Other than a photo taken by myself (a shot I captured at Chrome Hill in the Peak District last year), I'd have to say as artwork, would be a shot of an Avro Lancaster at dawn on the ground.
I cant find a version of it, but its on my parents wall at home, as they saw it in a Gallery once, didn't buy a print and regretted it, a few years later I was walking around in Dartford whilst at College, saw a version and brought it for them, as a Christmas present.
Our art teacher took us to the Portrait Gallery and as soon as I saw it I was transfixed. I've always been better at portraits, they fascinate me & I love doing them when I have the time. He's my favourite artist too.
If I visit a gallery I generally fly round it in a short period of time and spend about 20 seconds looking at each piece.
Mrs SA gets the bollock ache as I’m usually hanging around in the gift shop for ages while she is still looking at the paintings.
The only exception to this was a few years ago in the art institute in Chicago where I came across “That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door)” by Ivan Albright.
I was totally transfixed by it and probably spent 30 minutes looking at it.
Therefore, by default, this is definitely my favourite piece of art.
I don't really have a favourite art piece, but the Soviet period is great. On the surface, all the paintings had to glorify the state, workers, leaders, etc. because there was only one sanctioned art style: 'Soviet Realism.' But there is a quiet sense of protest in a lot of the paintings, and a tension between what's being depicted and how the artist feels about it.
I've shared her on here before, but Doreen Fletcher’s work is amazing - some of her paintings take me straight back 30-odd years. If you know the places, they might spark the same memories for you too. -
Anything Edward Hopper ever did. The insular loneliness of his subjects speaks to me and feels a way of portraying how it feels being a bit neurodiverse and/or depressed in a way I’ve never felt from any artist before.
This has my head in a spin and I’m sure I’ll change my mind as soon as I have posted my comment but;
Wassily Kandisky Composition VI and Malevich’s Black Square and the White on White painting.
The Raft of Medusa by Théodore Géricault in the Louvre.
I am so pleased someone mentioned this. It's an incredible depiction of an even more incredible experience. Utterly mesmerising. The story of the Medusa is horrifying - look it up if you don't know it. But the definitive version of the events is in Julian Barnes' book, the History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters.
146 men and one woman had set off on the raft, when the frigate Medusa was wrecked, thirty miles off the coast of Senegal. Twelve days later only fifteen frightened, lost souls, facing almost-certain death, remained. In the distance, on the horizon, on the right, you can just make out the ship Argus on the horizon, by which those on the raft thought would be saved. It disappeared from sight minutes later.
Art is a big thing in our household. We've been lucky to collect a few nice pieces over the years.
Big shout out to a relatively local artist from Dartford, Dan Lane, who my wife met at his first exhibition and she has collected 4 of his pieces over the last decade now, the last piece being maybe 4-5 years ago or so. Can't post any pictures as we've currently still got them in storage after moving, so you'll find some of his work here and you'll get the idea. Modern meets industrial (well thats how I describe it!). I note his prices have absolutely sky rocketed now he is much more well known from the prices my wife paid (yay!)
For me personally, there are a couple of artists who I follow very closely...
These two pics are very special to us...
Both pieces were created by my eldest daughter Izzy for her A-Level coursework. Obviously that's her pictured with her piece at an exhibition. Here's the explanation behind it...
The exhibition was up for a couple of weeks in the local gallery in Gravesend and I visited a couple of days before it closed. When I went to write something in the guest book, I looked back at previous comments and literally everyone had made a comment about her piece and how it resonated with them. I was taken aback tbh, I knew it was clever, but it caught everyone's attention. That's what art is about, right?
The second image above was about teenage mental struggles - mental health, self harming, bulimia, smoking, drugs etc etc.
The lockdown art now sits pride of place at Mayfield Grammar outside the headteachers office. The other she's had a few offers for but its staying at home with her.
She very deservedly got a grade 9 for her art, thats an A in old money, A** in more recent times. Her art and her painting in particular has gone up a few levels since school as she's regularly producing art that she wants to create now. I've helped her create a website to see if it will push her a bit more but now she's started working in the corporate world, it wont surprise me if this takes a back seat now. You'll find some of her newer stuff on Instagram @izzydriscollart
And here's one more image of the Leigh Lambert painting I got for my birthday a good few years ago now from my wife when she knew I fell in love with it but couldn't push myself to buy it because I winced at the price (about £500 back then!)
Its called They Think Its All Over. Leigh's work is all about capturing the unbridled joy of children in monochromatic cityscapes. So bloody clever. This picture I grabbed from the web really doesn't do it justice in all honesty.
Yeah anything Dali or Escher for me, the Dali museum in Barcelona where he's buried is incredible. Am also a huge fan of Os Gemeos the Brazilian twins.
The fighting Temeraire
Comments
I cant find a version of it, but its on my parents wall at home, as they saw it in a Gallery once, didn't buy a print and regretted it, a few years later I was walking around in Dartford whilst at College, saw a version and brought it for them, as a Christmas present.
Anyway the best I could hope to be able to afford would be a decent full size print.
Percy Wyndham Lewis (the artist) as Tyro.
Our art teacher took us to the Portrait Gallery and as soon as I saw it I was transfixed. I've always been better at portraits, they fascinate me & I love doing them when I have the time.
He's my favourite artist too.
https://www.instagram.com/fletcher.doreen?igsh=MTN4M2FwcnNvdmg2cg==
https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-tapestry/discover-the-bayeux-tapestry/tapestry-or-embroidery/
Ed Ruscha - Standard Station
Wassily Kandisky Composition VI and Malevich’s Black Square and the White on White painting.
The Raft of Medusa by Théodore Géricault in the Louvre.
146 men and one woman had set off on the raft, when the frigate Medusa was wrecked, thirty miles off the coast of Senegal. Twelve days later only fifteen frightened, lost souls, facing almost-certain death, remained. In the distance, on the horizon, on the right, you can just make out the ship Argus on the horizon, by which those on the raft thought would be saved. It disappeared from sight minutes later.
Derek Riggs
Big shout out to a relatively local artist from Dartford, Dan Lane, who my wife met at his first exhibition and she has collected 4 of his pieces over the last decade now, the last piece being maybe 4-5 years ago or so. Can't post any pictures as we've currently still got them in storage after moving, so you'll find some of his work here and you'll get the idea. Modern meets industrial (well thats how I describe it!). I note his prices have absolutely sky rocketed now he is much more well known from the prices my wife paid (yay!)
For me personally, there are a couple of artists who I follow very closely...
These two pics are very special to us...
Both pieces were created by my eldest daughter Izzy for her A-Level coursework. Obviously that's her pictured with her piece at an exhibition. Here's the explanation behind it...
The exhibition was up for a couple of weeks in the local gallery in Gravesend and I visited a couple of days before it closed. When I went to write something in the guest book, I looked back at previous comments and literally everyone had made a comment about her piece and how it resonated with them. I was taken aback tbh, I knew it was clever, but it caught everyone's attention. That's what art is about, right?
The second image above was about teenage mental struggles - mental health, self harming, bulimia, smoking, drugs etc etc.
The lockdown art now sits pride of place at Mayfield Grammar outside the headteachers office. The other she's had a few offers for but its staying at home with her.
She very deservedly got a grade 9 for her art, thats an A in old money, A** in more recent times. Her art and her painting in particular has gone up a few levels since school as she's regularly producing art that she wants to create now. I've helped her create a website to see if it will push her a bit more but now she's started working in the corporate world, it wont surprise me if this takes a back seat now. You'll find some of her newer stuff on Instagram @izzydriscollart
And here's one more image of the Leigh Lambert painting I got for my birthday a good few years ago now from my wife when she knew I fell in love with it but couldn't push myself to buy it because I winced at the price (about £500 back then!)
Its called They Think Its All Over. Leigh's work is all about capturing the unbridled joy of children in monochromatic cityscapes. So bloody clever. This picture I grabbed from the web really doesn't do it justice in all honesty.
Nocturne in Black and Gold