I was bouncing around the blogosphere recently, when I found Quent Cordair Fine Art, by way of Cox & Forkum.¹

Now, I'm a relatively simple guy, and my tastes in art are pedestrian. That means that I don't dig a crucifix in a Mason jar full of urine, and Robert Mapplethorpe leaves me cold. (Or grumbling about a waste of good film.) Most modern art doesn't do much for me, and I daresay that most of the non-realist art of the 20th century falls flat where I am concerned. A lot of modern art seems to be an exercise in hoo-hah, wherein a fast-talking artist suckers some city slicker out of several thou by throwing around buzzwords that sound in vogue or something.

Conversely, I like things like Rembrandt's Night Watch, and I was very fond of the artwork of Michelangelo that I saw when I was at the Sistine Chapel. In other words, old & realistic=good. After visiting QCFA's website, I realized that I'd found something else to add to the mix, namely the notion of "Romantic Realism". In QCFA's own words:

Romantic Realism, the movement which renews the high esthetic standards and techniques of pre-20th century ateliers, brings a rebirth of comprehensibility, beauty, romanticism and stylization to contemporary subject matter. The gallery's collection emphasizes themes which celebrate the moments of happiness, joy and success possible to Man on earth.

Some examination has revealed that Randroids² are fond of this style for some reason---which boggles the mind---but yet I'll not let that get in the way of enjoying the works of one Bryan Larsen.

Mr. Larsen has two works that I wish I had the money for, and since I'll never have the money in time to buy the things, I figured that I'd make a brief note of them here. My evaluation is monstrously unsophisticated---dare I say that it lacks nuance?---and falls down to something on the order of "It's cool", but I thought I'd give it a shot. Pictures and the very brief remarks are in the extended entry. The first painting is dubbed Born With Wings, and since I didn't take any art classes anywhere, I don't know what to say about it. It's just good work. Somehow, it manages to suggest confidence or something. I'd be happy to hang the thing in the house I've got planned for when I'm a Rich Lawyer. Maybe it's something to do with liking aviation.

The second painting, dubbed How Far We've Come, has as its backdrop a space station, with an Enterprise-class space shuttle in the frame as well. I've been a sucker for the space program since I was in the early days of NASA's "Young Astronauts" program, and there's just something about this one that "speaks" to me, to use one of these strange and amorphous emotional terms.

I'd really like to have the both of them, but the blasted things would wind up costing me in the neighborhood of $50,000 and up. Bother, bother, bother! Too bad, oh too bad. Enh, I'll just track the things down later in life and buy them when I truly am a rich lawyer.

¹ C&F are, by the way, the halves of an editorial cartoon production team that's pretty darned good. Go there, and buy their stuff.

² That is to say, the supporters of Ayn Rand.

Posted by: Country Pundit at 06:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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