Thursday, October 17, 2013

Worth a Thousand Words: The Artist in His Studio

Rembrandt, The Artist in His Studio
via Wikipaintings
I am endlessly fascinated by artists who show themselves painting or in somehow in their work environment. This one grabbed my attention because of the looming size of the canvas and the small figure of the artist who surveys it from a distance.

Is it just a reflection of my own psyche when facing a writing session that I see intimidation in beginning or continuing a project in this piece? I guess that's the interest in such a piece of art. It has left the artist's hands. Now, what does it say to us?

1 comment:

  1. That's interesting. I see a bit of grim determination in the work. He looks like he's ready to do combat. The painting is blocking the door, after all, so he has to go through it to get out.

    You also reminded of a story I heard when I went to see the Van Gogh's Van Goghs exhibit a long time ago. The audio guide said the reason Van Gogh did so many self-portraits was that he often couldn't afford to hire a model to sit for him. I'd never heard that before and it changed my thinking about him and other artists who do the same.

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