Galerie Verdun Art News

Issue for April 15, 2005

Visage: Faces of Man

An exciting new gallery series featuring abstract oil paintings by Curtis Verdun.

This new series explores various images of faces in varied compositions, colors and expressions. Both large and small paintings will be part of this series. Look for these exciting new oil paintings coming within the next few weeks.

I know what I like and that's not it!

How dare art critics try to tell us what is great art and what is not? What do they know?

They tell us that art should be this, art should be that... Telling people what art should be or what art should look like is like telling them what they should feel. It's a personal thing. It's in the eye of the beholder, right?

Now on the other hand, why don't we feel something when we look at some art? Are we are too busy trying to figure out what it is, that we can't just simply enjoy it - feel it. There are way too many of us who clam up when presented with art that we are not used to. It's like when hard-rockers hear country music and want to gag or when polka fans hear jazz... The response isn't what it should be. Just because we have our favorites doesn't mean we can't appreciate and even immerse ourselves into a very different set of emotions presented to us by either music or art.

If we shut the door, we miss out on wonderful experiences.

Why do so many shun abstract art as though it’s not natural? Have you seen the beautiful rock colorations and formation in the Grand Canyon? Guess what? It's abstract art! Sure, it wasn't supposed to represent anything - you won't always make out a face - but it does move you, doesn't it? Images can move us, inspire us, and entertain us without actually being a visual representation of any object.

Do wispy clouds give you a different feeling than thick cumulus clouds? How could that be? It's just water vapor in a non-distinct abstract form! When were you last deeply moved by a sunset? Why? There's nothing really there. It's not tangible; you can't touch it, use it or eat it. It's a fleeting display of random atmospheric variations! It's nothing...but an abstract image.