Confessions of a researchaholic

I learned from this exhibition that Morris Hirshfield was a self-taught artist who started painting at the age of 65, with a unique style of non-traditional proportion/perspective and strong emphasis on textures and patterns.

In the same exhibition are works by several other self-taught artists who also have unique styles and some also started very late (like “Grandma Moses” at age 78).

On one hand, it is never too late (or too non-conventional) to start something new.
On the other hand, the start is likely more gradual than sudden, with a long period of incubation.
In Hirshfield’s case, his career in the garment industry has an obvious impact in how he applied patterns in his paintings.

I went to see this exhibition today and was astonished by the details and accuracies of these large scale oil paintings and bronze sculptures made all within the past two years!
How did the artist accomplish such combination of care, size, and speed?

Quote from this article:

… he considered becoming a pro photographer. However, fearing that working on commission would blunt the spontaneity of his images, he decided to continue in his chosen career in the medical profession.

This is my favorite painting in the Anderson Collection; RIP.

There are those before me who have drawn from dreams.

Looking close and in isolation, each object is an assemblage of scrap materials, but collectively they form a group of birds.

At first I thought this sculpture was made from inflated half balloons but upon closer examination it was made from geodesic strips made from discarded boxes.

Artists without formal academic training can sometimes create very unique and interesting styles.

I learned about Alice Neel from this podcast.