Freedomain Radio

I was looking around my apartment tonight, and I wondered what the art in my home might say about me.  Here are the pieces I currently have hanging on my walls, and a couple that I have on order... What do you think?  Does my art tell a story?  If so, what is it?

This next one's huge... about 6 feet wide: 

 

These are on order...

 

 

   this is fun - for your entertainment

 solitude.../ decor choice.

 the top two were readily available and fit your room decor. they were massed produced. If you look at the image on the bottom, it shows two servants warding of the elements so that the two privileged might dance out of the rain.  ...at first it's romantic but looking further...selfish and materialistic - perhaps you've grown.?????

on first look this one with the rock formations is cold and appears isolated...but it's solid and calm. Perhaps you are looking at the subject of beauty differently, or have a renewed respect for nature and the extreme.

 your looking to higher thought...either your carrying the weight of the world or a fan of civilization and architecture.

 this looks like something you may have made your self -the eternal flame burns bright - I am sure it signifies your interest in philosophy and ones own power....??

 

 not sure about these two, they are originals?  appreciation for natural beauty  ..something is blossoming and your decor is definitely changing........  

 

to add: you have become more selective....and are thinking about what the artwork represents ... to you!

Rod, what was the emotional stimulus for each of these pieces, when you bought them? What about each one appealed to you, in the moment you chose them?

Perhaps in that, is the story you're looking for...

 

I would say symmetry.  Regardless of what the subjects are they have the same form of vertical symmetry (except the rocks; the eye is anturally drawn to the horizontal symmetry of the closest ones).  There is also the idea of a lone subject(s) surrounded/placed in an alien landscape - or solitude

Thanks for the interesting responses, everyone! 

Greg's response is very close to what I was thinking about when I first thought of this post...

Greg Gauthier:

Rod, what was the emotional stimulus for each of these pieces, when you bought them? What about each one appealed to you, in the moment you chose them?

Perhaps in that, is the story you're looking for...

The first pieces are a little out of order.  The one titled "The Singing Butler" (the one with the umbrellas) is the oldest of these pieces.  I bought it in late 2005, right around the time that I moved into a new apartment with a room mate, after several years of living alone.  Around this time, I was having a lot of trouble with romantic relationships.  I had earlier that year broken up with a girlfriend of 3.5 years.  I then had a "fling" with an older woman (she picked me up in a bar ), which I think was a way of "getting back" at the ex.  I ended up rejecting her when she started showing signs of really liking me.  And then I had a horrendously embarrassing rebound relationship with a former co-worker, wherein I replayed the rejection of the long relationship which had ended earlier that year.  I was batting 1.000 on train-wreck relationships for a while.

Uggachucka was spot-on with the read on the selfishness, I think.  That's actually what got me started on this reverie.  After today's call-in show (awesome, BTW), I turned to that piece of art, and it suddenly looked different than it had before.  I used to be drawn to it... I couldn't figure out why, but it held a mysterious allure to me.  Now it feels somehow cruel.  In this new context, the article linked through the title above is quite chilling.

 
All of the other pieces are new; I've purchased them for my new apartment.  Ugga was right again about the subway one (entitled "Temple").  It perfectly complements the color scheme of my sofa and barstools.

The "Atlas" piece hangs behind me in my home office (actually a "dining room" off the kitchen).

The "Archipelago" piece hangs in my bedroom, opposite my bed, so I can see it while lying down.

I think they're all pretty interesting, in that they appear quiet and calm (as I like to be), but show also power or grandiosity.  The subway is all about velocity, and yet here is a woman standing in front of one, engrossed in a book.  Atlas carries the world, while behind him, the GE (née RCA) Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (a beautiful art deco skyscraper) vaults to the sky -- a marvel of modern architecture (I have a strong interest in architecture).  The archipelago is calm and serene, but huge in scale (it literally fills a wall next to a window).  It soothes me as I lie in bed, but also sometimes evokes a feeling of loneliness.

It would be interesting to know what all of these pieces are saying to people who visit my apartment.  I'm starting to wonder if I should sell the butler piece, since it seems to have lost its allure to me, and I don't think I want it representing my aesthetic taste anymore.
 

The last two pieces are from a site full of really bizarre and disturbing images and toys, but these stood out as more benign and appealing.  Still Life Flame is interesting in that the flame appears to be almost liquid.  It represents invention to me... I had planed to hang it in my office, but Atlas took its place before it could show up.

I'm getting Spring Trees only because the vendor screwed up and delayed my order on the other piece, and ended up offering me store credit for the full price of the piece.  It pays to be gracious to people when they're apologizing to you.    I'm glad I'm getting it, though, because I like
 how it represents new growth from an already-established body.  It's like how I feel about my new life with philosophy.

 

This was a fun exercise.  I think I've learned something about myself.  What do you think?  

Cooper MacLean:

I would say symmetry.  Regardless of what the subjects are they have the same form of vertical symmetry (except the rocks; the eye is anturally drawn to the horizontal symmetry of the closest ones).  There is also the idea of a lone subject(s) surrounded/placed in an alien landscape - or solitude

Yes, symmetry does seem to feature prominently in the art.  I've always had a slight obsessive-compulsive attraction to symmetry and balance.  Good catch!  I hadn't thought of that before!

It indicates to me a mind that looks for patterns and order in the chaos.

I was nearly off to lala land...and had to come back to reply to this post. That was fun, and it might be a fun exercise for allot of us to do. for some reason I was sad when you mentioned selling the butler painting.  I don't think the butler represents who you are rather in part "where you were at"?  It's also a reminder of how far you come . I have always loved the balance color and block of red in  that painting with out really looking at the subject matter. Perhaps have Stef put it in the how to meet a nice girl series-because it really amplifies what he is saying in part about shallowness and beauty.(though I don't wholeheartedly agree) ie:..yes at first glance it's beautiful yet on closer inspection_____) Anyway it's late - I am trying to say (yawn)  that art like a good book or fdr forum is a stimulus for conversation. If your next date has a lag in conversation - it might be fun to ask her what she sees or help her see it.   thanks for taking the time on the reply....and for validating everyones observations - very giving of you 

UGGACHUCKA:

If your next date has a lag in conversation - it might be fun to ask her what she sees.

That's an excellent idea!  I doubt that I'd have thought of that.

Now, to find that date! 

thanks for taking the time on the reply....and for validating everyones observations - very giving of you

My pleasure.  Thanks for taking part in the thread!

I would like to add that there is a tranquility or simplicity as opposed to chaos in these pieces.  Also every piece is of something real and tangible.

To me the art is depicting various moods or emotions and sometimes contrasting them, but the emotions depicted seem different for each one, almost like a sequential study of the various thoughts and feelings that make people who they are.  What I'm not sure about is whether this study is all about you, which is my guess, or if it is for exploring and understanding the world around you.

Fascinating. At the start we can see the first 2 are narative painting where you can tell a story.

A guy, alone waiting in the subway..  The light is vivid and dynamic.

2 individuals enjoying themselves while the wind seem to disturb only the servants. Contrary to the first one, it is in a wide open space. What seem to glue the scene together are the social relationship between the individual.

This next one's huge... about 6 feet wide: 

Now we see wide open space but no more stories. Enjoy nature by what it is.

 

Then we return in a urban setting without stories either. It is about a building and a statue in front. With an neat perspective. ( Altas Shrugged reference..thank Mattk)

 

Now we return in painting but the story is about colors competing on a 2D universe. We see the painting for what it is, a bunch of color that make us believe it is a flame but it isn`t a flame.

 

 

This one is very interesting. We see a duality between 2 trees with the color contrast between the white and purple. It neither symetry neither exact oposite. Big roots and trunk and the other with thiner trunk. Only the background stay the same. I can see the painter have a strong understanding of color theory and spacial composition

If you can tell us want happen in your life when you bought those picture. I`m sure we can see a direct link with how you enjoy art with how you understand the world and yourself.

 

...I`ll keep editing....

 

 

This statue or something similar is used as a cover for Altas Shrugged, dunno if that helps.



 

Brian Heller:

I would like to add that there is a tranquility or simplicity as opposed to chaos in these pieces.  Also every piece is of something real and tangible.

To me the art is depicting various moods or emotions and sometimes contrasting them, but the emotions depicted seem different for each one, almost like a sequential study of the various thoughts and feelings that make people who they are.  What I'm not sure about is whether this study is all about you, which is my guess, or if it is for exploring and understanding the world around you.

I think it is all about me...  What's interesting to me is that I picked out the butler piece before my FDR days, and it's very different than the rest.

I have another interesting piece I bought a while back (2000, I think), depicting Pygmalion and Galatea.  I haven't hung this one up in my new place, yet.  This one also tells a lot about my relationship with women.  The Wikipedia article on the legend is worth a read... check out the movie references.

I wonder what it says about a person if they have nothing on their walls. I have one digital clock. That's it. Not even any photographs (I particularly dislike photograph montages).