I've always had a love of art, everything from primitive cave paintings to the modern times. In a college Humanities class I got hooked on the Renaissance period. Such exquisite use of color and expression! I could ramble off a lengthy list of all the magnificently gifted talents of that time, but such discoveries are often best left to individual exploration. I will, however, tell you who my favorite is: Sandro Botticelli.
He is perhaps best known for creating "The Birth of Venus" and "La Primavera" (my favorite!).
Here's a wonderfully informative link which includes a sampling of some of his beauties. "La Primavera" is shown about 1/3 of the way down. Enjoy!
https://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/botticelli/
Edited: fugitive247 on 2nd Aug, 2004 - 12:40am
I do not know if I have ever favored a particular artist. To me some of the best artists are the moder-day unknowns. Being an unknown myself I can appreciate that, but here is a part of a painting of the well known ones (Michelangelo BUONAROTI Painter, Sculptor and Architect of Florence (1475-1564) that is very intense:
Favorite Artist(s)? (Hover)
My favorite artists are the classic Greek artists. The way they managed to convey softness, beauty, perfect anatomy and expressions throug the rough ston, is amazing to me. I also like some modern artists such as Matis, Wistler and Van Gogh.
Smudge, I am studying history ot art in the university and taken a course about Van-Gogh. I can tell you that one of the reasons he did not sell pictures was that people at that time (the end of the 19th century) didn't accept his way of painting. He was a post impressionist and conveyed his massage with many colors, fast brushes and disproportions in order to convey his own instability (he was mantally ill). People didn't understand at the time this way of "wild" painting. Another thing is that he didn't manage to paint for a long period of time - he actually wanted to be a prist (but failed the Greek test in order to get athorization...), and most of his paintings were done betwin the years 1885 - 1890, when he died.
All the classic art lovers are going to be appalled by my favorite. I like a more modern painter, Thomas Kincade. He is the painter of light, and I have rarely if ever seen him paint a light source. His paintings always look so vivid and full of illustrious color. I have several of his art books and my father bought one of his smaller paintings. In my area of the United States, he is virtually a living legend, having his own store in town.
There is nothing at all wrong with liking Thomas Kinkade.
I am certainly not an art snob. I like quite a lot of different types of art. I went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam years ago, and was completely bored. I went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam the same time, and was completely caught up by the experience. I especially liked the Rembrandts.
While reading something one day, I noticed something about Boticelli, so looked up his work on the web. It was great.
So, at the moment, I guess that Boticelli is my favorite. For what it's worth.
I favour the paintings by Hieronymous Bosch especially the Garden of Earthly Delights..probably because its so surreal. It makes me laugh and there's so much to look at and so much colour! I do appreciate the Italians though..Renaissance paintings and architecture are amazing! Although for the love of heaven, try as I might, I cant see what others see in the Mona Lisa. Yes, I can see that she can be either male or female, and her smile is weird like she probably knows something, and the style of painting, the blurry effect, I understand, is said to be one of the most difficult techniques and Da Vinci was a master of it..so WHAT?!..I cant sit and watch that thing for more than 5 minutes..the colours are so dreary and depressing..does that make me a failure in the artistic world?..that I just cant see what the fuss is about? oh well, I'm just going to stick with my Bosch.
Well fortress, although there is no doubt that the Mona Lisa is a ginious piece of work, I don't find it very facinating either... You are so right - I cannot look at it for more then five minutes (and I don't mean to disrespect the great master Leonardo Da Vinci - he is still the greatest!).