Pointillist Constructivism ?

How do you categorize the beautiful and mesmerizing work of Chris Fennell? It's certainly Pointillist and Contemporary and I wonder if he ever gave that a thought; his concept seems to be full of newer ideas rather than old. Visit his Website for images and information.

Image is from The Drawing Center.

Pointillist Collage

Each of Derek Cracco's pointillist collages has a specific theme that draws you in for a closer look. You can see more of these beautiful and interesting works on his Website.


Image is from http://derekcracco.com/home.html

Paint Pointillism

 I get the feeling that Zander Blom has a deep respect for paint and applies it right out of the tube to unprimed canvas so that the staining makes a natural backdrop to showcase all these "pieces" of paint. These simple and straight-forward works say so much in a very quiet way.

You'll enjoy the other paintings and installation shots from his Show at the Stevenson Gallery.


Image from Stevenson Gallery.

Bubble Dots

Who knew bubble-wrap could look so luscious ?

Quite an attractive painting by Matteo Callegari: it draws you in because you're curious - "is that texture ?" When you look at the installation shots of his show at Ramiken Crucible, you really don't have a clue; but visit the artist's Website where the backgrounds are close-ups and you suddenly "get it". They are amazing.

Dot Sampler

A while back when Gagosian was doing the Damien Hirst Dot Extravaganza, a Blog named All About Art decided to do a Sampler, of sorts. There's more than a few pleasant surprises here and once again we're reminded of how so many different artists have their own take on any given genre.

If this has whet your appetite for all things, dots, you'll get some real satisfaction from checking out the artists in the far right column under the headings of - Paintings With Dots, Post Modern Pointillism, and Dottillism.

The image above is Joanne Mattera's "Cera 34", 2000  encaustic on panel, 24X24 inches; courtesy of Arden gallery via All About Art.

Aboriginal Infinity Nets

There's an interesting Post over at Hyperallergic about Aboriginal abstract art not being Modernistic. It's a very good read and might also help to expand your visual vocabulary. Visit Gallery Savah to see more Aboriginal Art and you'll also notice that a couple of the Pwerle girls use a technique similar to Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Nets. At any rate, isn't there such a thing as intellectual representation and wouldn't that void the thought that Modernist Art and Aboriginal Art are different ?

Image is from Gallery Savah.

Painting Masterpiece

For the longest time I thought I was the only one who knew about Yayoi Kusama. But in the last couple of years she seems to be everywhere. The Show at the Whitney was disappointing because it just didn't do her justice. But there's been enough shows in prestigious places that more than picked up the pieces. And they just keep coming.

This image is from D'Amelio Gallery where they're showing works from the 50's. Is this painting just too amazing or what ? I'm absolutely dumbfounded.! It's been wonderful to see more and more and more of her work. She's been prolific and if she's ever stumbled here or there, she's more than made up for it with gorgeous masterpieces like this one.

New Interpretations of Pointillism

You'll notice two things, right off, about Mellissa Read-Devine's paintings. The brush strokes tend to be big and she's not a slave to the pointillism; painting whatever area needs to be painted in whatever way necessary. The results are refreshing and her views tend to be intimate, quiet and simple.

This image is from her Blog and you can also visit her Website.

Electric Pointillism

Isn't it great that just when you think you've seen and understand it all, something new comes along; an artist decides to question the status quo.  Leo Villareal presents us with a very entertaining iteration of electricity and light and does it beautifully. In fact, he's another one of those thoughtful artists who takes his craft seriously; working studiously to make beautiful works that provoke us to think/not think.

You can visit his Website, but like me, you may experience technical difficulties. Another choice would be an Google Image Search or Video Search where you'll find the twenty eight minute video of his Show at the San Jose Museum Of Art.

Pieces Of Painting (Pointillism)

When you first encounter the work of Douglas Melini, the terms reductive, minimal, and op-art immediately come to mind. And you'd be right on all accounts. But what gets my attention most are the paintings that contain these tiny particles of paint that make up the bulk of the composition. They bring to mind Kusama's Infinity Nets (but more organized and working with a grid). Not all of his paintings contain these wonderful dots of faint color; he's mostly about pattern. For me, these are precious example of how intricate and intimate an artist can get with his subject matter. On top of that, his frames are hand painted with patterns that both beautifully end and extend the picture plane.

Visit his Website to view his full oeuvre.

Image is from Minus Space.

Crossing The Line

I hope you can bear with me for just a moment as I dig up a very old and what might seem like a totally irrelevant and useless word; Pointillism. Lets start by saying that the prefix "point" in pointillism brings to mind something small, like the tip of a small brush, when in fact, Pointillism (the movement) was all about individual brush-strokes. So if we could broaden our vision just a bit to include larger brush-strokes and then allow abstraction as well as realism or representation, you'll find that we're in a new place.
And this is what I'd like you to consider as you look at the paintings of Judith Murray. Pointillism was/is a very good idea (way to think about painting) and through the years many an artist has proudly picked up this banner to carry it forward. But what goes unnoticed are all the artists who have joined the ranks and don't fly the colors. If you read any text about Judith's work, no one it talking about her breaking down the picture into brush-strokes (which would be pointillism). Instead they're using all the current verbiage that one uses to promote a female painter. And she deserves any and all the praise and promotion they can give her. But I'm just hoping that now, what you'll see in her lovely paintings is the fresh, reincarnation of Pointillism; a wonderful old tool that still works well.

Be sure to visit her Website.

Enjoy the video.

Postmodernizing, Pointillism

This may not be the most beautiful example of Jennifer Bartlett's work, but it gives you a good introduction to how she thinks. We have an image broken down into individual dots and then it's then further reduced with a negative grid. Jennifer takes the whole notion of pointillism and turns it inside out and then revisits it from several different angles; even using short lines to the same effect. If this is not making any sense, simply click on this Google Image Search link and as you slowly scroll down you'll see how she goes from realism to pointillist strokes to dots, dots with words and beyond; the variations are a bit mind numbing and she has my utmost respect for pursuing these trains of thought.

Locks Gallery has a nice overview of her work.

Image is from bombsite.

Blob-Dots

Charlotte Smith goes beautifully batty when doing her dots. Some paintings are restrained and serene; others are full-on assults to the senses. I won't even try to explain the works with stacked dots of paint; you can see that and others, Here (keep clicking right)

She's represented by, and this image is from Cris Worley Gallery where you'll find more paintings. To see her more traditional works, go Here.

Child Pointillism

The concept by artist Yayoi Kusama was simple; provide a stark, white space and turn kids loose with colored stickers. Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art supplied the average-home type space and the dots: the results are delightful. What better way to introduce the young to modern pointillism, than by the master herself.

See the humorous photo set HERE.


Image is from Twisted Sifter, courtesy of Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art.

Today's Pointillism

Pointillism never really died. But if it did, it's been resurrected many times over and in many new and interesting ways. The two works in this image from John Houck's Website are a good case-in-point. These are (re)photographs and you'll appreciate them and his process a whole lot more by reading the short explanation Here.

Landsat Pointillism

Interesting patterns emerge in images of our planet, from space.

You'll find more visuals in the original Post at Slow Muse - a Blog that I visit regularly.


Image from Slow Muse.

Pinpoint Pointillism

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Jon Kuzmich makes his minimalistic yet meaningful paintings by applying the paint with a needle, using mathematical and scientific systems. Visiting his Website is way more than just a fascinating visual treat. When you read his Artist Statement and take the time to think about it, the ramifications are enormous.
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Image is from artbusines.
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Screwhead Pointillism

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Andrew Meyers creates relief portraits from thousands of phillips head screws which he then paints to complete the illusion. It's a little more complicated than that and you can get the back-story and two videos Here.
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His Website is slow, but the music is great.
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Image from lostateminor.
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Circular Alterations

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This particular image from Green Cardamon Gallery makes it easier to detect what Mahbub Shah is doing in his collages and appreciate just how easy it is to adjust an image and give it new character with just a flick of the wrist. Visit the Gallery to see other examples off his work.
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Could this be considered a kind of anti or reverse pointillism, where (over all) smaller portions of the image are altered to "adjust" or even deconstruct the original ?
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Illustrative Pointillism

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Local  (Corning, NY) artist William M. Boland creates bright, colorful works using a style that might be described as pointillism-lite. You'll enjoy the different galleries of his work when you visit his Website.
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Image is from his Website.
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