The Younger Victor Muller: Timeless Art

 

 

 

Sometime ago, I saw the art of Victor Muller and noted that he might be the subject of a future art blog. Well, the time had come and I opened a search. I was curious as to why his art didn't look anything like what I had expected. Turns out that the name is a bit common. 

There's a businessman as well as an artist by that name. Victor Muller, the artist, was born in 1829 Germany and the Victor Muller, the artist I was researching, was born in 1976 Netherlands - quite a difference - as is their art.

Present-day Muller received his MFA from the Willem de Kooning Academy. His art is influenced by many of the old masters, such as: Vermeer, Fra Angelico and, most of all, Giovanni Bellini. Yet, he has distilled his own subjects and signatures works.

 

Interestingly, he often combines landscape backgrounds with still life foregrounds. He does this to create a "timeless atmosphere." It also seems to create a sense of surrealism where not only time, but also movement don't exist.

 

This blog is a sampling of his works with variations on his masterly works that are collected all over the world.

Rob Gonsalves: His World of Magic Realism

So interesting to find an artist who combined Dali, Magritte and a bit of Escher into his own unique style. Rob Gonsalves, (1959-2017) did it and his works are immediately identifiable.

 

Some refer to his works as "surreal," but he felt they were more about "magic realism." The definition of the latter being "creating a realistic view of the world while adding magic elements." (It's often used in literature by writers such as Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.)

 

 

 

 

In any case, Gonsalves came to art as a child preferring to draw and paint over any other activity. He especially enjoyed drawing fantastical architecture. This interest would lead to a degree in architecture and work as not only an architect, but also as a trompe l'oeil muralist including stage scenes.

 In 1990, after the enthusiastic reception of his paintings at the Toronto Outdoor Art Festival, he decided to making painting his full-time occupation. It was a good choice as Gonsalves had successful shows throughout the United States and was represented by several galleries.

 His fame continue to grow and led to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, publishing his first book, "Imagine the Night." It was so successful that the publisher would publish his second book, "Imagine a Day." These were followed by, "Imagine a Place" and "Imagine a World."

 

 

In a life that seemed magically full of every success an artist could want, Gonsalves lived with a

 darkness that was unimaginable and perhaps, painful. He chose to leave 167 paintings and the books for all of us to enjoy the magic, but for him, he couldn't withstand the grasp of something overpowering.

Defining the Art of Valeri Tsenov

You may have noticed that recent blogs have been more about contemporary artists. This blog is to introduce  Valeri Tsenov (1961-).

Tsenov is a Bulgarian artist who studied painting, illustration, book design and graphics in his native country. His art reflects the influence of his homeland and his art education.

As I thought about Tsenov's work, I was struck with how many ways I could describe his style and his technique. Yes, there are the details of an illustrator and a certain classicism. Yet, his subjects reflect an inner world that at times can be surreal or iconic, mythic or modern, and symbolic or literal. How to define Tsenov?

You be the judge. What do you notice when you look at his works?

Michal Trpák and The Human Condition

Recently, I came upon a young Czech artist who is creating very original art. His name is Michal Trpák (1982-). His academic credentials are impeccable. He studied under Master sculptors and graduated from the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design. His internships were in such far flung parts of the world as Korea, Finland and Canada.

Through all his studies, he has distilled an original style of art works mainly depicting the human form and cultural conditions in a surrealistic manner. This is the first of his works that introduced me to his art:

"Escape into Reality" (2008)

Trpák's sculptural commentaries on the human condition were featured in an exhibit at a civic building in the Czech Republic. "Slightly Uncertain" (2012)


"Stage of Fascination" (2009)


"On the Waves of DNA" (2012)

"Thinkers" (2010)


You can see more of his works at: www.michaltrak.com.  Be sure to watch the opening intro. It's fun and worth it!

Magritte: "Son of Man" and More

The blog today is about the surrealist, Rene Magritte (1898-1967). Even if you're not familiar with his body of work, I bet you've seen his famous "Son of Man" shown here on the left. It's been featured in ads as well as movies such as "The Thomas Crown Affair." In spite of the fame of this piece, most of us know almost nothing about him.

Magritte's upbringing was a difficult one. He was a Belgian native whose father was often down on his luck. Finances caused the family to move frequently. Magritte's early trials were made emotionally harder by his mother's many suicide attempts. She finally drowned herself when Magritte was 13 years old. (Legend has it that when she was found her dress was covering her face and that it led to the many faceless or cloth-covered faces in Magritte's paintings.)

When Magritte was 18, he went to the Academy of Art and studied for two years. He found the classic training boring and soon began to experiment with other techniques. Throughout his life, whenever he decided to investigate other styles, he'd always return to Surrealism.

Magritte didn't like to have realistic definitions given to the objects in his paintings. However, since "surreal" is a dreamlike or subconscious state, what do you think he's portraying in his paintings?

"LOVERS"

"GOLCONDE" (Goldone=a once great city in India now in ruins)

"PERSONAL VALUES"

"BIG FAMILY"

"PRESENCE OF MIND"

The Barefoot Artist Has Died

M. F.Husain (Maqbool Fida Husain) died a little over a week ago at age 95. An artist of Indian origin, he was often referred to as the "Picasso of India."

Husain was also known for his eccentricities. Even though his paintings sold for millions of dollars, he had no money in the bank. He wore tailored-made suits, but almost never wearing shoes and socks. (Hence he was also referred to as "The Barefoot Artist.")

Eccentricities aside, Husain was a highly-talented artist leaving a legacy as a painter, printer, film maker and photographer.

In the 1940s, he was a member of a progressive art group who broke away from traditional forms of Indian art movements. Husain developed his own forms of Cubism, Surrealism, and Impressionism.

In the 1970s, Husain created art based on the Hindu deities showing them nude or in sexually suggestive poses. This would prove his undoing some 20 years later.

Although he was among the few artists to gain recognition and accolades in his lifetime, in the 1990s,he was criticized and sued for those works he had done in the 1970s. Given the laws of India, where a lawsuit can be brought for "hurting sentiments of people," he felt he had no choice but to leave his homeland.

Husain died in London having never set his bare feet again on India's soil.

He was a very prolific painter with a long life, below is a small sampling of his works.

About Domenicos Theotocopoulos...

With a name like that, you might think I'm writing about another Greek friend. Not so. If he were a friend, he'd be about 400 years old. Actually, it was the Spaniards with their penchant for nicknames that referred to him as "El Greco," (the Greek).

El Greco (1541-1614)was born on the island of Crete and received extensive art training in both Venice and Rome. Later, he moved to Spain where he lived in Toledo until his death.

Art historians have had a hard time categorizing his style. Part Renaissance, mannerism, and expressionism in style, he is considered the precursor for cubism and impressionism. From what is historically known about him, it's more than likely that what he really was a man who did not live his life or art under the strictures of the times. In his art, he believed above all in freedom of style and is quoted as considering color more important than form.

His unique style meant that his work was not highly regarded in his lifetime. It would be another 300 years before his unusual amalgam of styles and fervor were recognized and appreciated.

One of the best known of his works is titled, "The Burial of Count Orgaz" shown below. (This is a very large painting - click image for detail.)


Here are a two more of his paintings. You can see the quality of his portraits and his ability with composition. The background on the right one seems to hint of surrealism. What do you think?