Stumbling About

Not only not new, but mighty old in her case. They look like 21st century Vermeers. And I don't say this in a demeaning way, quite the contrary, I very much liked her paintings (for a guy like me, who can't distinguish between a Mondrian and a Miró, the realism of the Dutch is both very pleasing and "a painting I can understand")

So, get yourself a mirror and a canvas, look into the mirror and say: "You talkin' to me?"

Oops, sorry, wrong quote.

Yeah, there's a resemblance to Johannes in the round-ish forms and use of light, but what I like is specifically her use of Pthalo Blue hit with white until it's almost cyan and then shot into the fleshtones. It resonates well with the flesh. Like I said, that isn't terribly new, but my post wasn't about a 'new' technique....just one application of a technique and color scheme that struck me as pleasing.

My mention of "old" was just a literary way to introduce Vermeer, I know what you meant. And no, I am totally blind to the subtetlies you are capable to distinguish with regards to techinque and such. Somehow visual arts are beyond my comprehension. Always reminds me of this one book by Woody Allen, "Getting Even" when the guy (a refined, connoiseur intellectual kind) feels like he has one flaw in his life: he was never able to understand the misteries of the art of pantomime...read it, it is hilarious.

To even spot the resemblance in styles disproves your statement. Ha! I've proven you wrong! You do have a fine sense of visual arts and an imposing command of dusty, musty artists! I have won a debate at last!

That only shows how clever a con man I am I can pass as a connoiseur only because of my skill for storing mass amounts of useless data (and that is something I am proud of!), but for people that knows better (like you) I'd rather not lie: one thing is to "know" because I read a lot, and another is having a developed artistic "sense", if you know what I mean.

As an example: I can hear a song and, without knowing who is performing it or anything else, I still have enough musical taste and feeling to know whether I consider it good or not. I have confidence in my own taste. With visual arts, I can't. Yes, I can talk for hours about Picasso, Chagall, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Goya, Degas, Monet, Brueghel...you name it. I might even give you hints about their technique, tell you funny stories about their lives, explain to you why they became classics...but only because I read about them. I am not so sure I can watch a painting (of someone I haven't read about)and give a meaningful opinion on its own merits. I just don't trust my taste when it comes to visual arts. I have many favorite painters, but I am not sure whether I genuinely consider them good artists or just were "sold" to me by means of having read about them in some good article or book.

Sometimes I feel like as if the Wizard of Oz told everybody that he was the man behind the curtain yet nobody believed him. I just built myself a reputation of being a connoiseur in many areas, so people don't believe me when I honestly comment my limitations!