First Post, Yaaaay!

     Well, here we are, with my first blog post regarding the art of the 60s and 70s.  First, I feel I should make a small note regarding a change to the format of the blog.  Instead of sticking with themes in terms of artistic movements, I'm going to simply pick one piece from each year of both decades.

     So, without further ado, allow me to introduce our first piece!  Starting in 1960:

Sorry about the watermark, folks.  This isn't the most readily available painting on the net

     This piece is entitled "Les Cornes Du Desir," or "The Horns of Desire."  The artist is Rene Magritte.  Now, you may recognize the name, or even the style, if you're extra fancy.  Magritte is most famous for this work:

I wonder if he's ever gotten hungry with that apple in front of him all the time?

     "The Horns of Desire" is from a period of Magritte's career defined as the "Mature" period, that began officially in 1949.  Prior to this period, Magritte had briefly forayed into surrealism during his "Vache" period.  

La Belle Captive (The Fair Captive), 1947.  A demonstration of Magritte's attempt at surrealism.
Opinions vary, I'm sure, but I'm not a fan.

     His "Mature" period can be viewed as a return to, and a polishing of the style Magritte had introduced during his "Sunlit" period.  The style is still very much present: the majority of the piece is based in realism, but the almost dull aesthetic of the piece is offset by various elements of surrealism, often in favor of some form of symbolism. 

L'Aiguinon (The Goad), 1943.  A woman with a devil tail.  Case in point. 

     So somehow, Magritte's foray into surrealism actually made his previous style cleaner and crisper, with much more solid brush strokes, more minute details, and sharper edges.

My Opinion

     I personally love "Les Cornes Du Desir," and in fact have been a passive fan of Magritte's for a while now.  In fact, his style really reflects a lot of my own personal tastes.  When I was young, I started out wanting to be entirely realistic in my drawing style.  When I realized that that wasn't my thing, I moved into more cartoony and surreal territories.  However, my roots remained ingrained in realism, and that's a lot of what Magritte's style has going on that makes it so unique.

     His use of stilted, static images really emphasizes the off-kilter nature of the elements of surrealism in his paintings.  Overall, I'd say Magritte is definitely an artist to learn more about.

     I know I may have cheated a bit by including him here, since the 60s weren't really his time period, but I figured I should start with something I'm familiar with.

So, that's one entry in the can, and at least 19 more to go!  I hope you've enjoyed reading and learning just as much as I've enjoyed writing :)

-Bryan S.