Color Symbolism in Modern Art: Helen Frankenthaler

The use of color in art has traditionally had a fairly codified set of meaning. For example, red has almost inevitably been related to fire, blood, and danger. Black has been indicative of death, emptiness and mourning. White has been the indisputable sign of purity. The use of color in contemporary works has often rejected these traditional meanings. Instead, color can be imbued with personal and unconventional meanings.

The freedom from color-induced expectations has been eagerly explored by abstract painters. The inherent power and strength of color can therefore be revealed in the viewer''s emotional response to the color itself. For American color field painters including Helen Frankenthaler (1928- ) color has become both form and subject. In Frankenthaler''s abstract landscapes, including works as diverse as The Human Edge and Mountains and Sea, the locales aren''t specific, but the colors and shapes reflect the rhythm and essential qualities of nature.

In The Hum an Edge, the deep blue at the lower edge is an obvious reference to water. The thin, dark shape just above the blue horizontal is immediately reminiscent of a seashore or landmass. The large open space above the "land" is atmospheric. At the top of the painting, perhaps where clouds might be expected, Frankenthaler has painted three irregular, hard-edged rectangles in gray, orange and pink.

The combination of colors and shapes is intriguing when considered with the evocative title. Is the edge of the seashore/landmass the "human edge" or are the oddly inverted rectangles in the "sky" the "human edge" in contrast with the more naturalistic edge created by the blue and brown horizontals?

In contrast with the definitive shapes and colors that Frankenthaler utilized in The Human Edge, her well-acclaimed Mountains and Sea employs a very different approach. This work was painted after Frankenthaler had visited Nova Scotia. Not only has she utilized aquatic blues and greens a s noted earlier, but elements of nature are also mimicked in the technique of spilling and splashing and in the results of that technique.

There are "splashes" of color throughout the work and a sense of the organic process of water pooling and evaporating. The rhythm of constant movement encountered at the ocean''s edge is also reflected in the shapes piled up in the center of the painting. These fleeting shapes appear ready to crash down onto the "sand" at any moment.

As these two paintings demonstrate, the languages of color and shape are intrinsically related to each other and to natural themes in Frankenthaler''s works. In fact, even in Frankenthaler''s most abstract works, her shapes are fundamentally related to the colors themselves. Thus, the combination of colors and shapes in Frankenthaler''s works operate on multiple levels. Not only are they perceptual, but the color-shape elements are also capable of functioning on the realistic and emotional levels as wel l.

Art as an Analogy to Music: The Work of Kenneth Noland

For Kenneth Noland (1924- ), a modern artist in the color field painting tradition, color placement is akin to musical composition. Noland believes that each color possesses a pitch that resonates and affects other, adjacent colors, which in turn affect the overall composition. Colors can also be used in conjunction with each other like major and minor chords and repeated in varying ways to create visual counterpoint. The musical analogies include harmony, dissonance, tone and dynamics.

The work of Kenneth Noland is characterized by carefully planned geometric patterns and color dynamics. Noland''s greatest desire was to find equilibrium between structure and color. This aim was alien to the complex, neurotic psychological issues of many other forms of modern art such as Surrealism.

Kenneth Noland''s paintings often feature a single central focus that contrasts with the complexity of most compositions in the pre-modern period. Noland pushed the limits of traditional fo rmatting even further in other works by combining a large scale with unusually shaped canvases. Some works were formatted symmetrically with shapes such as diamonds and others were irregularly shaped.

The work of Kenneth Noland utilizes an approach to composition that is an energetic celebration of life and color. Noland''s outstanding painting entitled Song (1958) is the most obvious example of his attempt to translate musical sounds into color harmonies. The central pink circle, surrounded by a ring of red, then a concentric band of black, then red again, then deep blue and then a final band of gray with a hazy, irregular edge, is like a single brass note vibrating outwardly until the sound begins to disintegrate and fade.

The horn is blaring and the message is carried forward clearly: life, pleasure and color are to be acclaimed boldly and without apology. In Noland''s work entitled Song, color has found a voice and the internal harmonies are exquisitely tight and s trong.

The Art of Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian, a native of Holland, began his mature work with a variation of Cubism which was based on images in nature: the sea, sand dunes, the sky, and trees. Mondrian''s desire to contribute to the spiritualizing of civilization grew in part from his Theosophical leanings. Mondrian sought the centrality and essence of an art stripped of peripherals. Beauty was practical, light and ephemeral.

Mondrian''s striving for spiritual clarification in his work led him to a grammar of shape based strictly on horizontals and verticals. By this means, he achieved a remarkable degree of energy and vibrancy in his art. Mondrian was not threatened by the advent of the machine or the modern city. The machine had not completely dehumanized man as other artists had prophesied so emphatically. Furthermore, the cities created by industrialization, especially Mondrian''s beloved New York, were not dysfunctional to him but dynamic and liberating.

Mondrian was part of an idealistic group of artists in the Netherlands known as De Stijl or "the style." De Stijl''s creed was a combination of total abstraction, a minimum of creative terms, and restriction to the primary colors of red, yellow and blue and the non-colors of black, gray and white. Mondrian''s missionary zeal for a higher level of harmony in art had taken him beyond the bounds of Cubism.

One of Mondrian''s last paintings, "Broadway Boogie Woogie" (1942-3), a large oil on canvas, exemplifies many aspects of his masterful technique. Only the title reveals the reference to the external reality of the cityscape. Mondrian''s interpretation of the New York street grid is joyful and colorful. In Mondrian''s work, the loose spontaneity of other modern artists has been rarefied and ordered.

Man has achieved balance and creativity on a higher level. He is not dependent on either the natural world or the manufactured one. Mondrian''s vision is one of abstraction resulting in the revelation of a type of universal electricity which supersedes both organic and mechanical energy.

Mondrian''s grid fills the canvas, but also contains large amounts of space and air. Perhaps the disciplined rhythm of the machine, modern life and the cityscape holds within itself an even greater freedom than the prior vicissitudinous cycles of agrarian living. The rhythm of Mondrian''s image is accelerated and syncopated Man has adapted to the technological environment and is alive and thriving after all.

Mondrian''s composition is balanced with almost mathematical precision. The space has now been completely flattened. Yet somehow Mondrian''s rectangles and squares flash continuously with a voltage born of almost gymnastic geometry.

Are the squares in Broadway Boogie Woogie intended as symbols of cars or buildings or sidewalks or traffic lights or flashing neon signs? Man has mastered all of these various aspects of his new, technological life. Like a child confidant in a now familiar env ironment and his own well-developed skills, man can build the future he envisions with the colorful building blocks of his mind and imagination.

Mondrian has reduced life and art to the bare essentials. Variations on a single shape are combined with only three colors and white. He has omitted even the black and gray of other De Stijl artists. Mondrian''s ability to triumph artistically in spite of these restrictions sends a clear and reassuring message of hope.

How to Care for Your Artwork

There are a few easy guidelines that will keep your original artwork looking as beautiful s the day you bought it for many years to come. The following rules will keep your work in excellent condition for a lifetime and more.

First, take care to have the proper lighting for your art. Place your painting so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can fade and/or darken colors. Also, do not mount display lights directly over your original art. Spotlights should ideally be located several feet from the surface of a painting for a more diffuse, less intense light.

Second, avoid fireplace smoke and cigarette smoke. Keeping your art in a room without a fireplace is ideal. In any case, do not hang directly over a fireplace. Paintings may be dusted with a soft, clean brush to very gently remove accumulated dirt and dust. Do not use any detergents or chemicals. In-depth cleaning for fine art should be done by a professional art restorer. If your painting is in the proper environment, a professional cleaning is usually only required after many decades or even centuries!

Third, the best temperature environment for artwork is moderate, including average temperatures of 70-75F and a humidity of 50%. Although ideal conditions are rare outside of museums, in general try to avoid exposing your original art to extremes of either heat or humidity. Fourth, if your artwork has been seriously damaged (tears, punctures or other significant damage), the repairs should always be handled by a professional art restorer. Common tapes and glues may contain chemicals that will damage the art.

Finally, if your artwork needs to be placed in storage, store at the same temperature and humidity levels as indicated above. Do not seal in plastic or glass as moisture build-up may cause damage. Sheets or other low lint cloths may be used to lightly cover your paintings. Paintings should be stored standing rather than lying flat so that any stress is on the frame rather than the canvas itself.

Follow these guidelines and your original art will add beauty and joy to your life for many, many years to come.

Through the Passage of Tanjore Paintings History

Lineage of Tanjore Paintings

The times in the medieval history of India had been the glorious moments for arts and cultural prosperity for the country. The rich heritages of the country during this period were the defining moments when different forms of arts and crafts evolved in almost all the regions of India. Some of the Paintings, which evolved during this period, were Tanjore paintings, Rajput and Mughal Miniature Paintings and Deccan paintings.

Tanjore paintings came into the limelight from a place called Thanjavur in southern state of India. That is why it is also called Thanjavur paintings. Tanjore paintings is a beautiful, ancient, and miniature type of painting. The origin of Tanjore painting dates back to the Nayak & the Maratha rule in the 16th century. Tanjore Paintings are known for their surface richness, vivid colours and compact composition and are well sought after.

The Maratha rule of Thanjavur spanned for over two centuries from the late 16th century. Maratha princes were the great admirers of the local traditional forms of paintings, There is no written record as to who was the first person to start this form of painting. There are evidences which support that the painting evolved with skills and talents of few communities which were not local of Thanjavur.

Making of Tanjore Paintings

The art of making Tanjore painting was practiced by two main communities namely - the Rajus in Thanjavur and Trichy, a city near to Thanjavur and Naidus in Madirai, a city ruled by Pandias. The artists, Rajus & Naidus, who are originally Telugu speaking people from "Rayalseema" region, moved to Tamil Nadu during the Nayak''s rule of Madurai & Tanjore. The paintings were masterpiece and were rooted in tradition. Naturally the innovations were limited. However, the tradition of making of Tanjore painting remained as a distinct art of the region and stood out glittering identifying itself just not limited to canvass , brush and colours but beyond that. The richness of paintings showed the great exposition of use gold and precious stones. The art was sacred to few master craftsmen who chose to be anonymous and humble. Paintings were not limited only to canvass but even done on materials like wood, glass, mica, and exotic media such as ivory, murals and manuscripts

Tanjore Painting''s Liaison with Literature

There are instances of Tanjore paintings finding place in the great literatures of the bygone era. The Sanskrit work of Prabotha Chandrodayam has a few pages of Tanjore painting. Marathi translations of Mahabharath & Bhagavatham, which are works of the painter Madhava swami and dates back to 1824 A.D shows and mentions about the Tanjore paintings. The profound depiction of Paintings of Gods & Goddesses on the wooden covers of every part of an edition of the ''Rig Veda'' published during King Sarfoji''s time witnessed the prime importance of Tanjore paintings.

Saraboji II the adopted son of Tuljaji, became the King of Thanjavur in 1798, who loved arts and crafts. He had a very special attention towards arts. So, he planned to have all the paintings done in the Tanjore Temple. One day when King Sarboji came to visit the temple and to see the paintings, he found Tanjore paintings to be the wonder and very special of all the works and enthusiastically he became one of the proponents who encouraged Tanjore paintings.

Learning Tanjore Paintings

Sadly, there is no school in India which teaches particular form of arts to carry on from one generation to other generation. The art profoundly remains the personal skilled property of the individual artist or sometimes becomes the knowledge of the family. Tanjore Paintings, however, is the heritage of few communities such as Rajus and Naidus even in the modern times. Apart from this, there are interested artists who have shown great inclination to learn this art and practice with their in novation and modern mix of thoughts and have taken Tanjore paintings to a wider audience. Today, Tanjore Paintings are not only the symbol of traditional paintings, but the blend of old and new thoughts to amalgamate and make Tanjore paintings richer even in the modern times.

Tanjore paintings are the divine forms of expression of love for God, truth, and beauty. Hundreds of devoted artists from Tamil Nadu have kept this beautiful form of art alive and have brought about new innovations to it. The brilliant pieces of paintings have become the part of the art gallery not only in India but in abroad too. However, the true inheritors of Tanjore paintings are mostly the artists who hail from the place of origin and practice this art.

Your Pictures on Canvas - Wondering its worth?

The world of photography has developed so much to an extent that we have not even dreamt of. Digitalization of photography has brought in numerous add-on values to it. Canvas Printing is a new technology which is gaining new strength. Photographers, art lovers, even ordinary people are behind it. Wondering what makes it work and worth? Let us try to figure out the reason behind it.

Our memories are everlasting. But those wonderful moments which are the reason behind our everlasting memories are usually captured in the form of photos or videos. They can be treasured lifelong in an album or cassette or a disc, etc; and kept safely in a case. But these cannot be revisited or remembered daily if we pack them in a case and place it. So, what''s the best way to revisit your memories and bring them into your life daily? The best way is to print your pictures on canvas and make them come real in front of you .

But you cannot bring every single picture on canvas. So, select very special ones and have them printed as pictures onto canvas. First of all give it some thinking and bring all the important moments in front of your eyes. It could be a special, unforgettable moment or even a simple yet realistic and treasured one. It could be a picture captured during an occasion like graduation, wedding or during a holidaying trip. No doubt these are some of the best moments in everyone''s life. The real value of printing pictures onto canvas should be known before doing it.

Printing pictures on canvas or transforming pictures to canvas is really beneficial. The most important thing is being its quality. Pictures on canvas give such a professional look that you can never imagine. They are best suited in a number of ways. Pictures on canvas can be used as a wall hanging for advertisements in publ ic places. They can best withstand the wear and tear due to climatic changes. As already told, because of its professional look and quality, pictures onto canvas seem to bring lifeless artwork to real life. This technique of printing pictures onto canvas has become so popular that it has been used in art galleries and museum too.

Now transforming pictures to canvas is done by a number of art workers in UK and can be done easily. All one has to do is to send the pictures that are to be converted to canvas to them and get it done by just mentioning your requirements like the size of the picture, the frames to be put up and the colour options and things like that. You can get your picture converted to canvas in a few days and have that imperishable memory hanging in your home.

Photos to canvas - Make your memories imperishable

You count on your most forgettable moments often in your life. And you hold those moments in a piece of paper like thing which is perishable during the ages of time. Photos are printed and developed on this paper like things and they start fading out after ten years. And within twenty to twenty five years they are almost gone completely. As a matter of fact the chemicals used in developing them do not stand the ages of time when they are exposed to light and heat. Even photos are that framed and preserved properly with utmost care also start losing their quality. So, what could be the best possible thing that could be done to protect your memories from dying out within twenty five years of time?

Have you ever come across the terms like Photos on canvas? Yes, photos on canvas are a new technology in photography. Printing p hotos onto canvas is quicker, easier and cheaper. The most important aspect of all is that they can last longer even for a period of hundred years. Isn''t that amazing?

Even though the technology is new to the area of photography, the basic logic that revolves behind dates back to very old age. Preserves of our ancestors have lived till age only in two forms namely - stones and canvas. Printing your photos onto stone is quite absurd and even if not so absurd, you wouldn''t like doing it. Aren''t you? So, Printing photos onto canvas is the possible option and the best option too.

Now printing your photos to canvas comes very handy to you. There are many websites available to you which allow you to upload your photos. Upload the photo and just enter the ''Submit'' button. And imagine your work is done. You can even send them to the art workers who perform such transformation of your photos onto canvas. And you will have your copy of photo on canvas in a couple of day s. And you can have them hanging in your wall elegantly.

You can wonder how this small piece of work on Canvas can last longer than your own life. The answer is simple. Technology has brought in a huge change in the walks of our life. These canvases are printed in the very similar way to the traditional way of printing with colours. But they are done with much specialised inkjet lasers. Your pictures are transformed into photos on canvas in the similar way as that of traditional printing by injecting inks of different and vibrant colours. These colours are likely to remain forever and have less or no chances of fading out.