Aida Subira

To Break, to Blossom 11

2022

The art of Philip Wittmann is founded on signals. For him, signs serve as a bridge between abstraction, reality and writing, too. When he was 26 years old, he began painting as a hobbyist using 'pure' abstraction. However, he believed his work lacked a solid foundation upon which to grow. ​He discovered a book on the origins of the Chinese alphabet, which origins are essentially signs, in 2008 while taking a calligraphy class. The 26 letters of our Latin alphabet are less pictorial than the Chinese characters as we know them now. He discovered that pictorial representation is more prevalent when examining the origins of alphabets—all alphabets, in fact—because there is frequently a similarity between the sign's true meaning and what it is meant to represent. For instance, the symbol for a turtle in the original Chinese script resembles a turtle. Wittmann loves signs as they leave room for interpretation. For instance, if one writes “the sky is blue”, one will make for themself a mental representation of a blue sky, even if each one-off us will probably have some nuance in our own mental representation of that blue sky. On the other hand, a sign can...

Ink on paper, Acrylic and / or watercolor, signed in the front, framed in a aluminum silver frame, glass. Philip Wittmann work is based on signs. Sign...

The art of Philip Wittmann is founded on signals. For him, signs serve as a bridge between abstraction, reality and writing, too. When he was 26 years ...

The art of Philip Wittmann is founded on signals. For him, signs serve as a bridge between abstraction, reality and writing, too. When he was 26 years old, he began painting as a hobbyist using 'pure' abstraction. However, he believed his work lacked a solid foundation upon which to grow. ​He discovered a book on the origins of the Chinese alphabet, which origins are essentially signs, in 2008 while taking a calligraphy class. The 26 letters of our Latin alphabet are less pictorial than the Chinese characters as we know them now. He discovered that pictorial representation is more prevalent when examining the origins of alphabets—all alphabets, in fact—because there is frequently a similarity between the sign's true meaning and what it is meant to represent. For instance, the symbol for a turtle in the original Chinese script resembles a turtle. Wittmann loves signs as they leave room for interpretation. For instance, if one writes “the sky is blue”, one will make for themself a mental representation of a blue sky, even if each one-off us will probably have some nuance in our own mental representation of that blue sky. On the other hand, a sign can...

Ink on paper, Acrylic and / or watercolor, signed in the front, framed in a aluminum silver frame, glass. Philip Wittmann work is based on signs. Sign...

The art of Philip Wittmann is founded on signals. For him, signs serve as a bridge between abstraction, reality and writing, too. When he was 26 years old, he began painting as a hobbyist using 'pure' abstraction. However, he believed his work lacked a solid foundation upon which to grow. ​He discovered a book on the origins of the Chinese alphabet, which origins are essentially signs, in 2008 while taking a calligraphy class. The 26 letters of our Latin alphabet are less pictorial than the Chinese characters as we know them now. He discovered that pictorial representation is more prevalent when examining the origins of alphabets—all alphabets, in fact—because there is frequently a similarity between the sign's true meaning and what it is meant to represent. For instance, the symbol for a turtle in the original Chinese script resembles a turtle. Wittmann loves signs as they leave room for interpretation. For instance, if one writes “the sky is blue”, one will make for themself a mental representation of a blue sky, even if each one-off us will probably have some nuance in our own mental representation of that blue sky. On the other hand, a sign can...

A delightful early 20th century watercolour depicting a group of local children leaving church after attending Sunday school. The watercolour has been signed by the artist to the low...

An unusual scene with mystical narrative, showing a figure resting in a grassy park by trees, under a bright, moonlit sky. Rows of charmingly naive houses are seen beyond the trees. ...

Dagoberto Rodríguez Septimo Pasillo, 2021 Watercolor on paper 200 x 260 cm.

The artist: Henri Aime Duhem (1860-1941) French *see notes below, signed Title: The Parkland Medium: signed gouache on paper, loosely laid over card, ...

Nancy Pellatt's "Hound Pair" a finely detailed watercolor dog painting of two obedient fox hounds standing at attention. The background of this dog painting is a lovely simple wash ...

William Glackens, 1870-1938 Criticizing Ernest Lawson’s Art Class, ca. 1907 Watercolor and pencil on paper Signed (at lower left): Glackens Inscribed ...