What's your favorite painting?
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I have two painting s hanging in my office, which I would suppose are my favorites...
The first is titled Forgiven by Thomas Blackshear
The second is titled A Serpent, a Rose and a Star by Elmer Paul Catts, Jr.
The first is titled Forgiven by Thomas Blackshear
The second is titled A Serpent, a Rose and a Star by Elmer Paul Catts, Jr.
Impressive collection of art here!
One of my favourite experiences with art was at the Museum of Art in São Paulo. They hang paintings so you see the front first, but the artist’s name is hidden on the back.
I watched people stroll past Bosch, Cézanne, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet—totally unimpressed. Just another canvas.
Then when viewing the next row, they peeked at the back of what they just saw, noticed “Picasso” or “Rembrandt,” and suddenly it was like a celebrity sighting. Eyes popped, phones whipped out, photos snapped… and off they went about 4 seconds later, mission accomplished.
It was incredible how consistent it was—the art didn’t change, only the brand recognition did.
Pipes can be the same way: meh until you spot “Danish master.”
One of my favourite experiences with art was at the Museum of Art in São Paulo. They hang paintings so you see the front first, but the artist’s name is hidden on the back.
I watched people stroll past Bosch, Cézanne, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet—totally unimpressed. Just another canvas.
Then when viewing the next row, they peeked at the back of what they just saw, noticed “Picasso” or “Rembrandt,” and suddenly it was like a celebrity sighting. Eyes popped, phones whipped out, photos snapped… and off they went about 4 seconds later, mission accomplished.
It was incredible how consistent it was—the art didn’t change, only the brand recognition did.
Pipes can be the same way: meh until you spot “Danish master.”
A new favorite - White Cat by Pierre Bonnard. Picture taken few hours ago in museum d'Orsay in Paris.
I've been to that museum. And remember that photo. Good pick.
Trying to put my finger on a favorite painting is like doing the same for a favorite food, or song, or any other subjective art that relies on the senses to discern.
Even attempting to narrow it down to a dozen is treacherously difficult.
Deciding on a favorite piece from a single artist would be more realistic, but still difficult.
As I look around my home, I think it is easier (or at least more realistic) to decide on my favorite painting that “I own”.
“Ray Never Talked”, oil on canvas, by Damon Thompson.
I won’t go in to the whole story/background of Damon or the show where this piece was purchased.
It’s been a favorite of mine since I bought it back in 2012 (or was it ‘13?)
It’s also featured on the cover of “The Mechanical Hearts” EP, by Satellite Twin.
I’m proud to call Damon a friend, and proud to have this piece in my collection.
Even attempting to narrow it down to a dozen is treacherously difficult.
Deciding on a favorite piece from a single artist would be more realistic, but still difficult.
As I look around my home, I think it is easier (or at least more realistic) to decide on my favorite painting that “I own”.
“Ray Never Talked”, oil on canvas, by Damon Thompson.
I won’t go in to the whole story/background of Damon or the show where this piece was purchased.
It’s been a favorite of mine since I bought it back in 2012 (or was it ‘13?)
It’s also featured on the cover of “The Mechanical Hearts” EP, by Satellite Twin.
I’m proud to call Damon a friend, and proud to have this piece in my collection.
I also love Maxfield Parrish and R Atkinson Fox. I have these prints:
One of Claude Monet's paintings featuring water lilies (Les Nymphéas). I went to an exhibition being held at Musée des Beaux-Art in Montréal, in 1998. The Musée de l'orangerie had loaned works from Monet. When I saw it, my breath was taken away. I was transfixed.
I had seen various photos online of painters and didn`t really get it. That's the trouble with photos. But, when I was convinced to attend an exhibition and I stood in front of that painting...
I never saw such a beautiful thing. The combination of colors, how they stuck out; how vibrant they were; all left me in total awe. I couldn't believe my eyes!
Since then, I have been a big fan of actually viewing art exhibitions.
I had seen various photos online of painters and didn`t really get it. That's the trouble with photos. But, when I was convinced to attend an exhibition and I stood in front of that painting...
I never saw such a beautiful thing. The combination of colors, how they stuck out; how vibrant they were; all left me in total awe. I couldn't believe my eyes!
Since then, I have been a big fan of actually viewing art exhibitions.
Ask me again it’ll be a different answer.
Edward Hopper, 1956
Frank Stella, Harran II, 1967
Mark Rothko.
Has to be seen in person. No image I’ve ever seen even begins to convey this painting.Edward Hopper, 1956
Frank Stella, Harran II, 1967
Mark Rothko.
Parrish, you say? I was always impressed by his mural in the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis in New York. And being sauced didn't hinder my appreciation at all. (That is I on the right, many moons ago.)
The Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester NY had a Parrish exhibition a few years ago. I attended, and the place was absolutely packed. You couldn't get near the paintings. Ticked me off.
Rothko is a perennial favorite of mine. His works are always in my short list for favorite paintings.
Another favorite of mine, The Two Crowns by Sir Frank Dicksee 1900
I painted this in 2003, this is my favorite. Painting is a nice, relaxing thing for me to do.
After having looked at a lot of Monet's paintings online, it could have been this one...It was almost 30 years ago, I saw it.
I am not well-versed in the art world so I don't know what makes a piece technically good or worthy of praise but as Brian says on his podcast, I am the expert on my own opinion and I've always found this painting to be particularly captivating. This is Winter Landscape by Caspar David Friedrich.
This is one of my favorites as well.There is some mighty good stuff already posted in this thread.
Myself, I’m a big fan of American Regionalism and its offshoots.
Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World probably tops my list. It has fascinated me since childhood, and my wife gave me a very large framed print of it for my birthday one year. It has hung In our living room ever since. There have been countless times when I’m walking through the house on the way to doing something else, and I’ll stop for a moment and study it even more.
For me it elicits much of the human condition; drawing on both despair and hope, obstruction and determination, and how one’s own world can be incredibly small and yet massively expansive at the same time.
