Thanks so much for posting this review, Sharon. Thomasin, I think you are right about the points he makes having been made before.
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Originally Posted by Julie Deane
Cecilia Beaux. . . . did not overwork her portraits. Such boldness- it was very freeing to see. Perhaps the extremely realistic style so popular now will relax after artists have proved that they can, indeed, produce highly realistic works.
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Recently I was reading the new biography of Cecilia Beaux, and near the end the author describes her dismay at the changing art scene. Beaux herself thought that the new trend away from realism was merely a flash in the pan--but look how long it has lasted! When you read the reviews in the book, you get a really good idea of the many conflicting opinions and the turmoil in the art scene at the time. The conflict in the art scene now is reminiscent of that, except realism is coming back rather than on the way out.
Julie, I agree with what you say about realism. I've been watching the New York art scene with disouragement. Right now the public sees the tight academic realism as "better" and more skilled than the brushy and painterly style with which I identify more. I have had a gallery owner tell me that I will lose my collector base if I keep painting more loosely--even though the change in my work over time has been very gradual.
We really do have to go in the direction that we want, and not worry about these trends. That's the only answer.