Art for art's sake

'Ipad', not phone, bloody predictive text!

So Norberry, I'd love to know what will be gracing the walls of your new abode. What art do you like?  Rainie x

Monet, the water lily man, went to see his garden, that was something special.

LS Lowry, a northerner but a decent chap, did a fine dog.

Of course  .... Banksy.

Have I gone down in your estimation or up. Probably not possible to go down, I'm in the basement already.

What's important about the art a person likes in their home is the fact that THEY like it. And that it gives them pleasure to look at it. It doesn't matter if something is fashionable or judged by others to be somehow better than that of others. My favourite impressionist is Pierre Bonnard. His use of colour appeals to me even more than Monet. Have a look at his domestic scenes and views through windows. I particularly like the ones he did of his wife in the bath. Did a bath ever look so luscious? 

 'Nude in the Bath, with small dog'  Pierre Bonnard

I appreciate that Lowry painted the life lived in the Salford area, and by definition that was an industrial landscape with a muted colour palette. That's why it doesn't appeal to me personally as I find it depressing to look at. I always found the light in the North a bit of a downer, which is why I spent every opportunity by an ocean.

So fill up those new walls and enjoy. Rainie x

I do like that picture Rainie, I like all impressionism really. We did used to go to exhibitions and galleries but then life got in the way!

Although my wife was the motivator in these matters, I did find myself liking more and more pictures, the odder the better. I do remember trying to convince the Tate Modern curator that the unmade bed was not art and a complete waste of time.

Of course he was exactly like you, he loved an opportunity for debate and to alter someone's perceptions.

He was such a nice man, not only could I not argue with him but he did change my mind to a fair degree.

I can be easily swayed on any subject by the last person to speak, there must be a medical term for that other than 'easily impressed 

I know what you mean about the unmade bed. Ditto the bucket of dirty nappies, the pile of old bricks etc. The one that I felt took the biscuit in many ways was the group who put forward a proposal for funding using the currently required flim-flam and when the money from the Arts Council was awarded, they all went off on holiday, got kaylined every night and then the exhibition at the end of it was a montage of all their holiday snaps. Cheeky - but what could they say? So although 'installations' can often leave me cold, some are absolutely wonderful. I just think of it as part and parcel of pushing boundaries. Well, it used to be. It sort of has its place. Trouble is, the playing field isn't even.

The vast bulk of talent out there goes unrecognised by the funding bodies. Most of the artists I know don't ever waste their time filling in an application for funding to do a project. It's a total waste of effort: so many boxes to tick and none of us would fit the criteria nowadays. So we all just get on with it and make our art our way and if people like it, fine. If they don't, that's fine too.  Little opinion piece over.  Rainie x

Blimey Rainie, how on earth did you vent that much spleen without one. I didn't know about the group making off with the dosh and spending it, they have genuinely got my vote to expose such stupidity.

Well, you've got me thinking as always, my lazy brain as my Mum described it does need some flushing out now and again! Xx

Do like Pierre Bonnard. Every painting has some animal in it or something to spot. Her indoors likes him as well. Could happily have his stuff on every wall.

Hi Norberry & Rainieday, I love Bonnards art! The words you are looking for Norb aren't " easily impressed " but just one word Gullable! Lol! No one could ever persuade me an unmade bed is art as that would mean our son had been an artist since he was about 7!

Lovely painting especially the use of colour and feeling x