WTF? (Art Identification Challenge)
I found this painting intriguing to say the least.
But before I share what I think about it, I'd like to get your opinion.
1) What the hell does it represent?
2) Can anyone identify the artist?
The best answers will win prizes!!!!
So come one, come all, and share your feelings about this odd work by an obscure 20th century American artist.
Please.... Thanks!
But before I share what I think about it, I'd like to get your opinion.
1) What the hell does it represent?
2) Can anyone identify the artist?
The best answers will win prizes!!!!
So come one, come all, and share your feelings about this odd work by an obscure 20th century American artist.
Please.... Thanks!
Gezz, John . Another contest Maribeth will win. I have no idea who the artist is... But my guess is it is a fallen angel. Beyond that I wouldn't even venture a guess...
I am intrigued though....
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Oh, I know I should not say this but, here goes...itlookslikesomethingakidfrommy firstgradeclassdrew....sorry, sorry, sorry.......
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Great job. For me, this picture makes me think of a holy war. I am not sure why, but I think it has to do with the colors used and the religious references.
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this is one of the saddest paintings i've ever seen before.
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GOK!! a RED cross, a BLACK angel on the BLUE sea, a YELLOW sun and a WHITE beam of light against a PURPLE sky and a RED something or other that looks like a basketball hoop or a lamplight. the artist? maybe its you? or maybe its a graffiti by Smith. Obscurantism, delusion, neurotic, fanatic, loco, depressing, childish, and could be done by my 9 year old granddaughter who is also an artist. This is not for an art museum but could be put on my fridge. Katy said she thinks it could have been painted by a three year old but Miriam, my daughter thinks it was painted by a
nine year old boy.
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hmmmm... my captcha is almost my library card number...
no, this is more sophisticated than a 9 year olds art would be unless it was done by a nine year old of a type i've never run across before.
the brush strokes are deliberate. the sun (son) is sad and bleeding.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii291/thursdays_blogs/sadsun.jpg
it's labeled "Republicanus Splinteralis", which could be latin, a riddle, or anagram, all of that.
20th century. hmm...
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...don't have a clue as to the artist, but think the subject looks like a dark angel stuck in Hell, looking for a way out....
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and it was also painted on paper, which could possibly lend itself to looking like something painted by a child.
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Actually I think it was something you found in a box in your attic painted by you when you were a kid. Such egotism!!
Obscure 20th century artist, indeed. Maybe you did it for a Sunday School class in the Baptist Church and your family thought it showed great talent and had meaning so they saved it.
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if that were the case the paper would look older and cracked or creased.
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The black person looking to be an angel is Crist Jesus; the red cross is symbolic of the last place Jesus was (hung on the cross); the white line represents his spirit ascending into heaven; the yellow circle is God; and the red semi-circle with the red line coming down from represents the blood the Chist Jesus shed for us. The artist of the picture itself, I do not know unless, it was done by John himself as a young boy.
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I have no idea who the artist would be, however if I have to guess it looks like a kids painting.
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Was it you? Because I looked up 20th Century Artists and could not find a thing.
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Isn't it obvious what the picture is? It's an angel playing golf at night with a lightsaber! Hense the black line... he's lining up the shot! I haven't the slightest idea who painted this winner, but he seems like a cool guy!
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hmmmmmmmm, looks like paintbrush to me. reminds me of miro of course. i guess you could call it "art brut"--but i see no worth even as "outsider art" in the composition. unless it's a joke piece by a real artist. xo
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Many modern artists portray jokes but they are cartoonists, aren't they?
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......i am sticking with the dark angel scenario...i have yet to figure out the basketball hoop ? or whatever it might be. it appears as though the angel is sending a "string" to it......maybe as a life line, until his light ray finds the exit hole....
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it has. it's pouring back into the water.
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You have to put yourself more into the picture. That is not a halo, it is a crown of thorns. The part that looks like wings, is the arms out-streatched and he is wearing a robe.
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The artist is either Humboltz (think that's how it's spelled) or Kadinski.
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If it weren't for the round circle and the cross you might think it was a dead butterfly.
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if it is http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/kandinsky_wassily.html#imagegalleries, then pierre is not far off in thinking it looks like a miro.
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Hey Maribeth, I have an original Miro lithograph signed and framed in my living room. I just looked at some Miro's on the internet and none of them even faintly resemble this piece of junk with cross and black unidentified figure. If it has any value at all only a mother could love it and put it on her refrigerator.
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hey helen, it's mEribeth, and i'm very happy to hear you have an original miro lithograph in your house. yay for you. i'm not the one that brought miro up in the first place however. i was saying that pierre thought it looked somewhat like a miro, and i was comparing miro's work kandinsky.
i'm sorry that you are not of a mind to think that art can be found anywhere. personally, i think art is all around us, if you just opened your eyes and your mind to really seeing it.
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There is always the question, Is art a reflection of life or is life a reflection of art? Maybe its both. lol
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what does this really make me think of? my chris bog.
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I think this represents Batman undergoing
a conversion. lol
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What's a chris bog?
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It's a place in Scotland where a Chris lives.
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making a bog , in my case, is a form of self help i use at the suggestion of my therapist to help me recover from post traumatic stress disorder. chris is my custodial son, who has moved back in with his birth mom.
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If that is not the funniest thing I've heard since Jesus Crisis posted this!!! rofl
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Ok, let's not start a cat fight here! I myself am not that knowledgable with art but I have had my share of study in it at Owens Comunity College and visit the Toledo Museum of Art here at home. I still believe it is a child who did this and I think that my depiction of this piece is pretty accurate. Besides, there is only one judge and Jesus Crisis will let us all know soon enough! Let's all just play nice!!! : )
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Jeeezuz Cry Sis is writing a sermon in advance of the Sabbath today. He is too preoccupied with politics and finding himself to pay attention to our little cat fights over this lovely artistic endeavor.
May the best cat win! LMAO
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i was not fighting you elena. i was merely stating my opinions on the piece and responding to other people's comments.
win, lose, makes no difference me. i did not comment on this blog to win anything. i commented because i found the piece itself interesting, have done some research, and in processed learned some things.
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I believe art is a reflection of life itself. If a child did this drawing, then it may have been something he/she was asked to do by someone (eg. Sunday school teacher) or just how he/she was feeling after a tradgy (eg. death of a family member) or something he/she read (eg. Bible).
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What is Art?
For starters, it's the name of my father-in-law... lol.
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Art? There are many Arts. Fine Arts, Artsy Farts, Diabolic Arts, The Art of Cooking, Paleolithic Art, the Art of Warfare, Art Linkletter, Artie Shaw, and even King Art of the Roundtable. Whew. I am blowing my mind over this art stuff. Nuffs a nuff. OK??
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perception and perceiving. even the lowly toilet is a work of art.
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Well, it's the name of my co-worker too. lol
But technically, Art is the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
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.....meow......meow, kitty, kitty
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I'm just saying, each of us has an idea of the peice that has been laid before us. All have been pretty good, some a bit funny where I almost fell off the chair laughing. I do photography and have shown susannah dean these photographs taken by me. God paints a pretty awesome picture for us to see and the sky and land are his canvas.
">http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/KimberlySzczepanik/?action=view¤t=Picture104.jpg">
">http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/KimberlySzczepanik/?action=view¤t=HPIM1590.jpg">
">http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/KimberlySzczepanik/?action=view¤t=HPIM1588.jpg">
Even we are a piece of his creative work:
">http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/KimberlySzczepanik/?action=view¤t=HPIM2944.jpg">
">http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/KimberlySzczepanik/?action=view¤t=Douseeus.jpg">
So see, art is in the eye of the beholder and all around us!
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Dualism
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I guess it will be April Fool's Day before we find out who painted this and what the meaning is. lol
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So, when will the winner be announced? I am a newcomer to all this and am a little lost!
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When the time is right, all shall be revealed.
Hopefully in the coming week....
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It reminds me of prison art. It is inside looking out..
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Don't know if the contest is over or not..
But I will guess this is one of Sasha's paintings. And that it is a Fallen Angel.
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The contest is not over yet. But I am abstaining from commenting for now because I don't want to influence the discussion, and I'm liking the various ways it's been going on its own.
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i say prison too. a fallen angel being restored. I think the artist is you?
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The cross seems to represent a source of nourishment. The white line seems to depict a celestial spiritually active male figure. The black line seems to indicate a rational passive, yet negative female. The dark angel represents a troubled world and a voyage into the soul. The yellow moon seems to indicate that life is not real; at least not in that place. The dark angel seems to be torn between two worlds.
It seems that this painting was done by a young male, possibly a young J.C.
I am probably reading much more into this than is actually there. However, this is what I get from this painting.
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OK - Here goes...
We are in the 21st century now - so if the artist is a 20th century artist then this piece was created more than 8 years ago or the artist's body of work is mostly more than 8 years old. This would eliminate most young children. Although the painting looks simple, it is quite complex. Multiple techniques and different sized brushes are used. There are qualities that compare to Miro or Kadinsky. I do believe the artist is an adult (or can claim to be due to age)
The fact it is not framed/mounted and that the medium appears to be a craft paper or newsprint indicates that the the piece was not intended to be sold. It does not appear to have been folded or rolled, so this picture was taken shortly after the painting was created, so I don't think this could be "prison art".
I think the story that is being told can be seen clearly when looking at how the painting was created. It starts with a "Sea" of gray, a sea of despair (hell on Earth) and the sun (a glimpse of Heaven?). Then there is the pool of blood (created by all the blood shed in wars and crime) and it is feeding the sea of despair. Next the dark clouds obliterate all other features of the sky and almost choke out the sun.
Then, in a flash of light (lightning or a beam of heavenly light) an angel appears. A black angel (dark angel, fallen angel) is sent back to earth to check out the current situation. "She" sees the pool of blood feeding the sea of despair and is shocked and drops her cross as a reminder that God has already sent his son down once to clean up after us. ("Don't make me come down there.)
Maybe the artist is John, but my guess is one of John's MySpace friends.
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Rorschach test: A test of intelligence and personality based on the subject's interpretation of a series of inkblot patterns. The dark figure is like an inkblot and John is using this picture as a test on us. Beware of what you say. You
may reveal too much about yourself. lol
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I'm an open book! And there are more interpretations where that came from.
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...hmmmmm...i'm no expert, but Kadinsky is very organized in his work...this doesn't remind me of him, at all...i think you were closer in your "MySpace friend" assessment. (i'm hardly EVER right, though)
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I'm just waiting for J.C. to shout "April
Fool" GOK means God Only Knows....
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Well, Im guessing its Reverend Albert Wagner or some similar obscure outsider artist. It also looks like something I may have done in the midst of a bad acid trip circa 1995 when my religious paranoia was at its worst. On the lighter side of things, it looks like the character is clearly having a conscience battle. Perhaps it is debating whether to give in to its dark desire to drink beers and play golf with its buddies or attend church with the family on Sunday. I would definately play the golf game. Even though I cant the game myself, its got to beat 2 hours of endless prattle.
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So. What is this? Who painted it? Do tell.
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Comment No. 1 by Cris on 3/28/2008. Last comment 4/2/2006. It is now 4/3/2008.
Is JC too ashamed to admit he painted this? What IS the meaning anyway? Did anyone guess right? GOK
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I just haven't had time to create the prizes.
I will reveal all when the prizes are ready.
"We will serve no wine before its time."
And I'm surprised no one has guessed Marcel Duchamp....
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OMG...Nude Descending a Staircase? The same Marcel Duchamp? 1913? French Cubist?
He gave up art for chess in 1920. I guess the Dadists didn't care much for this painting if he is the one who painted it.
It still looks like a Rorschach ink blot to me. lol
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Remember his handlebars? Or his toilet he named Fountain?
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Here's another Duchamp
He's not the artist of the WTF painting, and he's not entirely obscure.
But he's who I might have guessed if I didn't know the real artist.
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Torn not knowing what to choose, is the feeling I get when I look at it, as for what it really means I have no clue
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Who else is he if he is not he? Obviously some else than him. Very obscure and very
odd as well. Could it be Jean le Cygne who lived in France a long time ago?
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Maybe its the Minister of the Cathedral of Je Ne Sais Quoi?
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I daresay the Minister has far more talent than this artist.
Okay...
I'm cutting off the official guessing as of right now.
And I will post a blog soon (but maybe not until Monday) revealing all and handing out prizes.
"But here's another clue for you all..."
The name of someone responsible for this painting (a name, indeed, that Elena might know without Googling) - but who is not the artist. The name of which I speak (a responsible party, but not the artist) is none other James Mateer.
Chew on that....
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I've chewed and I'm burping. Not that James Mateer of LCCC fame? That was really a loooonnnnng time ago.
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Perhaps it is a painting in the Museo de Caca de Toro in the Basque country.
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You're getting close...
Close enough to smell it?
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??????>????????????????????>?????????????
Any response yet?
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"all in good time..."
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...is this "good time" in incarcerated time or "free" time????
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lol... maybe Bible time.
2 Peter 3:8 states that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
But fear not... I won't be alive long enough to keep everyone waiting that long.
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Well, JC, you've definitely given enough clues. Not many know that I am the curator of the Museo de Caca de Toro. Not only do we have a special collection of little knows pieces by AA Milne we call "Poo", but we have a new collection which includes the piece illustrated above. Although we were tempted to call the collection F-ART, we eventually decided on "Art of the John."
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Hahahahaha! Methinks you've sniffed it out.
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"A work of art that contains theories is like an object on which the price tag has been left. "
A. Pope
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indeed!
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