Gutai art, a Japanese artistic movement that existed around the same era as abstract expressionism, believed in the beauty of ruin and decay. The Gutai manifesto itself, written by Yoshihara- the movement’s founder- reads:
"Yet what is interesting in this respect is the novel beauty to be found in works of art and architecture of the past which have changed their appearance due to the damage of time or destruction by disasters in the course of the centuries. This is described as the beauty of decay, but is it not perhaps that beauty which material assumes when it is freed from artificial make-up and reveals its original characteristics? The fact that the ruins receive us warmly and kindly after all, and that they attract us with their cracks and flaking surfaces, could this not really be a sign of the material taking revenge, having recaptured its original life?...."
    If an entire art movement can be built around this idea of the “art of destruction, “ I believe that the image shown below is art as well.

    This is an image of the ruined interior of the United Artists Theater in Detroit. The cinema was built in 1928 by C Howard Crane, and finally closed in 1974. It was once a gorgeous theatre, built in a Spanish-Gothic style. And here it is now, the gorgeous ruins of that same theatre, an inspiration for ghost stories and other supernatural superstitions. Gutai artists strove to emulate the idea behind architecture such as this, yet there is hardly a need when such wonders exist right before our eyes.

Alex Grey

Here is an artist that is not completely out on a limb as far as medium goes: a contemporary painter whose themes are strongly psychedelic and revolve around spiritualism and "the voyage of the body and mind". An interesting character who has been painting since he was 3 years old, Alex Grey paints in an incredible fashion.

Although I don't buy into the mystification myself, his works are undoubtedly incredible and beautiful. He uses special x-ray glasses and a high-tech brush to hand-paint all the details of his paintings--yup. All done by hand, no photoshop or anything.

Check out the "Sacred Mirrors" collection on his site. It is an internationally-acclaimed collection of giant "mirrors" representing different stages of the human body and the energy chakras and stages that go along with it. You don't have to be spiritual to see how cool these are!
Alexgrey.com

This Blog

Hello World!!!

Welcome to the Artist Palette. I invite you to join me in exploring art. Not high art, not low art, not contemporary art, no!! I seek to cease defining art and rather to simply explore it. Here we will not be bound by any medium. There is no documentation of art validity. I will expose what I like, and hopefully you will like it too. the art of a perfect sandwich. The cross dresser with perfect legs. The photographer that can do it all.
Stay tuned as I bring out the artist in everyone, starting here at SUNY Purchase, and then hopefully the world!

Duality-Blue Caban