Category: final thoughts

S_V_H Rhapsody in Blue final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
Rhapsody in Blue 87 3/4″ in length by 21 1/2″ maximum height.

I built Rhapsody in Blue from the previous artworks, Vogue, and Ronda All Turk.  These three works are the major artworks for 2018, not only because of their size, but because they may have given me the opportunity to shake the artistic tree.  This final image of Rhapsody’s contributes to that shake up.

Rhapsody in Blues obviously quivers the tree visually, because of its unusual handling of the subject matter.  Portraits, and landscapes, and abstract paintings are all positioned  on their backgrounds. This is not true with Rhapsody where the subject matter is physically independent from the background.

What is that rustling of the leaves I am hearing?   Well that is Rhapsody presenting a  look that drops the stylistic use of the splish-splash use of color seen in much of today’s art.  Rhapsody also combines two different forms of abstraction seen in the expressionist coloring of the music  while the rest of the painting uses the solid colors of colored color field painting. The limbs and leaves of the artistic tree are now swaying about.

And finally, to shake the fruit from the tree,  I replaced much of the background with space and air leaving the stretched canvas, decorated in Art Deco, to symbolize a background that serves little purpose.

Each of these paintings could help to define music to the viewer as something that is not to be heard but felt.  If that is so than I am heading in the right direction. If the viewer see these three paintings as original fine art pieces than I am certainly staying this course.  And yet I am far from seeing any of that happening.  None of these artworks have sold,  or received any attention including appearing in public.  Until that day arrives I will keep doing what I have always done: move on to the next project, while keeping my focus on shaking that damn tree.  To step up the pace I might have to bring out the saw.

The Giving Tree, a favorite book of mine by Shel Silverstein

 

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Summer Presto Final Image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen2 Comments

summerPrestoFinal

This is the final image of Vivaldi Summer Presto Third movement from The Four Seasons concertos. This twenty-foot artwork is  the last artwork in the thirteen painting Vivaldi series that I started almost three years ago, March of 2012.  I have always believed that I could actually accomplished this project.  The surprised is that this could be done.

This is the longest painting in the Vivaldi series.  I can say that this is also the most complicated painting from that group that took an incredible long time to complete.  Looking at my notes I put together the plan for this artwork on November 5th, actually starting the project on November 8th. I put a finish date on the back of this artwork of February 25th.  I actually signed it on the 26th, and on the 26th I realized I had missed a part I wish to add from the music. That small addition, added to all eight panels I finished on the 27th. Summer Presto was then photographed, and I created the video for the walk through.

This painting owes much to the other Four Seasons paintings, but like the other twelve artworks, this one stands out as its own unique work of art. When I approach this last artwork I kind of wanted it to be a summary of  the past works, or an artwork that took from the past, and turned it into more than the sum of the rest. That did not happen. Each artwork eventually finds it own way, and eventually I see that and then I do my best to catch up to the obvious in front of me.  They become something beyond me. They guide, they demand, they expect, and they always win. I do their bidding.

I became an artist, in the hope, to get back my definition of me,  that I felt I lost in 1993 (long story). That might sound ridiculous, and I agree, but I want to be known as Scott the Artist (another long story). A secondary goal is that I would like to be the boss of my life (silly but true).  I may eventual gain my identity back, but the boss I will probably never be. These Vivaldi artworks make it clear to me each time I sign my name, who is in charge. I am their caregiver.

After working on a single artwork for almost four months most of the excitement that goes into creating art gets spread  thin across such a considerable amount of time that there is little emotion left when done. Right now I feel good that this series is over, but I do not feel any urge to celebrate. I guess my feelings towards the Vivaldi Group will not change because the only way I can see all thirteen paintings is to view them on the website. Even though all the Four Seasons painting are within fifty feet of me stacked away where all I can see are the parts that stick out from storage. The only three paintings, I can view in their entirely,  are Summer Presto on my easels, Winter Largo that has hung below my bookshelf ever since I completed it  a year ago, and hanging in the living room wall is Spring allegro.  My joy and pride will be there when all thirteen painting are on view. I am thinking my reaction of seeing them all together would be the same as Vincent Van Goghs, when he first saw his artworks scattered all through the apartment, while visiting Theo in Paris.  When and how that day is going to happen is the next chapter in this story.

Let me talk about chapter two of the Four Seasons Paintings.  I will be putting together a new website dedicated to these thirteen paintings, to display, and to promote them. This website will have one goal and that is to give free to an art museum, hopefully in America, this entire Vivaldi The Four Seasons series. This will be an interesting chapter, that hopefully adds a lot charm to this story of a boy and the dream to be something more than me.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Keep on Loving You final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

keepOnLovingYouFinal

Keep on Loving You this five foot 4 inch artwork look is more interesting, to me,  than the original music.  I think I could have reduced the physical size of this work, but the canvas I used gave me the extra room, (that is rare in most of my musical portraits), to let my slurs, those huge almost circles you see above the musical flow, a chance to really express themselves.  I had the space so I used it to their advantage.  Those slurs come straight out of my last Vivaldi painting.  I have realized that if done right my slurs do not need any squiggly lines. That is how it works: I am learning as I go.

Originally, I was going to go with the words “I’m Lovin’ you,”  but strange the word ‘i’m’ I could not find any space for on the first canvas, so I dropped it.  Lovin’ you, says it all, covering a lot of territory.  I see it is important to paint more than just one Vivaldi after another.  These little works offer ways to try to maybe explore painting techniques I am trying to do on the large work.  When I see that a new idea works on a 15 foot canvas, I then know I can move that idea to a much smaller work, and see a greater effect of that idea on a small surface, which carries with it a bigger impact on the artwork.

I like this artwork, it has that look.  Now on to another Vivaldi.  This time it is the late fall movement.

Scott Von Holzen