Showing posts with label art gallery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art gallery. Show all posts

5/24/11

2/20/11

Painting, Art by Maxim Grunin


Dreamer, 30"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011


2/4/11

Expressionist Painting Demo by Maxim Grunin



In this video I create a Figurative Expressionist painting with acrylics, on a 30"X30" canvas. Please take a look at the different stages of my work's progression. Even though I have my general idea sketched, I still experience a process of decision making as I create this painting. I have to rework areas of the piece more then once until finer results are achieved.

1/30/11

Canadian art, Painting, Maxim Grunin

You Standing There... , 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011

11/14/09

Head study, untitled by Maxim Grunin



Untitled, 30"X24", oil with acrylic under-painting (gallery wrap), 2009. This head study depicts a young woman with her mouth open and her tongue sticking out. Grotesque facial expression is accompanied by calm, studying gaze of the person in the painting. I was attracted to the ambiguity of the reference picture I've collected in order to produce this work. I wanted the immediacy of  the brush strokes to come forth in this study. Making the piece was a carefully calculated process based on my experience as a classically trained painter. Please visit my web store on eBay under Maxim Grunin.

7/4/09

High Art VS Kitch on eBay

Illustration: Comparison of an abstract painting detail by Jackson Pollok to a detail from a painting by contemporary eBay artist Osnat Tzadok.

Today anyone who has access to the Internet can go on eBay and succeed at finding an artwork they are looking for. EBay is definitely the place that offers a wide range of art to choose from and it also introduces an added benefit of finding a bargain. Artisans from all over the world set electronic displays of their work often sold commission free. All art on eBay is commercial - it is there on sale, but what are the true gems worth buying? Is the majority of art on eBay nothing more than tasteless Kitsch?


Most of us recognize the painting called the Mona Lisa. It is a great work of art by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. The Mona Lisa is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris, France and it is a priceless masterpiece. Why is a tiny, old and darkened painting of a female head considered a work of high art? How does the selection of such greatness occur?

Culture disciplines such as Art Theory, Art History and Critisism are responsible for shaping high art archetypes. A notion of aesthetics as well as what is art and what isn't can therefore not be fixed or permanent. As civilizations evolve, so does the culture of those civilizations.

In order to begin to understand what art is, we have to examine it's function. Art is often a physical object or a set of instructions arranged by an artist. Even though an artwork is an object, it may not have  any physical function. It can be compared to a rock that lies on the shore. It is just there without a purpose. We, the viewer, assign a special function to an artwork by recognizing it as beautiful.  Art created by an artist is not the only object that can have an aesthetic function. In fact any object can become art if it is displayed for it's beauty.


God in many cultural traditions is the creator of the universe and the many things that exist in it. Therefore God can be looked at as the ultimate artist. God determines function and design in nature. The reference to religion here, is important to understanding the role of the artist. It is not an attempt to impose a set of beliefs on the reader. The artist is seen as the creator of art in the cultural discourse. This is why before an object can be analyzed by the critic, it has to be arranged by the artist. Artist may paint, sculpt, print, draw, photograph, design, write out instructions to or simply take any object in order for it to be considered art. The critic is next in the chain of cultural evaluation. The educated mind sets a coherent framework for what may be considered art. In fact any viewer is automatically a critic who applies his or her set of cultural values to an artwork.

In our culture art does not come to be a masterpiece by just being created and placed on a pedestal. It has to be innovative and new in relationship to what existed before. High art functions as a catalyst when it comes in contact with the human mind. It yields meaning.

Being a visual entity, art almost literally shows critic the way to a new set of cultural values.

While new art is of the raw nature, high art is something that has already been studied and theorized. It may not be easy to pinpoint something new, never seen before, as art. New cultural notions are born out of struggle. Take for example the Abstract Expressionism movement in America mid 1900s. A prominent artist of that period is Jackson Pollock with his drip paintings. Pollock's work was not seen as art when it was first made. And yet after a period of time a new cultural archetype such as abstraction becomes public domain. From that point on, this new kind of art does not have the same edge.
It is now explained to us. However, art has an experimental nature and it's boundaries of meaning are yet uncharted. Art could be studied further even when art form has already been set into an archetype.

An established value in art spawns imitation. Public demand for a certain kind of art form rises. The borrowing of high art identities produces the inferior versions of art. Artworks that do not strive to achieve a new value in art and are content to imitate the established art forms are often called Kitsch. Kitsch is a term used to describe art that emphasises the banal decorative aspects of art. Kitsch takes a ride on the fame of the masterpiece by pretending to look similar. The result is a cheaper commercial version of art that does not yield much meaning. Kitsch is a reduction to a good looking, but empty facade. Professional and amateur artists follow the fashion, set by the High Art in order to earn profit. This process is by all means legitimate. Our consumerist society demands goods of variable quality and price. Kitsch can be good for decorating an interior and it wouldn't cost as much as high art. A homeowner or an interior designer may be looking for a color to match the furniture. It will be impossible to obtain an abstract masterpiece from a museum, unless it has been copied and printed. However a well made original Kitsch painting is a definite option.

by Maxim Grunin

6/18/09

Displaying paintings on the wall

Woods At Sunset, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X30" gallery wrap

What is the best way to install a painting in a room? Paintings come in various sizes and configurations. They are generaly rectangular shaped. Some pieces can be arranged together to form a larger picture. For example two panels that go together are called a diptych, three are a triptych and so on. Many spots around the room can be suitable for hanging a picture. A wall above a couch in a living room, empty spot in a kitchen or a dining room. You, the owner of a painting will have to do some interior designing and have fun with it. Here are some things to keep in mind once the right spot for hanging a painting is found.

Lighting is responsible for how full of colour and brightness the piece will be when caught by a viewer's eyes. Acrylic, oil and paintings/drawings on paper that have to be encased in a frame with glass will all look better on a wall adjacent to the one with a big window in it. If a painting is placed on a wall directly across from a bright window it will reflect the light. This will result in unwanted shine and glistening on the surface of a painting. Direct light also grays out the colours in a painting therefore considerably reducing the vivid qualities of any piece. Avoid displaying a painting on a wall that gets bright sunlight. Direct light will contribute to quick fading, yellowing and aging of a painted surface. Galleries and museums often install moderate strength, overhead spot light above a painting to increase it's brightness. This approach makes any artwork look to the best of its visual potential and the most glamourous. Many rooms come equipped with pot lights or tracking lights that can be directed to give additional lighting to a piece.

The distance between paintings and the hight at which they are positioned on the wall is also important. Anyone looking at a painting shouldn't be distracted by other artworks placed too close. This setting will not allow the viewer to fully appriciate an individual piece. Allow generous spacing between the paintings. In this case "less" is "more". The hight of the painting on the wall is related to the hight of a human body, the average hight of the very people who will be looking at the art. Normaly the middle of the painting should be on the eye level of an average person. This is not often possible in the home setting, that is why it is possible to elevate a painting a little higher on the wall than the museum instalation would require.

Consider thinking of how the paintings work together when they are hanging on the walls of a room. Do they match, complement each other, go well with the furniture? Do change them around to get a different perspective. You may find that the new configuration is better and if not you can alway go back to the way it used to be.

Paintings collect dust and other bits of dirt when they hang on the wall. Like most other objects they need to be dusted and whiped with a damp rug every so often.

by Maxim Grunin MFA

6/14/09

PORTFOLIO paintings June 2009

In my new body of work the subjects are land and light. The focus is on the mountains, trees, rocks, watter and ground. I am formulating a kind of sublime landscape with each piece. My paintings are designed to suit the interior, bring rich visual and intelectual accents. Currently these works can be purchased on eBay at a great price from $250 USD. Paintings come with finished sides, hanging wire installed, shipping included and gallery wrapped (sides 1.5" deep). Please contact me at maximgruninart@yahoo.ca for further information.

Light Of Gold, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X40" gallery wrap

Calm After The Storm, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X40" gallery wrap

Stop And Stare, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X30" gallery wrap

Beautiful Day, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 24"X36" gallery wrap

Sunlight All Around, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X30" gallery wrap

Native Land, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X40" gallery wrap

Sun Is Out Again, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X36" gallery wrap

Country, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X30" gallery wrap

On The Edge Of A Forest, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 30"X40" gallery wrap

3/9/08

Figurative Painting 2011 set 1

Dreamer, 30"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011

Mysterious Truth, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2010 sold

While I Wait For You, 30"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011

Home Far Away, 30"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011

Flowers, 18"X24", acrylic on canvas, 2010

Here With You, 30"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011

Let's Go, 30"X24", mixed media on canvas, 2011

Wave Of Desire, 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011

You Standing There, 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011 sold

I Want What I See, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2011 sold


Figurative Painting 2011 set 2

Swimming & Dreaming, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2011, not available

Colors Of Spring, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2011, not available

Realize, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2011, not available

  Inseparable, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2011, not available

 The Master, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2011, sold

In Dreams, 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011, sold