Pop Abstract by Shant Beudjekian
Would you buy a painting you only had a thousand words to describe? Probably not, but you can bet it happens all the time. We can partly blame art history classes. We cram for tests the names of painters and a few pivotal works. But what we miss is the sort of thinking that goes into painting. So often we toss the artist out of the picture, as if museum docents and Hollywood portrayals had all the answers.
Here at KnowingArt.com, I’m heavy on looking at art. And listening to artists. We’ll home in on particular pieces, which I’ll then match up with short interviews. This painting by Shant Beudjekian caught my eye recently. “The New Yorker” is the title of this painting. I found Shant’s work through the Artspan.com network.
PB: Thank you Shant for answering some questions about this painting. This painting surprised me. I don’t see any obvious clues, yet I know it’s “pop” art. How did you do that? Also, can you talk about the composition and the subject? Are you interested in the work of James Rosenquist, Roy Lichtenstein or Kazimir Malevich?
SB: I must say it’s flattering to hear compliments and positive response about the “New Yorker” from an artist with your background. Nevertheless, I have to say that while I was working in the beginning of this painting, I became involved in capturing the diversity of architectural structures in the city of New York, specifically Manhattan. I wanted to bring out forms just through straight lines and see if I can create a fourth to fifth dimension of realization. I began this painting by outlining with a simple black marker forms that were linear and soothing to be viewed, not only as an artist, but as a designer of forms. It was only at the late midst of the painting that I began to delve into color. I wanted to test my fluency through the beginning of the painting by adhering to monochromatic colors at the start. I must say that the influence is related to Fernand Leger and the clarity of Roy Lichtenstein. I also integrated, as you may have noticed, some features that resemble the works of Georgio de Chirico, applying them for the purpose of manipulating the composition of the painting.
Artist PJ Brunet writes Knowing Art from Austin, Texas. He graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA in Drawing. Email: pj at knowingart.com