Don Schaeffer Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

mixed media
An illustration of a story I wrote about a mission to Mars.

SonyBug

Oh, I thought a second grader painted that.

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Unnecessarily nasty, don't you think?

Don Schaeffer Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

it is what it is

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Don Schaeffer Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

thanks

SteveR Loc: Michigan

So...life is that bad?

SonyBug

Give me a break. It does look like a child's crayon picture. Maybe that is the look he was going for, but not serious art for sure.

Don Schaeffer Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

I understand you don't like this. It's ok. But look at it a little more carefully. What are all those eyes about? Do you see the curves that interact with each other? What does the caption mean? It's not a great painting. It's sloppy. But it has some meaning. You can't just throw aside everything that doesn't look like a bouquet of flowers.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Give you a break? You certainly seem to be willing to shoot from the hip yourself, so I assumed you'd be able to accept criticism just as you handed it out. Personally, I liked the painting. I found it appealing. Ever seen any of Grandma Moses' paintings? I suppose your criticism might apply to them as well.

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Get a life...

jhkfly

Ars Gratia Artis

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Taken from the Oxford Eagle, "The Modern Art movement confuses many as they look at Warhol, Rothko, and Pollock, and think they themselves or their toddler aged children could create something very similar. They wonder why it is so valuable when it is so simple. There is a much bigger picture than one can see on the canvas when looking at works like this".

I'm a retired mechanical system designer and I produced and dealt with precise technical drawings and 3D models on a daily basis. As such, I've always been in awe of the old masters and it was beyond my comprehension to understand how they were able to produce the classic works with such primitive tools and materials they had to work with at the time.

I admit that I have a difficult time understanding "modern art" and the prices that many command stagger me. I also admit that I have a difficult time believing those that proclaim they understand what it means and why it is so coveted when others as simple and abstract or not.

I do believe that art is in the eye of the beholder and thus there will always something for everyone albeit not the same for everyone. Myself, I consider the Statue of David and the Pieta as the pinnacle of art.

Don Schaeffer Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

Read Kurt Koffka, Rudolph Arnheim, Wolfgang Koehler, gestate psychology

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

For Nikonbug, Don Schaeffer, that's Don Schaeffer Phd uses seemingly simplistic childlike art to illustrate notions about the relationships between the simple and the complex. Sometimes there is more than what meets the eye. I am thinking of Mark Rothko as one example. This particular piece of Don's is not one I would necessarily hang on my wall, but you and Don probably wouldn't put up what I would. I have not written nor published any books, Dr. Schaeffer has published several. How many books have you published?
There is one other thing. What if by some chance the post was from a person who actually did possess some sort of developmental disability or limitation. Why would you want to poke fun at such a person? I know this site is about all sorts of different things including honest and thoughtful criticism. I also hope that it is about kindness.