Pierre Bonnard was a French artist; he was working across the 19th and into the 20th century. His work consists of illustrations, painting, and print. He was known for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of colours. Bonnard's work was strongly influenced by the work of Paul gowan, Hokusai and other Japanese artists. He would paint landscapes, portraits, and intimate domestic scenes, where the painting style would usually take precedence over the subject. He had a talent for drawing and the use of water colours and would sit in the garden frequently, to paint his parents' country house. When Bonnard paints he captures moments in his subjects' lives where they feel that they are unobserved, like they forget he is there. He would paint still life of either people or landscapes that would capture a moment of commonplace activities. In his paintings he would express the texture of things through the variations of color that he uses. Bonnard was interested in taking apart the difference between high art and decorative art. He did not feel obliged to replicate what was in front of him and would intensify the colour of his work to pull something that the viewer would not normally see. 

 What I think about this artist's work is that it is extremely colourful and seems to complement his work.  He sometimes shifts the subject of work. The vast range of colour he puts on the canvas is fascinating and how it encapsulates his work.  The way the artist paints the landscape feels to me very free and the way he paints his subjects are unusual because in a way you feel you know what they are thinking or how they are feeling. Even when I read about the way he would paint his wife doing mundane things and when she got sick, he would paint her more as a way of being intimate. His work is very inviting and can be very calming. Contradicting the time he lived in as it was during the First World War, which was a dark time for most people. So even during this dark time Bonnard tried to find the light in his work by using intense colour and capturing everyday tasks that the ordinary person could relate to.   It helped people to escape from the harsh conditions that were being experienced during and after war. I am glad I studied this artist as it has shown me other ways to be creative with paints and how society can impact my work and influence my creative side. 

Frank Auerbach was born in Berlin to Jewish parents.  His father was a lawyer and his mother a former art student. In 1939 Frank Auerbach was sent to England because of the dangers in Germany during that time. His mother and father who remained in Berlin were sent off to Auschwitz where they sadly died. He grew up in North London where he had a flair for painting. Auerbach was very much interested in architecture and described it as "the diversity of life". His early work from the 50s described the shadow of the war, from the bombed out city of London which changed the landscape and changed the way everything looked. Auerbach found the city shocking but also stimulating to him as to him it looked like a "great mountainous landscape". When he started the paintings, he was trying to make something new and did not have the heart to scrape the paint off so he would paint right on top of it and over the years of painting he began to make a figure out of the thick paint. Even into his old age he still does quick drawing and sketches as he always thought, what is the point of having a remarkably interesting life and having no trace of it when you have passed.  
How I feel about this artist's work is that his early work is very dark from the war and post war. I love the dark overtone and how he was feeling at the time from an artist's perspective. The way he sees from an artist's perspective, the building of London and how he captures a decrepit look makes me feel uneasy as I wasn’t alive at the time of the war.  He shows the real effect it had on the place. Also with regards to his portraits, I love how you still see the heavy brush strokes and can still make out what Auerbach was trying to capture. The dark colour palette that he used for most of his work is effective. Even when he uses a bright colour to contrast, the dark background in my eyes is interesting and effective. However, the charcoal drawings are not as quite effective and do not really do it for me, but I do see how they can be striking. Nonetheless, I am quite fond of his paintings and particularly like how he uses the thick and heavy layers of deep paints. Even though it's a painting to me it looks like it has a 3D effect and can also be seen as a sculpture, which I personally find interesting to me how it can be both. 

 

Gillian Ayres was an English abstract painter and printmaker that would work with bright vibrant colours. In the 1970s Gillian Ayres became the first woman to run an art department at Winchester School of Art, but in 1981 she dropped teaching to become a full-time painter. She wanted her work to be visual and did not want people to think about her work as abstraction was a way of her self-expression. When she was younger her artwork was frowned upon as she never liked tone. She always liked shapes and vibrant colours with an abstract look. Gillian would paint with brushes but most of the time would use her hands and fingers to feel the paint and understand what she was painting. She never wanted to paint something to look like something else, she wanted to work a unique way to express her emotions on canvas.  

What I think of her is that she is very loud and expressive.  In a way she is trying to portray action, contrast and her feelings into the piece. The colours that she uses I feel are effective as they show an emotion to the viewer and use shapes in the same way. It is remarkably interesting to see her work as sometimes when I look at it, I would have to sit down and stare at it to see the entire piece. The thick and heavy brush strokes are also effective and contrast with hand painting, which I do find eye-catching. The Art piece that she created that alluded to Henri Matisse was intriguing. As well as her creation that also acknowledged the American artist Jackson pollock using the floor recreating the giant dripping painting like what he did. 

The job that I picked is something that I am very passionate about and feel I have a real flair for. I have an great interest in the art of making new looks and designing unusual pieces.  Since I was very young I have thought it was amazing watching programmes on fasion and showing the designers making something from a piece of fabric into a 3D wearable item of clothing. It was awe inspiring.  When I was studying for my A levels I had to research various  artists and one which impacted me and one which I included in my work was Alexander McQueen. When I saw his work I immediately fell in love with it. The over dramatic silhouette and rich colour palette made me feel very passionate about his work. I was also advised by a teacher to watch " The Great British Sewing Bee ''. I loved to see what the competitors would make and what patterns they used and how quickly they created their designs to deadlines. The competitors would show their creative designs by putting them into their garments. It was really intriguing to hear how they planned to do this and then watching it all be unveiled. When the presenter on the show would explain how the garment would be put together it was very educational, as I could easily follow it and understand the concepts and principles of the design. When I was speaking to the fashion designer William recently, it was fun to pick his brain and see what it is actually like in the fashion community. How William also explained to us how he started out in his chosen career was really inspiring .It made me feel that it was something that I really would like to try. I am really looking forward to working with William and seeing what further insights he can provide and what his experiences has taught him and how it can help students like me. I'm also really looking forward to these next 7 weeks to see what this course has to offer.