We are a part of nature bestowed miraculously with imagination. Dreaming, inventing, and transforming are the unique values that drive the true Artist, not copying but imaginatively creating.
I have heard Lucian Freud and Antonio Lopez Garcia individually referred to as the best living realists, but I think realism in this example becomes subjective. Certainly Garcia is an exacting realist and Freud can capture the real honesty of his subjects' character. Shanks is phenomenal at capturing light and character, proportion... I believe he too is the best living realist. Shanks reminds me a great deal of Daniel Sprick... Brilliant! This is great thank you!
Shanks doesn't see the difference between Realism and Naturalism (and he is not realist as he claims). He is successful commercial artist and nothing else. His style is closer to photography (and that's what philistines prefer). Just compare him to Van Eyck, Titian, English portraits of 18 century, Goya and best works by Valentin Serov. To start with, Shanks models are NOT interesting as personalities. Or maybe HE doesn't find them interesting. As a result his portraits are just dry documents and nothing else. Go and see at least some early American portraits and realize what REAL portraits are.
We are a part of nature bestowed miraculously with imagination. Dreaming, inventing, and transforming are the unique values that drive the true Artist, not copying but imaginatively creating.
I have heard Lucian Freud and Antonio Lopez Garcia individually referred to as the best living realists, but I think realism in this example becomes subjective. Certainly Garcia is an exacting realist and Freud can capture the real honesty of his subjects' character. Shanks is phenomenal at capturing light and character, proportion... I believe he too is the best living realist.
Shanks reminds me a great deal of Daniel Sprick... Brilliant!
This is great thank you!
The objective of art is to make the viewer think , feel , so are we doing this with realist painting styles of the past ?
i really agree with u on that....nicely put words :)
Excellency
Shanks doesn't see the difference between Realism and Naturalism (and he is not realist as he claims). He is successful commercial artist and nothing else. His style is closer to photography (and that's what philistines prefer). Just compare him to Van Eyck, Titian, English portraits of 18 century, Goya and best works by Valentin Serov. To start with, Shanks models are NOT interesting as personalities. Or maybe HE doesn't find them interesting. As a result his portraits are just dry documents and nothing else. Go and see at least some early American portraits and realize what REAL portraits are.
Let's see your paintings.
Very well put, Misha.