Art & different forms of it, including my avatar!

I've always loved all forms of art including cooking, drawing, sculpting, dancing, painting, you name it. Although drawing has been my main interest of art I also loved it just as much as any hand to utensil to paper form of art like painting or charcoal art just as much as pencil art I do. Then one day not to far from now I stumbled into a more specific range of art styles that I really like, which are surreal, esoteric, psychedelic, visionary, outsider, fantastic, lowbrow. My avatar is one of these many different types, can you guess which one?

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Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members.

Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement.

Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities of World War I and the most important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s on, the movement spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts, literature, film, and music, of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, philosophy and social theory.
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Psychedelic art is any kind of visual artwork inspired by psychedelic experiences induced by drugs such as '___', mescaline, and psilocybin. The word "psychedelic" (coined by British psychologist Humphrey Osmond) means "mind manifesting". By that definition all artistic efforts to depict the inner world of the psyche may be considered "psychedelic". However, in common parlance "Psychedelic Art" refers above all to the art movement of the 1960s counterculture. Psychedelic visual arts were a counterpart to psychedelic rock music. Concert posters, album covers, lightshows, murals, comic books, underground newspapers and more reflected not only the kaleidoscopically swirling patterns of '___' hallucinations, but also revolutionary political, social and spiritual sentiments inspired by insights derived from these psychedelic states of consciousness.
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Five thesis of the Esoteric Order of Art
I. Personality

Esoteric Art doesn't follow trends or movements in the arts. Chosen subject matter shows the personality of the artist. Then a subject matter will alter in the mind of the artist. It will be influenced by the memories and conscious choosing. Artist is in a constant dialog with the subject matter and through this dialog it will evolve.
II. Honesty

External influences should not corrupt the artist. Work should always reflect the inner self or soul and experiences of the artist. It takes courage to see yourself in the creation. The most challenging thing in the whole creative process is to face your inner self and your subconscious world. True involvement to the creation comes from signing it with your soul. Maker must listen to himself/ herself and change only when it feels right.
III. Mysticality

Great deal of mysticality that is evident in the esoteric art comes from the subconscious. Subconscious messages should not be censored or beautified – they should be raw and strange as they usually are. Way for a subconscious to become conscious is through free association and sensitivity towards reality. Creatures, symbols and places that you come across in the Esoteric are from the dreams of the maker.
IV. Emotion

To devote oneself to the emotionality is one of the most important qualifications of the Esoteric. It liberates imagination and makes possible to travel far away to the unknown territory. Art can also wake forgotten emotions from ones own past. Going through emotions in the perspective of a beholder can be liberating experience. Human can experience all the possible emotions in the art without ever losing the sense of security. Exaggeration and theatricality are approved effects of the art.
V. Idea

Art that has some idea can wake and excite intelligence (trait). Idea doesn’t have to be on the level of the conception – it can be in the way of realization, for example in the painting technique. Important is the makers thought process and the reflection of that.
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Defining erotic art is difficult since perceptions of both what is erotic and what is art fluctuate. A sculpture of a phallus in some African cultures may be considered a traditional symbol of potency though not overtly erotic.

In addition, a distinction is often made between erotic art and pornography (which also depicts scenes of love-making and is intended to evoke erotic arousal, but is not usually considered art). The distinction may lie in intent and message; erotic art intended as pieces of art, encapturing formal elements of art, and drawing on other historical artworks. Pornography may also use these tools, but is primarily intended to arouse one sexually. Nevertheless, these elements of distinction are highly subjective.

For instance, Justice Potter Stewart of the Supreme Court of the United States, in attempting to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, famously wrote, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced . . . ut I know it when I see it . . . ."
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Part 2 Next Post

the term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut (French: [aʁ bʁyt], "raw art" or "rough art"), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.[1]

While Dubuffet's term is quite specific, the English term "outsider art" is often applied more broadly, to include certain self-taught or Naïve art makers who were never institutionalized. Typically, those labeled as outsider artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.

Outsider art has emerged as a successful art marketing category (an annual Outsider Art Fair has taken place in New York since 1992). The term is sometimes misapplied as a catch-all marketing label for art created by people outside the mainstream "art world," regardless of their circumstances or the content of their work.
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Lowbrow, or lowbrow art[1], describes an underground visual art movement that arose in the Los Angeles, California, area in the late 1970s. Lowbrow is a widespread populist art movement with origins in the underground comix world, punk music, hot-rod street culture, and other subcultures. It is also often known by the name pop surrealism. Lowbrow art often has a sense of humor - sometimes the humor is gleeful, sometimes impish, and sometimes it's a sarcastic comment.[2]

Most lowbrow artworks are paintings, but there are also toys, digital art, and sculpture.
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antasy art is a genre of art that depicts magical or other supernatural themes, ideas, creatures or settings. While there is some overlap with science fiction, horror and other speculative fiction art, there are unique elements not generally found in other forms of speculative fiction art. Depictions of ancient myths and legends, as well as depictions of modern day fantasy in the form of divine interventions and other magical or supernatural forces, are very common elements, and help distinguish fantasy art from other forms. Dragons, wizards, fairies and other fantastical and mythical creatures are common features in fantasy art.

Fantasy art is strongly linked to fantasy fiction. Indeed fantasy art pieces are often intended to represent specific characters or scenes from works of fantasy literature. Such works created by amateur artists may be called fanart.

There is a large subculture based around the creation of amateur fantasy art. This is largely centred around websites such as Elfwood. Such sites are noticeably less male-dominated than some other pursuits related to the fantasy genre.

Fantasy art should not be confused with the fantastic art genre, which can contain fantastical elements that are not always considered "fantasy" per se.
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Visionary art is art that purports to transcend the physical world and portray a wider vision of awareness including spiritual or mystical themes, or is based in such experiences.

Both trained and self-taught (or outsider) artists have, and continue to create visionary works. Many visionary artists are actively engaged in spiritual practices, and some have drawn inspiration from psychedelic experiences.

Walter Schurian, professor at the University of Munster, is quick to point out the difficulties in describing visionary art as if it were a discrete genre, since "it is difficult to know where to start and where to stop. Recognized trends have all had their fantastic component, so demarcation is apt to be fuzzy."

Despite this ambiguity, there does seem to be emerging some definition to what constitutes the contemporary visionary art 'scene' and which artists can be considered especially influential. Contemporary visionary artists count Hieronymous Bosch, William Blake, Morris Graves (of the Pacific Northwest School of Visionary Art), Emil Bisttram, and Gustave Moreau amongst their antecedents. Symbolism, Surrealism and Psychedelic art are also direct precursors to contemporary visionary art.
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Examples:























A few good sites out there that may help you too in finding a good avatar are listed below, if you like these types.

beinart.org... ( highly recommend )

www.artpromote.com...

Feel free to share your links or images! =)

[edit on 28-9-2009 by 4stral4pprentice]

nice pictures, I've always loved DaDa

here is some work of my own: www.brodyisms.com...

reply to post by 4stral4pprentice


You must check out Hieronymus Bosch.

Link