I actually chose to go with Kay Nielsen this time because of a comment you ended up making last February when I first came to the university, ha!
I had almost no artwork to my name because I’d only been drawing for the last two months and I brought my work in so I could get enough constructive criticism and guidance to hopefully make enough portfolio material that I could try for the 2019 admissions.
Instead I was given some lovely feedback from you, Carol, Ben, Shane and Pascal, something that really helped build me up at a time where I was struggling with a lot of things all at once, and doubting that it was worth trying to pick up drawing again after losing touch with it in high school. You ended up telling me that a couple of pieces reminded you of Nielsen, and I ended up diving into his body of work afterwards, delighted to find such an interesting style that at the time, was absolutely alien to me. Diving back into his catalogue as a student is a funny feeling, but a nice one to be sure!
Somewhat akin to Aubrey Beardsley and Ivan Bilibin, Kay Nielsen’s flair for dress and costume is something I’m consistently gobsmacked by. His work with patterns, ornament and texture create this beautiful and nearly alien depiction of human beauty. There’s touches of this in his environments as well, there’s a piece I’ll post below that exemplifies this and almost reminds me of the way Gustav Klimt did his textures, particularly in the robes and clothing.
John,
Once again I’m amazed at your depth of feeling and commitment when writing about the artists you choose. You don’t necessarily fill your blog with historical information on the individuals (info that’s out there anyhow), but on your personal insights and feelings and how that has been an influence on you. I would much sooner read that from these blogs than stuff I already know about these individuals. Very much look forward to your weekly contributions and keep up your stellar work.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff, I appreciate that and I’m glad the posts are going over well. I also figured at this point you’ve heard just about everything there is to hear on the artists lives (as you said), so I didn’t want to just spit up another paraphrased biography. I’ll continue on the same track, thank you for the kind words!
January 27, 2019 at 2:40 pm
John,
Once again I’m amazed at your depth of feeling and commitment when writing about the artists you choose. You don’t necessarily fill your blog with historical information on the individuals (info that’s out there anyhow), but on your personal insights and feelings and how that has been an influence on you. I would much sooner read that from these blogs than stuff I already know about these individuals. Very much look forward to your weekly contributions and keep up your stellar work.
Jeff
January 29, 2019 at 11:53 am
Thanks Jeff, I appreciate that and I’m glad the posts are going over well. I also figured at this point you’ve heard just about everything there is to hear on the artists lives (as you said), so I didn’t want to just spit up another paraphrased biography. I’ll continue on the same track, thank you for the kind words!
February 8, 2019 at 12:37 pm
John,
Just checked in for more posts but looks like you haven’t got to them yet. I’ll look for them in a day or so.
Jeff
February 9, 2019 at 3:23 pm
Jeff,
I apologize for the delay, both have been correctly published and sorted now.
John