Saturday, April 22, 2017

Modern Works

Dazzle Ships In Drydock At Liverpool is a 1919 oil canvas by the British artist Edward Wadsworth, depicting the First World War concept of breaking up the outline of ships by zig zag streaks of paint. 


British artist Wyndham Lewis painted A Canadian Gun Pit in 1918. Lewis was a proponent of the Vorticism movement, which was a reaction to Cubism and Futurism. He had been an artillery officer during the War, so this would have been very familiar to him.


Two works by the same artist had my attention. Georges Braque worked in the Cubist style, and this oval painting, a bit of a challenge to photograph, reflects that style. The Glass Of Absinthe is an oil painting from 1910-11, depicting a Parisien cafe scene in the Cubist style. 


Braque also painted this 1906 oil, The Port Of Antwerp, characteristic of his Fauve period of painting.


A side gallery has some very modern works, one of which I've shown before. This first one however I have not. Mark Rothko painted No. 16 in 1957. His style was very abstract.


The same applies for Voice Of Fire, the 1967 acrylic by American Barnett Newman, which caused quite a fuss back in the day among Canadians when the Gallery bought it for around a million dollars. It's apparently gone considerably up in value ever since. I don't get it, but that's modern art for you.


This one is by Jackson Pollock, viewable from two sides. No. 29, 1950 was done by the artist in 1950 on glass instead of canvas. He used black and aluminum enamel paint as his primary material, adding steel, string, pebbles, beads, and coloured glass to the work.

32 comments:

  1. I like the 2nd and 4th picture. Have a beautiful weekend!

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  2. I like the unusual, first 2 interpretations of ship and gun pit. Not so keen on Pollock's style. It seems so similar, so repetitive in his work.

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  3. ...I like the first one the best.

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  4. There is a lot to see in the museum, all kind of expressions.

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  5. I find the first 2 paintings very nice!

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  6. What a mix of style ... all most interesting. Jackson Pollock not so much! :)

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  7. love the sailboats ... I wonder what they were thinking when they did these views? some look kind of angry ... like the last one ... kind of like barbed wire, sort of? ( :

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  8. I'm a fan of Jackson Pollock also, but I can see how his style is one that you either like or hate ☺

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  9. I always enjoy looking at art. Another great collection William. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  10. @Whisk: indeed.

    @Nancy: thank you.

    @Gemma: Pollock doesn't speak to me either.

    @Tom: me too.

    @Marianne: definitely.

    @Marleen: me too.

    @Lowell: you either love his work or hate it.

    @Revrunner: I thought you might go for it.

    @Beth: abstract art can be a mystery.

    @Grace: I agree.

    @Denise: you're welcome.

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  11. Hello, wonderful exhibit. I am not so sure about the abstract, it must be my taste. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  12. #2 and #4 are my favourites in this series, William...and #1 is amazing.

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  13. Love the top one and the modern ones which are more my style than the traditional paintings.

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  14. The first one is my favorite and then The Port Of Antwerp.

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  15. @Sharon: I agree!

    @Eileen: with modern art for me, it depends on the artist or the piece.

    @Linda: thanks! I agree!

    @Francisco: thank you!

    @RedPat: everyone has different tastes.

    @Bill: the first one reminds me of an exhibit we had at our war museum some years back on camouflage that included dazzle paint on ships, most often depicted in paintings that were part of the exhibit.

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  16. I'm sorry I just don't understand modern art, I don't even try any more...

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  17. I'm not a fan of modern art, but there are some excellent pieces here.

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  18. I don't enjoy modern art pieces like Voice of Fire. Maybe I just don't understand what I'm looking at. I remember when the gallery purchased this piece and all the stir it caused. Do you suppose that's what boosted it's price? I much prefer the first paintings in this post.

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  19. The first were okay, but the last could have been done by a child.

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  20. Today you've shown art that was outside of the box. It causes controversy but makes us see other things as well.

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  21. Ok...a million dollars?? I'm pretty confident I could recreate that for my personal gallery. Not sure I'd want to, however.

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  22. I like the first and second painting.

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  23. Nope. I don't 'get' Voice of Fire, but that's just not me!
    Thanks for the tour.

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  24. It is really modern art because I do not understand it...

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  25. I must be getting old. In my twenties and thirties modern artists like Rothko fascinate me. These days I see them, say to myself "Seen that before" and move on.

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  26. I absolutely love the Dazzle Ships. Very Zebra-esque.

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  27. Such a different style, but good to see.

    All the best Jan

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  28. @Klara: very rarely a modern art piece will speak to me, but most of the time I just find it perplexing.

    @Norma: there are.

    @Wendy: it has apparently gone up in value ever since.

    @Mari: that's true.

    @Red: that does fit.

    @Kay: me too!

    @Orvokki: thanks!

    @Jennifer: that's my take too.

    @Inna: I certainly don't.

    @Jack: that's my reaction.

    @Molly: that's true.

    @Jan: thank you.

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