world, who usually performs at the biggest most prestigious concert halls in the world in front of sell-out crowds.

On that chili morning, the commuters that passed by on their way to work had a chance to listen to Bell play one of Bach’s most sophisticated concertos for Violin.

Even though one of the world’s greatest musicians was playing for free right next to them, out of 1,087 people who walked across Joshua Bell that day only three stopped to listen!!! If that same Joshua Bell played that same concerto at Albert Hall people would be lining up in the street, but here for FREE in the subway, they shrugged and ignored his beautiful interpretation of Bach.

This behavioral phenomenon can be accredited to a powerful underling force that influences us all. That force is called value attribution; it means that we attribute certain qualities according to an irrational perception of reality. While we may be hearing the same musician playing the same concerto at both instances, we attribute more to the music Joshua Bell performs on the big stage then on a corner of a subway station.

This phenomena got me thinking, was Shakespeare wrong? A rose by any other name would NOT smell as sweet?!

Now, you ask yourself: “what does all this have to do with art?” Well… everything…
Value Attribution in the Art World is so entrenched; it seems that one must die before he may receive any acclaim.

Imagine seeing Vincent Van Gogh, or Claude Monet paint on a street corner? Most of us wouldn’t even stop and stare at the bizarre man painting on the sidewalk. Nevertheless, we marvel and rejoice their work on the MoMA museum walls and those who can afford cough up millions of dollars to have the privilege of hanging one of their originals on their wall…

The same is true with the oil paintings themselves… when we see a glorious painting embraced by a beautiful, powerful frame, exhibited in a fancy museum; we attribute greatness to the artwork and its creator. Take that same painting and strip it from its frame and place it in a suburban home and you get a great wall décor piece, but would people attribute greatness to the oil painting? It seems that people around the world act predictably irrational when it comes to art.

Local galleries are aware of value attribution and wrap the paintings they display in an aristocratic appeal while jacking up prices. This gives the gallery followers the perception of high value. Companies like OverstockArt.com which, sell hand painted art on canvas online, have a hard time sueding their customers and therefore must sell the same art that the gallery sells for a fraction of the cost.

As consumers, we need to be aware of these underlying forces that influence our perception of quality, we must find a way to let go of some of these bad habits and focus on the rational and important attributes.

If we are able to judge art by the sole most important attribute of all: “Do I like this painting?” we might be able to spot a Pablo Picasso on the street corner, a Claude Monet painting in the park, or Vincent Van Gogh holding a pallet in the subway station.

Art is the soul of human nature. Our passion for art and the beauty it brings to our world makes us strive for a better tomorrow and unites us all under its enchantment.

What makes someone or his masterpiece a great piece of art? Van Gogh didn’t think very highly of himself I’m sure after such a discerning life… He sold one painting in his lifetime and would probably be in shock to find out how much only one of his masterpieces is valued today…

Art can come in many shapes and forms, but over all it’s all about doing the right thing with what you have…

Have an opinion about What is Art? Do share…

Take advantage of winter and give gifts of art for people who enjoy sailing and yachting.

Van Gogh’s Seascape at Saintes-Maries-De-La-Mer is an excellent art piece for the nautical décor lover. It goes in virtually any room of the house including boat lovers garages that are decorated as an office or as a personal Nautical museum.

Often times when people enjoy a particular subject they become collectors and turn their attics, basements and barns into quality blissful galleries showcasing their passion.

This particular painting by Van Gogh is no exception of someone who enjoys collecting a variety of nautical oil paintings. What vigor as the sea pushing itself against the boats. To get involved with nautical art collection and the peace of mind it puts you in is the best winter season cure of all. For art, of any kind, is simply meant to be admired by the beholder.

Often times, people try to figure out every aspect of LIFE. If they cannot figure out LIFE and their soul purpose on this planet, they tend to give up! Giving up on LIFE or someone you love is not a part of healthy self development and understanding.

I’ve known of people who refuse to give up on LIFE. Artist Thomas Kinkaid “Garden of Prayer” is an excellent reminder of Gods beautiful earth. This oil painting on canvas is one of the best garden scene’s you will find to decorate any room of your home.

Take time and put yourself in Kinkaid’s setting of quietness, trees, shrubs, flowers, stream and steps that make you feel you are walking towards heaven. Remove yourself from your cell phones and TVs and embrace LIFE.