Edited by author 07-09-2004 09:46 PM
barnaby whitfield art is the greatest work you will ever see. I work evokes thought, laughter, and a whole ray of other emotions. Takes a real lover of art to understand.

Edited by author 03-18-2003 09:40 PM
Ok, I really wasn't going to post anything beyond my first comment, but the breathless tones of the obvious shills here have compelled me to act. :-)

I think these pieces could join works of similar stature at the MOBA:

http://www.glyphs.com/moba/moba3-95.html

http://www.glyphs.com/moba/moba6-95.html

http://www.glyphs.com/moba/mob12-95.html

http://www.glyphs.com/moba/deardorf.html

http://www.glyphs.com/moba/backroom.html

...well, Ok. The Barnaby Whitfield works aren't *really* as bad as the pieces exhibited at the MOBA, in part because they demonstrate a significant level of skill, but neither do they justify the over-the-top endorsements garnered here.

These works are obviously meant to be disturbing, and succeed at that, but don't even seem to be attempting to communicate anything else.

There's a certain interesting 'photoshop aesthetic' going on in these pieces, but that compositional technique also seems to be used solely for it's shock value, and it's overused to the point that the surreal mood it could have conveyed is lost, and we're left being hit over the head with revulsion.

Why would anyone want to buy these? Ah, but that is revealed in the postings of the breathless shills: It's a 'wise investment', collected by those in 'knowledgable circles', and his art 'isn't for the beginner'.

Bah. That sort of elitist attitude wrapping otherwise unmarketable crap in a cloak of exclusivity is designed to do one thing: pump up the price among status concious art collectors with a) more money than taste, or b) a cynical 'pump-and-dump' investment strategy.

A word of advice: Don't buy art unless you actually like it, even if it seems like a 'wise investment'. The 'wise investment' only holds if the artist in question continues to produce marketable work over a long career. If the career is cut short prematurely, because the artists decides there's more money to be made as a car salesman, or because they got hit by a bus, your investment's value drops. By orders of magnitude. The opposite effect takes place at the end of an artists career, when their demise pushes the value of their work up, because it is now a limited supply.

Statistically speaking, J.Newbie Artiste whose painting you just bought is unlikely to achieve that level of notoriety, and unless you happen to enjoy looking at the work in question, you'll have wasted your money.

The people walking past your cube can't tell if they're paintings.

Stop being a tight-ass, Craniac.

Btw, these aren't paintings. They're pastel drawings.

Can we save the full frontal for Reverse Cowgirl? I'd like to go to boingboing at work without blocking images from the server.

Ouch, my eye.
Seriously.

Offtopic: I went out and got a Leatherman multitool last night. What a very spiffy little thing it is! Many thanks to boingers for their recommendation of it back in 'what do you have in your pockets'.

Although Dave's "buddy" is technically proficient, his work is highly derivative. Kent Williams and Dave McKean have been doing work like this for years -- and they're much better I might add.

Seen more intriquing work in Figure Drawing 2. Cheesey

Um..well...I suppose it's better than being a serial killer of women.

Twisted! Literally and figuratively! I'd enjoy seeing what this guy does with male nudes. He has chops!

They are so raw & powerful!! Where can I see more?

I have had the pleasure of seeing some of Mr. Whitfield's art in person & agree that some of the detail is lost on the computer. This is the first set of nudes I have seen from him and I must say I love this bold new departure!

Whoa now! Anyone who manages to snag one of Barnaby Whitfield's paintings on an eBay auction with a starting bid as low as this has scored _bigtime_ ! It's very difficult to see the detail and nuance at 96 dpi, and Barnaby's is fantastic and rather edgy art -- not necessarily for the beginner. Take a look again and consider a wise investment. He's collected in some very knowledgeable circles.

sounds to me like a case of " those who can't do, teach"

I'm sure he's a wonderful friend and a very nice guy but these struck me as, well, mysoginistic. But art is the ultimate subjective experience, so more power to him and the folks who like this stuff.

Edited by author 03-15-2003 07:22 PM
These are horrible. I've got a MFA, I've taught art, and I'll be damned if these aren't horrible.

Edited by author 03-15-2003 07:10 PM
wow! these paintings are amazing!

Well, the fact that anyone finds these portraits....what was it? "truly beautiful" just proves that art is in the eye of the beholder. More power to him, though, if he can move these portraits.

Umm, ew?

Yes. Ew.