Modes of Expression

One good way to make a home more personal, a reflection of one's particular interests or personality, is to display art. I, for one, must have tons of paintings, prints, and photographs around me. Nothing feels more homey than a room with the walls blanketed in rich artistry!

So, today, I am featuring two of my favorite artists who use two very different modes of expression: Massimo Vitali, the cinamatographic (it's a word!) photographer, and Michael Wayne, the abstract painter.

Massimo Vitali's website describes his work (especially the Beach Series, of which I included several pictures) as a "sanitized, complacent view of Italian normalities, at the same time revealing the inner conditions and disturbances of reality: its cosmetic fakery, sexual innuendo, commodified leisure, deluded sense of affluence, and rigid conformism."..... Yes, yes. But also, these pictures are graphic and just plain pleasing to look at!

I love all the natural settings that the pictures feature. Obviously the Beach Series focuses on coastal destinations, but, as the photos above and below illustrate, he does display more lush locales as well (achieving the same visual reward).

Aren't they fabulous? I could just stare at these forever! It's almost like "Where's Waldo", looking for the detail in all the action.

Michael Wayne introduces us to a whole new form of exposition. His paintings are huge (some as big as 12 feet long!) and, although the layers and the materials in his work are many, his paintings maintain that same pleasing, graphic quality as Massimo's above. That texture and complexity of color also keeps your eye moving all over the canvas (which, at times, is made of pure silk!).

And my two favorites.....

I came across Michael Wayne's work while on a visit to San Antonio, Texas. A friend and I stopped into a great little gallery there, called AnArte, and I immediately spotted one of his works from across the room. I can't begin to tell you how much more awe-inspiring and detailed these paintings are in real life. You absolutely must check him out!

So, as you can see through the work of these great artists, inspiration and interest can come in an array of media. As Michael himself puts it best, "There are no limitations on the means to create beauty."