I have currently found myself admiring the work of a Scottish artisit, Jack Vettriano. I feel that his works do a great deal of capturing emotion and expressing it through the painting. Many times, I believe that people say that paintings capture emotion and I do not see it. I see it through Vettriano's paintings though.
Vettriano received a set of watercolor paints from his girlfriend and found his artistic talent at a young age, but did not feel that he was ready to show his paintings for a great amount of time. The first time he showed his work, both paintings sold on the first day and many other galleries were eager to showcase his work. It was in 1999 that Vettriano's work came over seas and was shown in New York. Many critics say that his work is unimaginative and sometimes vulgar, which I can see people saying that about some of his paintings. A few of Vettriano's works are very sexual, but do capture the emtions, feelings, and thoughts that are in the moment the pitcure portrays.
My favorite painting by Vettriano is titled "Dance Me to the End of Love." This is a watercolor painting that I believe is so intriguing. The overall design of the painting seems simple; however, Vettriano's portrayal of the couple dancing in what seems to be a moonlight atmosphere cannot make you feel anything than butterflies in your stomach, similar to the feeling you get at the end of watching a very good love movie. The couple appears to be dancing in puddles, which reflect their movements.
Although there are two other couples in the painting, it appears that the couple in focus is so infatuated with one another that they do not have another care in the world. Although this painting may look simple and encompass a simple idea, I still feel that it has a great amount of emotion radiating off of it. This goes for the rest of Vettriano's paintings as well. Vettriano also uses few colors in this painting, depicting a grayish tone throughout it.
In some of his works, critics say that Vettriano depicts males as "the predator" and I would probably agree on some of his works. However, this painting is one that displays the love of a man and woman through dancing. They are not shown dancing in a ballroom or at a party with a large amount of people, but instead it is more serenely portrayed that these two people are meant to be together. The only aspect of this painting that bothers me a little bit is I feel that the way the woman's arm is painting, when looked at closely looks almost too short for her body. This can be viewed a little distracting, but other than that I thoroughly enjoy the painting as a whole.
