Colour Painting

We were given small brightly coloured foam shapes and had to arrange them into a composition to paint however, we were not allowed to use white or black.
I found this painting really enjoyable since we hadn't really worked in colour before though it was slightly challenging in trying to achieve a painting that didn't look so simplistic.

Some examples of paintings using vibrant colours:

James Elkins: A Short Course in Forgetting Chemistry

Elkin believes painting to be distinctive in that it is something which can never be taught or learned, but rather it is something almost innate, something the artist can do instinctively. He believes it to be like alchemy – the production of a substance which no formula can describe. I agree with the idea that you can’t be taught how to paint. Clearly you can be shown different techniques of applying paint and informed about the properties of different paint, but how to actually create a painting is inevitably something that comes from within oneself. To combine what is painted with how it is painted so they become indivisible is to create something other than the chosen subject - a work in itself. Monet seemed to be more concerned with the process painting, the making of marks than creating a likeness to his subjects. The relationship between an artist and their materials is one that is so individual and unique, one that cannot be shared or replicated by another. The artist handles the materials, the paintbrush, the palette knife, the paints in a way that is comfortable to them, a way that is their own. There is a definite direct connection between what the artist sees in their mind - what they want to create - and the paintbrush in their hand.

Chaim Soutine: Side of Beef & Calf’s Head

This painting is certainly not one that I would choose to hang in my living room or any room in my house for that matter. I do not find it aesthetically pleasing however, I do find it is a very strong painting and I do like the texture of it. Everything about it is striking – the intense colours, the subject matter, the way in which it is painted. There is an almost grotesque air about the painting and when looking at it, there appear to be feelings of anger and possibly rage taken from the use of reds, yellows and oranges against the contrasting dark background. I don’t feel this painting relates to my own ideas about painting, the only qualities which I do admire in it are the thick texture and use of intense colours.
I feel that I’m always attracted to paintings which make use of vibrant colours specifically reds and purples, therefore I tend to use these colours in my own paintings. I also take interest in texture as I feel it adds a sense of depth and three-dimensional quality to paintings, making me want to touch them.
I had an idea that the painting was done on quite a large scale, this was taken from the assumed scale of the subject matter, quality of the brushstrokes, and how there doesn’t appear to be a lot of detail but rather areas of colour.
I think scale is an important factor in appreciating a painting – the larger the painting the more of an impact it creates. An extremely large painting can encapsulate you, surround you and really draw you into it which I feel you don’t get from a small painting. However, you can sometimes lose what the subject of the painting is when it is on such a grand scale.

Other examples of Soutine's work which I find more appealing:

The Man In Prayer Glaieuls Rouges
Carcass of Beef

Caravaggio

I feel Caravaggio is portrayed as an extremely passionate yet somewhat aggressive artist. He appeared to have a certain sense of power once he became more known to the public, and at points he seemed almost arrogant and self-conceited.
It was apparent that Caravaggio's life was centred around art, that his life was ruled by his paintings. And I agree that a true artist's life should be governed by their art, if it's what they're passionate about then it should be apparent in every aspect of their life.
The quality of Jarmen's film was reflective of Caravaggio's style - the acting was dramatic, the characters dark and somber, and the lighting was at times extremely dull and obscured and this I feel made the film look like a Caravaggio painting itself.

Examples of his work:

Judith Beheading Holofernes

Self-portrait as Sick Bacchus St.Matthew & the Angel

The Cardsharps (I Bari)

The Rest on the Flight to Egypt

Collings: The Inner Life of Painting

Collings feels that the art of today has no connection to the past ‘in any real way’ implying that art has transcended into a sort of new realm where paintings have no real meaning anymore, no symbolism and no connection or likeness to existing matter. I don’t agree that art today is mostly ‘visually boring’, I simply think a new approach towards art has developed and the traditional process and ‘purpose’ of painting is fading.
What attracts me to painting is the ability to create something visually enticing from your imagination, by manipulating something, or seeing and showing the beauty in ordinary objects.
Painting is something which comes from within, something which only the artist can decide on - every mark, every detail is their decision. It is their own unique touch created by them and only them. I feel that you can get lost in a painting, in both creating one and simply looking at one. A painting can evoke emotions, feelings, sensations, memories. It can create a mood, an atmosphere, express an opinion. It can impress, stimulate, clarify an idea, inspire and move you unlike anything else.

Films: Peter Greenaway & Jean-Luc Godard

The films were an insight into the minds of other artists and their personal take on painting. As with many works of art, they were at moments seemingly confusing and hard to interpret, yet I found them intriguing and somewhat perplexing in a good sense.
To make a film about painting would be highly personal and would involve my personal experiences with art, examples of pieces that I feel are successful or that I enjoyed immensely painting, and possibly what I’ve learned (and am learning) about art. I do however believe it would be reasonably difficult to put across, or put into words, the feeling you get from creating a painting, or why you’ve painted something in a particular way, and this I believe is a reaction shared by many artists.

John Berger: Once in a Painting

Painting is said to capture or preserve a moment in time, yet it is apparent that this is more true of a photograph than a painting. A painting is a static image of what the painter sees before them, or how they interpret what is before them. It is a combination between reality and the imagination of the artist. There is a distinct connection in a painting between the subject and how the artist wants that subject to be portrayed. In relation to life, an artist can take an ordinary every-day object and make it into anything they desire.
The possibilities within and around art are endless - the ability to create something out of nothing, to change the seemingly unchangeable, and create a world unlike our own.
I feel it is only possible to portray the most significant characteristics of a subject in a painting as your perception of it is constantly changing. By depicting what you consider to be the most striking aspects of a subject at any specific moment (whether these change throughout your progressing work) you are capturing what you feel illustrate your subject at its best, and therefore overcome the relationship of permanence to transience.
In my experience, a painting is finished when the artist feels they have accomplished a perfect balance throughout the painting. It must “feel” right to the artist, independent of what others may think. It doesn’t necessarily need to show a likeness of an already existing subject, it doesn’t necessarily need to serve a purpose, or symbolise your inner emotions. It can simply be the result of an urge or impulse to create.