Mark messersmith
Mark messersmithThe paintings of Mark Messersmith are the most chaotic and confusing works of art I have ever laid eyes on. It is very hard to grasp the effects and themes the artist was trying to convey when painting these scenes. The scenes are very busy and tend to move your attention from one point to another which makes interpretation even harder.
One particular painting, Wakulla, was especially odd. In this painting you are looking at the scene from the height of the surrounding trees, almost as if you are sitting on a tree branch. The center focal point seems to be a possum sitting on a limb with a snake in his mouth. Although this seems to be the center of the scene, your attention very quickly is drawn to the fish flying through the air. The reasoning for this seems very vague. Maybe, the fish are making themselves more readily available to the birds above. This thought quickly fades from your mind because the birds seem to be totally uninterested in the actions of the fish.
Interpreting the meaning of such a painting is based very much on an individual’s thought processes. This work is very unique and seems to take on a different personality or theme each time you examine it. Although you find new things with every viewing, one thing remains constant. The idea of nature vs. nature tends to stick out in your mind as you picture the actions of the various animals shown.
Although very hard to understand, the...
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