drabley Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I bought the above William Hemmerling giclee the other day for my "collection". I have one of the signed and numbered versions, so it was a little more spendy than most Hemmerling giclees, especially since he's now dead. I am absolutely in love with everything about it and stare at it for a good while each night. Missing from the above image are the words written around the border. As follows:Top: Digging for a Heart of GoldRight: Sweet PotatosBottom: Heart of GoldLeft: Sweet Olive PotatosPotatos is intentionally misspelled.The point and purpose of art, for me, is to elicit a response from the viewer, be it positive or negative. The subject matter in Hemmerling's work certainly does just that. I, obviously, find it compelling. What's your take? Discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 Why it's gotta be black folks working the fields? That's racist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentgods Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 the nature of art. pisschrist. discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 Why it's gotta be black folks working the fields? That's racist. I see the workers as faceless drones. I couldn't have this in my house, I find it very unsettling. It makes me think that the work they've done will never be over, as they seem to be working toward me from the horizon. The cloud (or whatever that is in the sky) is too ominous to be a sign of something good coming. It's a really great piece and it certainly elicits a response from me, it just makes me very uncomfortable and uneasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xfedaykinx Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 face down, arms out. where is your savior now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I should add that I don't know anything about the artist. That was just my reaction for looking at it for a few minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesomexloveus Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 you already know how i feeeeeeel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted November 6, 2009 Author Share Posted November 6, 2009 Why it's gotta be black folks working the fields? That's racist. I see the workers as faceless drones. I couldn't have this in my house, I find it very unsettling. It makes me think that the work they've done will never be over, as they seem to be working toward me from the horizon. The cloud (or whatever that is in the sky) is too ominous to be a sign of something good coming. It's a really great piece and it certainly elicits a response from me, it just makes me very uncomfortable and uneasy. I feel the exact opposite, though I'm not judging or questioning you. Your reaction is yours and is perfectly valid. The words coupled with the image are what does it for me. This piece, for me, brings about a sense of humanity – that all of us can have or hold a heart of gold but some, unfortunately, had to dig a little deeper to find it. A heart of gold digging to find a heart of gold to stop the digging, if you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 The good news, drabs, is that your avatar looks just like you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I see the workers as faceless drones. I couldn't have this in my house, I find it very unsettling. It makes me think that the work they've done will never be over, as they seem to be working toward me from the horizon. The cloud (or whatever that is in the sky) is too ominous to be a sign of something good coming. It's a really great piece and it certainly elicits a response from me, it just makes me very uncomfortable and uneasy. I feel the exact opposite, though I'm not judging or questioning you. Your reaction is yours and is perfectly valid. The words coupled with the image are what does it for me. This piece, for me, brings about a sense of humanity – that all of us can have or hold a heart of gold but some, unfortunately, had to dig a little deeper to find it. A heart of gold digging to find a heart of gold to stop the digging, if you will. That's why something like this is so great. Two completely different responses. Also, how are the words written around the edges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 I feel the exact opposite, though I'm not judging or questioning you. Your reaction is yours and is perfectly valid. The words coupled with the image are what does it for me. This piece, for me, brings about a sense of humanity – that all of us can have or hold a heart of gold but some, unfortunately, had to dig a little deeper to find it. A heart of gold digging to find a heart of gold to stop the digging, if you will. That's why something like this is so great. Two completely different responses. Also, how are the words written around the edges? Left to right along the top and bottom, like normal. For the left edge, if you rotated the canvas 90 degrees CCW, the text would be left to right. for the right edge, if you rotate the canvas 90 degrees CW, the text would be left to right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 The good news, drabs, is that your avatar looks just like you. Glad to have your approval once more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanukichu Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 I've liked all of Brad's avatars. Congrats on purchasing art! I hope to have some legit stuff that's not my own hanging in my dwelling one day. I find this piece to be very intriguing. I find it to be calming, but then I look at it again and I feel unsettled. And then calmed and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 I see the figures in their white suits as being sort of an embodiment of cleanliness. That they are doing menial work with the earth, and the ominous cloud behind them leads me to assume a metaphor for how every pure thing gets tarnished. I also like how the cloud and dirt are done in colors that are in such contrast with the earth tones of the land and houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 The good news, drabs, is that your avatar looks just like you. Glad to have your approval once more. You know I be approvin' you. I wish we could hang out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmonaut Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 I really like the vague, amorphous thing in the sky. Is it a sweet potato (which would seem for me to symbolize roots/sustenance), or something more menacing (it's somewhat claw-like)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 I really like the vague, amorphous thing in the sky. Is it a sweet potato (which would seem for me to symbolize roots/sustenance), or something more menacing (it's somewhat claw-like)? The only guy that really knows is dead. That's what makes it so special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kissthesharks Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Man, I can't wait to get my own place so I can get some art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drunkenthird Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 "Like a red morn, that ever yet betoken'd wreck to the seaman - sorrow to shepherds." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 That's why something like this is so great. Two completely different responses. Also, how are the words written around the edges? Left to right along the top and bottom, like normal. For the left edge, if you rotated the canvas 90 degrees CCW, the text would be left to right. for the right edge, if you rotate the canvas 90 degrees CW, the text would be left to right. I guess I meant the text itself. I could've worded that much better. Is the text scrawled? Block letters? That kind of thing. How the text is written might make a difference in how I see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 I guess I meant the text itself. I could've worded that much better. Is the text scrawled? Block letters? That kind of thing. How the text is written might make a difference in how I see it. The same "font" as the artists "signature". Mixed upper and lower case. Intentional misspelling of potatoes. Deliberately juvenile. Or perhaps deliberately uneducated. Much like Hemmerling himself. He is a self taught painter. He used predominantly found materials -- reclaimed doors -- fence boards -- etc. to paint on. Makes it that much more real and poignant in my opinion. He is his subject matter, in a way. Not to detract from his subject matter, or anything. But the metaphor works in my mind. www.hemmerlingart.com to see more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 I've liked all of Brad's avatars.Congrats on purchasing art! I hope to have some legit stuff that's not my own hanging in my dwelling one day. I find this piece to be very intriguing. I find it to be calming, but then I look at it again and I feel unsettled. And then calmed and so on. The house that I live in has easily $150,000 worth of art on the walls, not counting my own. The frame on one of the pieces alone is more than I make in a quarter. It's an expensive habit, Nicole. Choose wisely. Sometimes your own is just as well. I spent more than I care to share on that giclee. Hemmerling originals are in the $10,000 - $20,000 range, to put it in perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drabley Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 FYI: This is the next piece I'm going to buy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.