-Guillaume Bresson is obviously unable to tune the blue colour. What kind of artist is a painter who don't consider first the necessity to harmonically tune all the colours of his compositions?
-Same issue in Sanam Khatibi's paintings: The figures aren't plastically integrated in the composition. This could be, in some sense, related to something symbolic or litterally expressive, but those "non-integration" spots should themselves create something like a rhythm, related to the other elements's rhythm of the composition. Unfortunately, it is not the case: those spots seem to have been randomly disposed, or in a purely symbolic or litteral order, that is NOT the language of painting. The global effect is something like a "bad Dali", which itself easyly stands as "bad neo-classicism" (technically speaking)...
- Hwami and Lei could one day, with work and patience, touch something like "truth", I mean world's truth and therefore their own.

The other ones are inconsistent and irrelevant, trying again and again to say what has already been the same way by someone else...

Very strange choice, in which one can flush out the prominence of ideas and symbols over plastic reality, that IS painting.
Lesson #58: "La Pittura e cosa mentale", said "you know who" around 1500... It's not because you stand as "figurative", that you're allowed to ignore painting's specific language: Not ideas, symbols, or other intellectual meanings, but visual quality that may emerge in a true arrangement from shapes, rhythms and (correctly tuned) colours.
Maybe it's hard to read, but this way you can be RIGHT or WRONG.
If you complacently choose to ignore this, you will make pictures. Museum are alas cluttered by loads of those dispensable things...
If you work hard trying to take this crucial point, then you're making paintings.
In that particular way, Basquiat is equal to Rembrandt, if that clue may help you to realize what I'm talking about.
The problem is, the laws that rule this option are written nowhere: You have to carefully discover them for yourself on each new tableau...
I would even warn you, who have the amition to paint: If you find such laws anywhere in cultural corpus, be sure it's a mistake or a lie.
The only solution is to patiently refine your work by sight, and your sight by working, to develop that special sense in your mind...
THIS only is able to solve that mystery: What to paint or not to paint? You may only paint what the language of painting is able to carry.
If you want to paint something you could say by speaking or writing, speak or write it.
"Anything is not to be painted, as many believe." said Bram van velde.

All comments from YouTube:

@atelier.distante

40w↑4

You are doing a great work, Julian. Thank you so much, what you are building is becoming an invaluable resource for artists. 🥋

@contemporaryartissue

40w

Thank you for those most kind words, I appreciate it! Have a great day 🙏

@damiano.is.painting

34w

Exactly, thank you!

@amareshpereira

1y↑4

Thank you and wish you a Happy New Year Dr Julian! The information you share on CAI give a good insight and is also inspiring to tune into and also grow!
Will look at it again and also take a look at the other clips I've missed right after I get free from the project I'm working on.

@contemporaryartissue

Dear Amaresh, thank you so much for tuning in and for your very kind words. My very best wishes for 2023 to you too! All my best, Julien

@timbomilko5367

34w

Thanks you Julian. Living and painting outside any urban centres, these small videos give great insights into the figurative work being done, which both informs and validates my own figurative work projects. Great help!

@contemporaryartissue

34w

That's wonderful. Go for it!

@vicentejouclas2518

1y↑1

Em poucos minutos ouvindo-o e vendo os lindos painéis do Breson, descobri uma chave, não só das artes plásticas, que é transfigurar em lugar de negar.
Que bom que existe essa verdadeira biblioteca de Alexandria chamada Internet e que boa sorte haver seu espaço nela ☘️

@vicentejouclas2518

1y↑4

Guillaume Bresson! Como se não bastasse o poeta fotográfico também Bresson, conheço aqui na CAI o Guillaume; quase um filósofo da experiência visual como você que nos relata diz.
O trabalho do Guillaume comoveu-me por seu olhar um fenômeno recorrente na história da nossa vida social. Principalmente aquele quadro em que há uma arcada pétrea, sólida e quase eterna acolhendo uma vida em movimento.
A CAI é um espaço ampliador de nossa articulação e sensibilidade.
Agora vou ler os outros comentários. Como numa conversa universitária.
☘, Contemporary Art Issue!

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

He is a terrific artist indeed and the painting you mention is one of my personal favorites by Bresson. Thank you so much as always!

@StonedustandStardust

1y↑5

Thank you for introducing us to these brilliant artists and their wonderful works. Truly inspiring.

@contemporaryartissue

The pleasure is all mine, thank you for tuning in!

@johnjones3714

1y↑5

Thank you for being part of my daily appreciation of visual art.
These artists are previously unknown to me.

@contemporaryartissue

Thank you, John. The pleasure is all mine. Happy to hear you discovered some new artists. Have a great day and all the best for 2023!

@vicentejouclas2518

1y↑1

Em poucos segundos escutando-o ampliei o conceito de arte imerciva!

@janetbrodesser236

40w

I am so glad to see such satisfying, interesting new work by artists who are not all old, white men. I love some works by old white men to be sure. But great art is not made by one race and one gender and by persons in one decade of their lifespan. Thanks for taking the trouble to look around. Thank you to the gallery owners who represent new artists without taking advantage of them unfairly as some do

@contemporaryartissue

40w

A great set of artists indeed. Thank you for tuning in and wishing you a great day!

@MrMarcela001

48w

Love you videos, could you do something about conceptual realism.?

@KonradTheKing_

1y↑2

Piet Peere a belgian painter from Brugge also would be nice to be mentioned, his way with color and depicting volume is beyond words for me. Of course, you don't have to listen to me, as you may see it otherwise, greetings from belgium!

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Thank you for the suggestion and for tuning in! Have a great 2023!

@dislikebutton1718

31w

All these picks have a sort of classists aesthetics to them.

@SimonGuillemin

48w↑1

Love the work of Xie Lei, thanks for this discovery !

@contemporaryartissue

48w

Yes, he's one of my personal favorites as well! The pleasure is all mine :-)

@suppohkram

37w

Now i just have to start my art career and maybe one day I’ll be on this list 😅

@easybizmarketingfaq

1y↑1

Thanks a million for your work

@contemporaryartissue

The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for tuning in!

@MostafaAboAly

47w↑1

Thank you for amazing content

@contemporaryartissue

47w

The pleasure is all mine, thank you for tuning in!

@oryjen

1y↑3

@vicentejouclas2518

Me impressionou seu Artigo crítico e me faz lembrar que o fenômeno artístico completa-se no olhar do apreciador.
Your critical article impressed me and reminds me that the artistic phenomenon is complete in the gaze of the connoisseur.

@oryjen

1y↑1

@@vicentejouclas2518 Thank you.
The key is, no one can really understand painting without having once painted.
That special perceptive sense can only be fully developed by painting.
Words are words; sight is sight.
Nothing to add.
Therefore I let you guess where my "knowledge" of this comes from...
Please go and read the last sentence of my previous message: there was a mistake in Bram Van Velde's quote, I just corrected. Sorry.

@vicentejouclas2518

@@oryjen ; Thank you.
I reread your correction on Bram van velde's sentence: _"... is to be painted, ... believe."
From the first reading I had difficulty understanding it. There is logical complexity in it, but a simple color or visual texture starts a creative process in an artist. At least one visual experience at a glance.
What do you think about being able to say: _If you want to say or write something that you could say by painting, paint._?

@oryjen

1y↑2

@@vicentejouclas2518 Of course, it works in that way too!
And about Bram's sentence, the key word is "NOT": You may NOT paint ANYTHING, or EVERYTHING... especially ideas, concepts.
Painting is a language, with its grammar and syntax, and its proper field. But its alphabet is very very large, maybe infinite... Something like an agglomerating language if you want...
That language may aim at particular goals. Not ideas, not concepts, but sometfhing else, that has to deal with truth: Truth of yourself, truth (OBJECTIVE truth) of the world, therefore truth of life experience, out of any tale, any disquisition; out of the narrative.
That language allows you to touch that kind of truth, and the way you touch it, or "discover" it, builds the proper language.
Through proper painting, you experience something like a revelation. Slow, smooth, subtle, but really transforming your life.

@evarzic

1y↑2

Thanks!!Useful video.

@contemporaryartissue

That's great, have a terrific day!

@hermitcrabbot

32w

'Figurative' painters are the equivalent of classical musicians. 'Contemporary' painters are the equivalent of popular musicians.

@contemporaryartissue

31w

I believe academic painters are the equivalent of classical musicians. Contemporary painting can also be figurative—as is the case with this selection. Thank you for tuning in!

@chandhrue5479

1y↑2

you should talk about future of NFT and traditional art ....

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Sounds like a great suggestion! And thank you for tuning in!

@cosmeherrera

1y↑2

Hi. Could you at some Point do a similar video about sculptors. Thanks.

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Absolutely! Terrific suggestion

@marymary5494

1y↑1

👌💕

@contemporaryartissue

❤️🙌

@willywonka1854

1y↑2

great Video! Thank you!

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Thank you so much, the pleasure is all mine

@BigBuddha3

1y↑1

Aside from Sanam Khatibi, which is reasonably okay...the rest is utter regressive kitsch, sorry. In my opinion you could name these, which range from very good to quite okay e.g. Andre Butzer figurative paintings, Michel Majerus, Louise Bonnet, Katherine Bernhardt and Trey Abdella as the youngest.

@anttim8788

Oof.. I kinda agree but why include Majerus who has been long dead. Xie Lei paintings are quite nice also

@BigBuddha3

@@anttim8788 Yeah, I thought about not including Majerus, but somehow he's just as fresh as he was then. Xie Lei is such a creepy/horror kitsch then better Miriam Cahn...

@anttim8788

@@BigBuddha3 true!

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑3

First, a great recital of artists on your part, so thank you for sharing. Your anthology also makes it clear what your (good) taste is when it comes to figurative art; bold, fresh, colorful, free, and playful paintings—a type of painting a really enjoy as well. For this list, we opted to select more distinctive figurative painters with a more naturalist visual language; something which isn't everyone's cup of tea, of course. Nevertheless, thank you for tuning in and for sharing your thoughts! All my best, Julien

@duyhaitrandinh9928

48w↑1

thanks for sharing

@contemporaryartissue

48w

The pleasure is all mine! Thank you for tuning in

@carolisherwood493

45w

Breathtakingly marvellous to see art without the defiant inclusion of womens vaginas in minute detail. To all you artists out there running out
of ideas, painting the vaginas of women is third rate art.

@carolisherwood493

45w

This video is beautiful . All of it. Thank you

@mattkayem1554

1y↑11

I was hoping to see more African or artists of colour on this list as there are producing the most interesting figurative work now

@maxc9619

1y↑11

Interesting opinion.
I think trans artists are making the more interesting art to be honest. Behind them it’s gay people of colour, then sis women, then Asians, then white gays, then little people, then wheelchair users, then the blind, then the deaf, and then straight white men.
Can we all at least agree that art should only be valued and viewed through an identity based lens please.

@nunyabusiness9775

That is only your opinion. I have never seen anything I like from that sector.

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑15

We have one Asian artist, a Middle-Eastern artist, a North-African artist, a South-African artist, a Middle-European artist, and a West-European artist. So I believe this selection has a very decent amount of diversity.

@dnlgrmn7169

1y↑1

@@contemporaryartissue exactly… she’s trying to make a point without doing research first..

@leoo2208

1y↑3

Get over it

11 More Replies...

@vicentejouclas2518

1y↑3

Valeu!

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Thank you so much Vicente!

@jennypage7991

46w↑1

You might want to have a look at Johan Barrios' work...Mr.Hadjab's work is quite similar....I thought of Barrios' work immediately when I saw this video...

@contemporaryartissue

46w

Hi Jenny, yes, I know Johan Barrios' work pretty well, actually. He used to be one of my favorite artists one day, but now I believe his development stagnated the past five years, lacking variety, and sticking to his current "formula." Would've liked to see him grow and explore further considering his talent

@jennypage7991

45w

@@contemporaryartissue hmmm. Interesting perspective. I agree his earlier work feels more dynamic than his recent work, but I don't think his 'development' is over yet , nor is his work stagnated(an artist's progress is always in this phase and it never really ends!). Additionally there is a massive amount of skill ,both acquired and developing, that constitutes all of his work, which is masterful. That is not to discount the work of your current favorite Dhewadi Hadjab, also skillful and interesting, but I'd like to see something different from him (that is different than Barrios) as I feel like Barrios had that gig covered. Perhaps he could take the idea,(as he has somewhat) and push it further somehow...in both cases, if I could make work of that quality, Id be pretty happy! : )

@contemporaryartissue

45w

@@jennypage7991 Yes, he is tremendously skillful—but in terms of the subject matter, his development has stagnated and thus his work has become a bit predictable. Nevertheless, I respect his work strongly and still enjoy seeing his works. Thank you for the nice talk!

@jennypage7991

45w

@@contemporaryartissue Hi Julian, ~again, I would not have said stagnated, but that's art-subjective, no? Yes, nice and interesting discussion! Merci! PS. I love the music use in your videos-!!adds a nice touch and I'd love to know the musician, if you are so inclined. merci, encore.

@contemporaryartissue

45w↑1

@@jennypage7991 The music is an anonymous jazz piece I bought a while ago—I love those tunes!

@poggiodipoggio

1y↑2

thank you 👍🏼

@contemporaryartissue

The pleasure is all mine, thank you for tuning in!

@selin985

24w

I like your work. But the dog has a difficult life😅

@KamiBlue

Just as I thought-~~no competition-~~

@reddnacpil4420

1y↑1

i don't want to sound like a troll here but the first few painters were sort of photoshoped photos that were painted. i mean, yeah, composition wise they look different from the others but i cant seem to find anything in their works, just images. it feels like they were just trying to create a visually astounding painting but is not really really saying anything. sorry to compare but beksinski's works were also painted with great skill and he tells people that they dont mean any specific thing but when you see them, they do.

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Hi Redd, thank you for tuning in. Good point, but I have to disagree. It might seem this way but when delving deeper, there is much more than a beautiful image. Especially with Remus Grecu, who doesn't use photoshop to create this pictures. It is filled with symbolic constructions resulting in an exuberant image instead of the other way around.

@reddnacpil4420

1y↑1

@@contemporaryartissue ey, remus' works are one of the artists that I really admire. not the ones im talking about but hey, thatnks for taking the time to reply.

@achimborn5850

30w

Okay, but where are the really good realists, like Odd Nerdrum, Helnwein, Anton Hoeger, Jenny Saville, and a lot of Spanish artsits?

@contemporaryartissue

30w

Hi there, in this video we are discussing emerging artists as stated in the title and not the established artists as in your recital. Nevertheless, great recital! Thank you for tuning in

@monicalarrarte7664

45w

There are far more interesting figurative printers , but not so well known.This ones , conceptually are basic , with total lack of creativity .But that’s the trend nowadays.This works are simply “pretty”..

@contemporaryartissue

45w↑2

I believe we'll have to agree to disagree on this one; some of these painters have some very complex iconographies and go beyond being merely "pretty pictures" or crafstmanship. Nevertheless, thank you for tuning in and feel free to share some of the figurative painters you enjoy the most!

@bigjohnknew

1y↑1

Marcus Wills - look him up!

@contemporaryartissue

Great painter, great suggestion! Thank you!

@nunyabusiness9775

1y↑1

Not impressed with Hwami even a little bit. Bresson, Grecu, and Hadjab are great.

@contemporaryartissue

De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum. I also believe all six are very different, so there something for everyone I believe.

@natalya_art

1y↑1

Thanks for video but why there are only male artists?

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Dear Natalya, thank you for tuning in. Kudzanai-Violet Hwami and Sanam Khatibi are female artists. Have a great day!

@natalya_art

1y↑1

@@contemporaryartissue thanks! Great!

@edthoreum7625

49w

🐶🐕😇😇

@bridgethughes3244

1y↑2

I have a dog that looks exactly like your dog. I wonder if they are brothers my was from Washington d.c.

@contemporaryartissue

That's great! She's a female British golden retriever—she was born here in Belgium. They are the best and the cutest!

@hd-xc2lz

1y↑6

Glad to see that at least one painter wasn't working from photos.

@redherring6757

1y↑5

Figurative or abstract?

@margolyn8291

I'm a painter and galleries,shows often argue my category..?figurative or abstract expressionist..🤣✌️💯

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

I made a typo indeed before the premiere. Your comment made me aware of it so thanks a million!

@willywonka1854

1y↑2

Alice Neel!!

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Alice Neel is a terrific figurative painter, but we wouldn't do her impressive career any justice to say she's an emerging artist. I recently visited her major retrospective at Centre Pompidou in Paris and was blown away once again by her work.

@willywonka1854

1y↑1

@@contemporaryartissue yes of course she isn´t emerging :) it was more a historic example, i visited her restrospective in San Francisco last spring and in Hamburg

@contemporaryartissue

@@willywonka1854 That's great!

@ivanklymenko

1y↑1

🙂👀🙂

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Thanks Ivan!

@-joe90

Figutative 😴

@ryanhubbard3225

1y↑2

Good doggie.

@contemporaryartissue

She's the best! Thank you for tuning in

@JohnBorstlap

40w

Political messaging deos not enhance the artistic qualities of paintings becasue this has nothing to do with aesthetics. Instead, they distract from quality. Painting is not pamfletteering, it must have intrinsic painterly qualities. Only Bresson and Hadjab demonstrate obvious painterly qualities, the rest is well-meant but flawed pamfletteering, thin and cheap. 'Figurative' is no garantee for quality.

@contemporaryartissue

40w

Art is not only about aesthetics or skill. Great art is also a conversation piece, it moves people or feels refreshing and new. Art is a feast and there is enough art for everyone's personal taste. Thank you for tuning in!

@JohnBorstlap

38w

@@contemporaryartissue Painterly qualities never exclude the possibility of being a conversation piece, or of moving people, or being refreshing and new. Look at history: all the great painters were all of these things. It was a whole package. Where artists look down on painterly qualities or aesthetics, they simply betray their flaws, they are not artists at all.

@lauragolub4228

1y↑2

The dog is bored out of its mind lol

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

Tired from her walk and having a nice meal, yet dreaming of more treats. She's the best!

@mamamia6925

48w

Iam not really impressed by these talents.

@Archetype73

You said ''reminiscent of Bosch".......that looks like a toddler's work compared to Bosch........PLEASE STOP

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑1

I disagree strongly on Khatibi. There is a very clear connection with Bosch and her aesthetic is consciously unnaturalistic. It feels refreshing and contemporary—while remaining a high-end overall feeling.

@JohnBorstlap

40w

Very interesting artists, but why begins this man his sentences clearly and sinks into inaudible mumbling at their end? Any useful information hidden in the tails of the lines is being lost.

@zoetfrancis8059

There’s nothing new here

@charles6762

49w

liu Xiaodong

@contemporaryartissue

49w

Terrific painter! However, presenting him as "emerging" wouldn't do him justice considering his illustrious career. Thank you for tuning in

@lindalane9496

47w

dog. all I see is dog.

@contemporaryartissue

47w

😂 100% accurate

@davidosle

1y↑2

Only two women? You serious? Dislike!

@johannbrandstatter7419

1y↑1

Your solution to this would be? Force women to paint, just to make up the numbers?

@rohitmadashri7250

Yes, that's shocking. And no transexuals too, that's horrendous. And how many are homosexuals if at all? Where is the world going?

@contemporaryartissue

1y↑2

Well, two out of six, meaning 33%.

@neimyx1

1y↑1

👆🏾👆🏾👆🏾 what he said

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