Art as Beauty

This month I met a wonderful art teacher, Semyon Bilmes, whom comes from the old school of classical painting and Russian Realism. It was so refreshing to discuss with him the current values of modern art and in where contemporary art has taken center stage with its new subjective truths of what art really is about. We both hold by the old art school values, and agreed that true art is when ours eyes are bathing in the delight of harmony and beauty, verses the current modern approach to art in museums or contemporary art galleries. Today we often see art displayed conceptually, or even devoid of any beauty or created with minor work or effort, yet its called art.

Can one just exhibit any thing, even if overly intellectually digested, if the art piece/installation is not beautiful to our eyes, being and soul? Basically, do we leave the museum enriched and fulfilled? Some installations are of course brilliant and visually pleasing, but those are usually done by artist whom have had a good training and background in the field. To me, Art as Beauty, is paramount for evaluating art pieces.

Semyon Bilmes also inspired me to work on a few illustrations, still in progress. It’s rewarding to be fine tuning my art pieces, in order to make them print ready and available to sell in stores and online.

Usually, I love using my hands and the bigger arm movements for my oil painting work at the easel, but as for my illustrations, its also nice to sit down peacefully at my drawing desk and have a more focused attention. A times, I use multi media computer programs to enhance them, this way it brings the work to another level, yet it does not loose the feeling of the hand crafted touch.

These days I am completing few series, one of them being Couples and Shabbat Candle lighting... I love it, as these images make the invitation to enter into a shabbat space more romantic. See my other blog on the topic of Shabbat and why everyone could use taking one day off from one’s routine life. In this post I include other images of couples i have done in oil or in mixed media. The featured illustration Couple in the Moon you can also see  at my gallery.

What can be better in life, then art, love and shabbat?

thanks for reading my blog, and for more visual delight you are welcome to visit my Art Gallery online.