Category: 2012

S_V_H Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – allegro Final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen1 Comment

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons Autumn Allegro RV 293.  Finally, a final image.  This took forever.  I am glad to move on. The truth is I have no other choice, because of the approach of Christmas, and the need to paint this years Christmas song.  Each Christmas time  I paint a song that is then photographed, printed on canvas, and sent out in this years 2012 Christmas card to all those who have purchased an Artwork, a few friends and family.

The following video sums up a lot of my feelings about this work.  Although fairly raw, this video clearly demonstrates my need to learn how to stay on camera, and to practice out loud the art of speaking the English language.  Time will improve all that, that is for sure.

The photography I did outside  in the shade on a nice sunny Sunday afternoon in the crisp North land.  It is kind-of-nice to take your work outside, it puts things in a different perspective.  One thing,  made obvious with this last work, is that the growth in this Art has been too slow. A lot of that lost time is because of my working for the Man.  Soon, it will be time to take that jump.  I am thankful that I will  have this opportunity that many do not.  Still, to do it will take  courage, that at this point the financial risk  makes that seem risky.  Although, I do not know how real the word risk is, I do know that the word soon is a nagging adverb.

Back to Vivaldi’s Autumn Allegro, the only parts that disappoint me are the background and the beams of the music.  When it comes to the background, the style I am using to paint them is boring. In the past I have done better.   I need to figure out someway of applying acrylic paint that does not create a static background.  I have done this in the past, so maybe it is time to take a second look. The other disappointing part of this work is my handling of the beams ( those long rectangles that form the base of the music).  I need to break some new art ground and like the background find my own way.

That brings me to the Birthday paintings.  The use of a pallet knife, to create square patterns of multiple colors to build the background image, reminds me of Van Gogh and his use of  flowing multiple brush strokes.   Those elongated  brush marks  flowed across this works, which is not happening with my little squares.  I am wondering if I can developed a similar technique.  With music, the subject of this art, the kicking of the background across the canvas is a must.  The problem, so far, when creating backgrounds that move is the layering of paint, which creates a rough effect that is quite dramatic, but shows through to the music layer.  This is not what I want.  I want the music to float, over the background untouched.  So far that has not been accomplished.  Take a look at this artwork and you can see in the those light violet not heads the background poking through.

Listening to:  Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb

Chopin Nocturne # 18 in E

The Eagles – Train Leaves Here This Morning

I Need You – Tim McGraw

Wow, I started this artwork on August 23rd.  I cannot believe it took this long.  The Music Class and the size of this work is much of that, but still I cannot continue on that pace.  Now, I have a blank six-foot canvas sitting on the ease.  It looks so small, and so limited, but I can work on that. A fresh start is long overdue.  Time to let loose.

Iron & Wine – Free Until They Cut Me Down

Mozart, Symphony #29 K 201 Allegro Moderato

Antonio Vivaldi Summer Allegro Non Molto

You Learn – Alanis Morissette

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – allegro image4

Published on by Scott Von Holzen3 Comments

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – Allegro. This is my first attempt at Photo merge using Photoshop, and there is room for improvement, but not for today.

I mentioned in the video that I am taking a Music Theory class at the local campus of the University of Wisconsin.  It is challenging,  that consumes an enormous amount of my free time, and the free time that I have left to work on this painting has been drastically cut.  It is worth it.  This class only lasts through December, so I will be back deep into the Art soon after,  with a greater depth of understanding of the structure, and the harmony that is music.

Listening to Dave Brubeck – Take Five

Until that time, lets move on and talk about the music of this great composer.  The more I listen to classical music the more Vivaldi’s music rises in importance and meaning to me.  I still have Mozart and Chopin, along with Bach and Beethoven, but ….aaaaaaaaaaaa….Viavldi your music reaches deep inside.

As far as my progress on this work, the beams,  which are discussed in the video, have greatly improved the emotional impact of this work.   To not make the disruption of the beams too predictable there is a change with the last set.  I pulled them back  away from the increasing breaking apart that is occurring as you follow the music.  By painting this last set of beams, not so much as flying apart, but as cracked pieces, they have halted their destruction. This than lets these 6 seconds of music to end, and the flow to continue  into the next measures.

Listening to Vivaldi’s Great Concerto for two Cellos in G minor, RV531.  When it comes to Classical Music it does not get any better than this,  with only Mozart at times its equal.

Aimee Mann’s – Little Tornado

Next up, is finishing the cracking beams, painting in the words, which will be interesting because they, at times will move over the beams, and work on those violet note heads, giving them more depth, character and speed.

Listening to Jack Johnson – Upside Down.

Scott Von Holzen

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – allegro image3

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – allegro the fifth is a series of thirteen artworks that will represent these four great concertos.  When you enlarge the image you are seeing about nine and one-half of this fifteen foot (4.57m) canvas.

Since this is the first music of the Autumn concerto there is a lot of bright fall colors, but interestingly when you read the sonnet for this allegro it is about the celebrating the harvest with plenty of liquor that ends with the country-folk heading off to sleep.  The words chosen for this artwork are from the first line of the Autumn sonnet, with one translation being, “The country-folk celebrate, with dance and song.”  The feeling of the rest of this paragraph does speak to the coming of the night, maybe referring to the arrival of shorter, cooler days. Because of this feeling of change in the air the colors of this artwork move from the bright to darker; but too dark.  The darkness of  Autumn was the theme in an early artwork.

A personal note: I am taking a class in Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin, which will consume a lot of effort and time, including painting time.  The thought is this will enhance my understanding of music which will improve my art. It should also give me a better understanding of the piano, and maybe even improve my play.  So far, it has been a lot more difficult class than I thought it would be, so the rewards may also be greater than I anticipated.  That is if I survive.  Already two people have dropped out. But that would not be my style, for I am in it for the very long haul.

Scott Von Holzen