Monday, January 3, 2011

Monday History

Ralph Goings
Still Life with Creamer (1982)
Oil on Canvas, 38" x 52"

Ralph Goings is one of the founding members of the Photo-Realist art movement (1960s), known for their hyper-realistic paintings of everyday life.  I chose this for his rendering of metallic objects, something that requires a heightened sense of observation to pull off.  Ask yourself this - how much "gray" is actually used in pulling off the illusion of a metallic surface?  The key is in the reflections that are distorted by the form of the object.  

Most of us can't achieve this level of realism in our work, but remember that most who value art would consider this kind of technical work unnecessary.  With that said, as a student of drawing & painting - paintings like this are the stars that you should be reaching for.  Having skill like this would permit you to break any rule that exists in the art world.

Happy New Year!

2 comments:

  1. This is an awesome piece I love the ketchup <3

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  2. This piece is amazing, the reflections look very real and it shows an obvious light sourse which adds to the extreme realism. (JoAnna Holroyd)

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