The salon where I get my hair cut hosts a couple new artists each month. I see their paintings in the mirror and next to the coffee machines, by the desk when I pay, and on a wall facing the sinks. Getting a haircut is like entering an art gallery. A good art gallery.
The person who chooses the artists does a good job. But, as in any collection of paintings, some will be better than others. Or rather, some will suit my taste more than others.
At my last appointment, while Lindsey was cutting my hair and we were discussing her spring trip and my family news, the large painting behind me reflected in my mirror next to my own reflection. I liked it … I think. I can’t remember it clearly now. The painting I do remember, though, was on the wall beside the window. That one I didn’t like.
Or rather, I questioned the artist’s choices. It was a painting of four people standing side by side. Not actual people, just a line up of four sets of very long thin legs with forgettable torsos and arms and tiny round heads with no features at all. (Lindsey didn’t like it either.)
My question: What was the artist trying to say? Why did she choose this line-up of anonymous figures as the subject of her painting?
In the local art galleries I visit, scenery, flowers, children and animals are favorite subjects. It makes sense that out of all the possible subjects, the artist would choose something beautiful or personally meaningful.
Not always, of course. It you were Picasso, you might paint the great anti-war painting, Guernica. Or if were Edvard Munch, you might paint The Scream (1893) as a symbol of existential dread.
Did the artist at the salon have a message and I just didn’t catch it? I always wonder why an artist chooses the subject he does.
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All the pictures in this post are from the walls of my house. I choose beauty.
This Ukrainian artist chose not to paint a war scene but a lovely view of the Carpathian Mountains.
Even before I realised it was your work, the Bali rice fields caught my eye – I’d love to have something that beautiful on my walls. Those years of study were so well worth it Nicki – you have such a talent.
Art works which I admire in a gallery are seldom items I’d want to live with on my walls. That said, the art I now have on my walls is different to those items I chose in my 20s & 30s. As you say, there could’ve been some form of message in that piece in your hair salon’s wall, or it may’ve just been about shadow and shape. Perhaps the artist wrote about it at the time, but the legend wasn’t displayed with the work.
I don’t think my taste in art has changed; it’s just expanded. I still like some of the same paintings I liked long ago.
I’d hate to think that the painting on the salon’s wall illustrated the artist had such an aloof attitude toward people that she would paint them faceless. I think you’re right, though. It was probably just a painting about shapes and colors.
The first and last paintings – your paintings. They look stunning. Didn’t know you painted. It really is a wonder isn’t it, what’s behind an artist’s creations, the choice of scene, people, colour and all that. The faceless heads are interesting – maybe the artist didn’t want people focusing on faces. Or you could ascribe any emotion to them. It’s funny how that art caught your attention and you remember it unlike the other one you really like. It made an impression.
When we moved to the Philippines, a very accomplished art teacher who had studied in Shanghai when he was younger was offering Chinese brush painting classes nearby. I studied with Prof. Chen Bing Sun for 7 or 8 years.
I always wonder why a subject is chosen for a painting. Chinese brush paintings are most often about nature. Even when people are included in a landscape, they are small in comparison to nature. There was a time when Western painters chose scenes from the bible. The subject for the painting, The Scarf, seems to have been chosen for the beauty of Balinese dance and the restful subtlety of the woman’s pose and the interplay of colors. If the painting I didn’t like had a meaning, I’m afraid it might have been a critique of society.
That’s a fascinating take on paintings. The inspiration behind a painting and why a subject is chosen can surprise you – and it’s when it’s meaning becomes deeper. Now that you mention it, I can see the Balinese influence in The Scarf.
Your paintings are stellar, Nicki. I especially like the colors and composition of the bottom one.
You’ve piqued my curiosity about the quartet of long legged faceless folks you saw hanging in the salon. 😀
I like your own selections. Never mind the other one
I like your paintings. I have a few in my house that were gifts, but I also have a gorgeous photo that my husband’s uncle took in China that we had blown up and framed. It kind of looks like a painting.
My painting of the Bali rice terraces was from a photo I took on a trip to Bali. It was one of my favorite trips. Bali is such a beautiful and artistic country. My friend and I took advantage of an amazingly cheap tour. It was in the early 1970s when Bali was trying to get their tourism industry started.
Beautiful story, beautifully written and lovely look at your own chosen artwork. I do enjoy your articles very much. Thank you for sharing. 😊
Thank you, Annie. I bought the painting of the girl with the chicken at Cole Gallery in Edmonds. Michael Maczuga’s favorite topic is children. I bought “The Scarf” at the Edmonds Saturday market. According to the artist, the subject is a Balinese dancer at rest. Darlene Gentry Lucas is a master of soft, serene colors.
Love your painting! As for the painting you saw at the salon, I have no idea what that image means. My guess would be people are spread too thin, since they have long thin legs.
My guess has something to do with the lack of individuality. Although I suspect it’s more like a design of geometric shapes.
We have similar tastes. I love the one you did. I have one original Chinese painting and one repro from the NYC Met. Love them both.
I took up Chinese brush painting because it was a class that was offered in a nearby building. Many of us ladies stayed with the class for years. The professor was very serious about his art and very traditional. Some fifty years later, two of those women are still painting and now teaching. I see their art on Facebook.