I've had a lot of discussion recently about what is art and what is crap.
Here's a selection of art from around our wee home, with some comments about the origin and importance to us.
First the hand-embroidered images
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| A gift from a Scottish friend living in Spain |
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| A piece created by my Beloved during our first winter in Normandale, with no bloody heating. |
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| Another piece from my Beloved, don in Silverstream, where we had central heating. |
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| A bell-pull from my Mum, who passed away almost 9 years ago. |
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| A really lovely piece done by an Auntie of a cousin from Lockerbie |
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| My Beloved's first attempt at needlepoint, now used as a fire screen |
All of the remainder is art we bought from all over the word.
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| The first piece of real art we bought, from a private exhibition at the Kelvingrove galleries in Glasgow. |
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| Bought in Malaysia |
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| Not strictly art, but a photo taken of my lovely daughter and myself, taken at Glamis Castle in Tayside, during an open-air classical concert in the pouring rain |
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| Somewhere on the Fife coast |
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| Ballingry in Fife |
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The first painting my wee boy did at the tender age of 3. I'll never be parted with it.
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| Calligraphic art from Shanghai |
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| St. Tana of blessed memory (and an absolutely beautiful Grand Slam) |
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| Roof tops of Prague, bought near the Castle |
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| Indonesian Batik art fabric, from Singapore |
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| Simple poster, bought in Singapore, but very evocative of the Singapore cuisine |
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Wish Ewe Were Here (From m'daughter, and hangs in our bedroom reminding us of
| both the weather we no longer have to endure, and our daughter whom we miss terribly. |
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| Dundee 1 |
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| Dundee 2 |
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| Dundee 3 |
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| Dundee 4 All of the above were bought by my son as gifts (usually last minute affairs) from either the Dundee School of Art or the Dundee Design Centre. I have no idea what they represent, especially the last one which reminds me more of a decomposing hedgehog than anything else. | |
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| A gift from some friends from Aussie |
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| Aussie 1 |
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| Aussie 2 Both these pieces were bought by my Beloved when we were in Alice Springs (Aussie) and are examples of Native Art (Aboriginal) I tried to get her to stop buying them as I thought (and still think) that a dyslexic, dyspraxic, dysphasic, 7 year old could do better |
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| A piece we picked up in France |
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| From m'son's room.. He really likes coconuts au naturel |
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Now this last image is a bit shameful.
It was the first piece of "art" I ever bought.
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| Wings of Love |
I bought it (in Tenby in Wales) when I was pissed with some mates in the Army, and they all thought it was crap. But I thought it was fantastic.
I still keep it in a hidden place in the attic, and take it out from time to time, but I've never had it hanging on the walls of any house I've lived in.
My beloved also thinks it's crap.
*sigh*
Such is life.
I like your Australian art. For some reason, there's a museum of Australian Aboriginal art in Charlottesville, Virginia. We have crap art in our house, partly because my husband is attracted to hideous Buddhist mandalas.
ReplyDeleteThat's one advantage of living on your own. I can put anything up and there's no-one nagging me with unwanted art criticism.
ReplyDeleteMain thing I was going to say was though - saw some film of the floods an hour or so ago. Hope you don't need your wellies yet.
You could turn the attic into a mancave and hang it there!
ReplyDeleteWho would have known you had a more mellow side. Getting away from those kids does you no end of good!
ReplyDeleteLike the reading material too. One of my favourites.
And we all have lapses in good taste along the way - yours is a cracker!!
{shakes head and chuckles as he ambles off}
Patience_Crabstick: Actually, even though I don't understand the symbology the Aborigines use, I must admit thatthe designs are quite nice, in an abstract way.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that there would be an Australian Aboriginal Art museum in Virginia. How on earth did that occur?
My sympathies about the manadalas. Was your hubby a child of the flower-power age?
looby: My Beloved doesn't really object to any art, apart from the constant moans about dusting them. I don't hang the "Wings of Love" on our walls mostly because I'm a bit ashamed of my taste. it is a bit cheesy.
Thanks for your concern regarding the floods, but they're down in the South Island. Only about 150km south west of us, but that area has a different micro-climte from the south of the N. Island, usually hot and sunny. The floods were a bit of a shock. We're just encountering a mild drizzle, not the torrential downpours they're getting.
Mildred Ratched: Good idea. Unfortunately our attic is too small to even stand up in. However, my garage is my equivalent of a man-cave and i might hang it up there. Thanks for the suggestion.
Alistair: Of course I've got a mellow side. it normally comes to the fore after a few 'nippy sweeties", but i must admit, getting away from the kiddies is rather refreshing, as is getting away from Ringo.
I enjoyed the book, but I don't think it was as good as "Attack of the unsnkable rubber ducks, or "All fun and games until sombody loses an ey", which is I think his best work.
I still feel a bit ashamedat my loss of taste, but what can you do?
*ambles off into the twighlight grasping a large glass of whisky with a shamefaced grin*
I like your son's early painting. It is quite expressionistic. I also like the painting you bought in France.
ReplyDeleteLoach of Chicago: I like m'son's artwork as well, and i agree it is expressionistic. I like to think it expresses, filial love, familial love and yet with a broad streak of the bloody-mindedness essential to the male psyche.
ReplyDeleteI should also point out that I forgot to say the french painting was a print (Le liseuse sur la rive), as the original was by Corot, and probably worth about $5,000,000
re that first piece of art you bought it reminds me of the famous saying attributed to P.T. Barnum.
ReplyDeleteTC: If you're referring to that glorious masterpiece know as "The Wings of Love", then you're probably correct.
ReplyDeleteI was a mug.
But I still, in some small shameful way, think it's nice.