What is it about some works of art that allows them to stand the test of time? What is it exactly that make a work of art truly memorable and truly great? There are many beautiful works of art and many more that are surprising, innovative, and thought provoking, but of all the art produced in the world in any given year, very few pieces are exceptional. “Great” art manages to satisfy its viewers at a deeper level than the rest.
For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of critiquing fine art in the Southwest from as far north as Taos to the southern town of Truth or Consequences. Today, I’ve chosen local artists that exemplifies the meaning of greatness in the categories of Narrative, Beauty, Realism, Form, Movement, Symbolism and Expression. The featured artists’ works have been looked at in an analytical way in order to assess what it is that makes each one so successful in its own field.
Narrative
Chris Meyer - Most of his work originates as photographs of rocks and similar natural forms. Meyer studies these images for patterns, then build collages out of various papers, symbols, and texts to emphasize the shapes, texture and mood of an individual photo. Adding assemblage elements – including sticks, stones, beads, bones, feathers, fibers, and metals – to add dimension: both to the physical work, as well as to its layers of meaning. When done, he leaves it to the viewer to play the roll of archaeologist, studying the resulting artifact for clues of when and where it came from, imagining what purpose it served for the unknown culture that created it.
