The Rebellious Curator

The Fighting Temeraire by Joseph Mallord William Turner 1839

Turner is said to have loved this painting more than all of his others, and called it his "darling". He also refused to ever sell it. The painting depicts a tug boat towing an old warship away for scrap. This was a real ship, and a true event that Turner witnessed. Although he watched the event take place, he didn't paint exactly what he saw. In the painting, he changed certain parts to make it more dramatic for the viewer. The old ship had actually lost its masts, but he painted them in and exaggerated the contrast between the tall ship and the short tug boat. And although it all happened in the morning, Turner wanted to depict an evening sunset to create the feeling of something coming to an end. 

JMW Turner was born in England in 1775 to a Barber's son, and his first works were exhibited in his dad's shop. After he became more famous, he decided to hide behind a false name, "Admiral Booth". Turner loved weather and he once tied himself to a ship's mast so he could accurately sketch a storm.

Spin Painting by Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst is a British artist who was part of the Young British Artists of the 1990's. Supposedly, one of the UK's wealthiest living artists and an influential collector. Classified as a Conceptual Artist, Hirst's varied art practice explores relationships between art, religion, science, life and death. His spin paintings were made by pouring thin paint on to a large spinning canvas. As the paint splashed down, the spinning motion forced the drips outward to create a pattern. Hirst said he was inspired to try this technique after watching a creative learning segment of a children's television program. Hirst was known to title his spin paintings with long, elaborate descriptive titles.  

"I always feel like the art's there and I just see it, so it's not really a lot of work." - Damien Hirst

Uh, ok Damien.

"When I was a younger man, art was a lonely thing. No galleries, no collectors, no critics, no money. Yet, it was a golden age. For we all had nothing to lose and a vision to gain. Today, it is not quite the same. It is a time of tons of verbiage, activity, and consumption. Which condition is better for the world at large, I shall not venture to discuss. But I do know, that many of those who are driven to this life are desperately searching for those pockets of silence where we can root and grow. We must all hope to find them." - Mark Rothko 

Nocturne in Black and Gold (The Falling Rocket) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler 1875

A dramatic fireworks display is depicted in this moody landscape, where smoke and trails of glowing sparks fill the evening sky. Parts of the painting are too out of focus to see any more details, but could depict people or buildings. The story goes, that this painting led to a bitter fight between Whistler and art critic John Ruskin. Ruskin strongly disliked the painting and accused Whistler of "flinging a pot of paint in the public's face." Ruskin believed the painting was rendered too messy and that not enough time was spent on details. In response, Whistler took Ruskin to court and demanded he pay for the insults. Whistler won the case and received a quarter penny for damages. He was so proud of his win that he wore the quarter penny on his waist chain until his death in 1902. 

Paul Klee was born in Switzerland in 1879. He was trained in violin and almost became a musician but chose instead to study art. He lived and worked in Germany until the Nazi's came into power in the 1930's. The Nazi's condemned much of the art that was being made at the time and banned whatever they deemed as corrupt. Klee's paintings were varied, and tended toward ideas and feelings, so his work was characterized as "degenerate". Klee returned to Switzerland and spent his last years painting large symbolic works about the sorrows of life until his death in 1940.

Lavender Mist by Jackson Pollock 1950

I'm pretty sure that I have talked about this painting before, but I think it bears writing about again since I  speak to so many people who dislike this style of work. 

This painting was created by New York Abstract Expressionist artist Jackson Pollock. The colours are blue, pink and grey overlaid with a tangle of black and white streaks of paint. The dense pattern creates a sense of energy and movement, but also evokes a quieting meditative feel. Those who have seen it in person claim that it vibrates with energy but has an unusual calming effect at the same time. Pollock painted this by laying a large canvas on the floor, then dipped brushes in paint, and flicked them on the canvas with large whole body gestural movements. He then dripped cans of paint, and splashed and splattered more layers of lines and streaks to create depth. Pollock was very deliberate with every streak and drip of paint and claimed, "there is no accident." I have attempted this technique by laying a canvas on the floor dripping streaks of paint, and I can attest that it is difficult to achieve a cohesive, pleasing composition. Pollock had a sophisticated sense of colour juxtaposition and a keen eye for relative composition that executed clean, sensible abstract imagery. 

Concentric Circles by Vassily Kandinsky 1913

Russian painter Vassily Kandinsky wanted to explore the effect of placing different colours next to each other to find out which colours stand out and which ones blend together. From this, he would decide how to balance colours in his work to create a bold attractive pattern. Kandinsky believed that colour could express feelings the same way music did, and even claimed that when he looked at colours, he heard musical notes. 

Kandinsky was born in Russia in 1866 into a musical family. He started off as a lawyer, but later took up painting as a full time profession. He was one of the first artists along with Cezanne and others, to develop abstract art. One day, when he found one of his paintings had toppled over - his direction in art changed forever. He could not see if his painting was up or down. Instead, he saw an arrangement of shapes and colours, and found that to be most interesting. That is abstract art!

Punchinello with a Guitar 1920

One of Picasso's colourful cubist style paintings of a clown named Punchinello (later known as Punch from Punch and Judy Puppet shows). Picasso loved the circus and attended one every week. He knew many of the performers well and is why we see so many clowns and acrobats in his work during this time. Picasso was born in Spain in 1881. His father was an art teacher and taught him how to draw before he could talk.