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1nimra — Fragile _ pencil drawing
Published: 2005-03-16 19:24:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 59220; Favourites: 1302; Downloads: 7922
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Description
“Fragile” pencil on hot press watercolor paper 30” x 40”The light bulb has become my symbol for life, what once was “alive” with energy and light is now rubble to be swept up and replaced. Fragile is about how precarious life really is from pre-birth to death a content struggle to hang on to life, the eyes are of my wife Valerie and by best friend Todd who are more than twenty years apart in age and in different stages of this very short journey.
What it is not is pro-life or pro-choice although if the viewer interprets it along those lines it’s their truth and for a brief moment the truth of the artwork.
Thank you for looking
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Comments: 344
Oh! My! God!
I can't believe it's actually drawn. It's so realistic, I'am stunned. And I love the abstract(?) theme.
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i like how you get the viewer to think...life is really fragile in different stages and i also feel there's an idea of responsibility
you're so inspirational - i hope i can use photorealism to express my views and not just to copy photos.
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U ve probably read and heard all conceivable praise by now....I ll add my own, for what they re worth.... skills and concept, heart and emotions...it s all there...
J.
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By far the best pencil work I'll ever see. I mean... geez. I thought at first this was in the wrong category.. thinkin' it was photography. Just.. wow. +fav!
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I actually cannot believe that this is not a photo...would add to my faves again if not already there!!
Natalie
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Very inspiring. Your drawings look like photos. So real...such detail.
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There is such energy in those eyes, that is what strikes me about this piece. It confuses me because it makes me try to work out how they are all linked, even though you say there is no message behind the piece. I love the shattering of the lightbulb. The base of the lightbulb just looks so real too. I love your attention to detail in all your pieces. Of course, you are very talented as a pencil artist, but what made me add you to my watchlist was that you have imagination too.
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at first i looked at this i was like oh another photographer with photoshop, but then i saw it was a pencil drawing and i am amased. much much graditude goes to you.
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This is definitely the most amazing work i have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bow to your talent! I feel stupid calling myself an artist!
Breathtaking!
Cheers
m.
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This is one of my favorite pieces of yours. I relly like how you leave it so open ended, it made me sit in my chair and try to decypher as many meanings as i could..until i remembered that I could sit there for days and still think of new ones (silly capability of the human mind to innoculate anything it sees with meaning). I'm sure you are tired of hearing this by now, but this is really incredible.
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How can I ever get tired from someone likening my work, it’s the continuum from artist to viewer back to artist that makes it all so interesting thank you so much
/\\\
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how can such intricacy be possible? your gallery looks like black and white photos.. you're an incredible pencil artist.
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I am in such awe of your work. And I really aspire to having your excellent skill with a pencil and your ability to express emotion not just literally but also on a subconcous level.
It was truly hard to decide on this piece as a favorite as I could spend hours looking at all your work. I know I will be revisiting your gallery many times.
All I can say is thank you so very much for sharing.
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all i can say is Wow. i had to stop adn stare at this one.
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I can't get past this sort of perfection.. it's the stuff I envy because I can't do it. I'm way too loose in my drawings but thought I'd throw my two cents in, bravo.
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This is absolutely marvellous and wonderful! I know you've heard this many many times, but i'll say it anyway, LOL! You are extremely talented. I can't even believe that pencils could do such things, such as make the picture look magical. O.O! I am completely awestruck. Keep up the great work!
See you,
Lynda
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you are unbelievable.
its weird that i would look at this today,
im currently working on a drawing that
includes
human embryos.
i love this.
amazing.
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it's almost hard to believe this is pencil... i mean, i can see it's pencil, but ... but ... it's like its too good to be true or something
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you have such an amazing talent, so powerfull, so detailed, so REAL. its makes me wonder if you are sometimes better at drawing than our own eyes can see. i have NEVER seen such detail and perfection in any work i have even seen. maybe im limited by the internet, or maybe i have more to explore, but you by far are the best ive seen. majors props!!
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Thanks very kind of you thank you so much!
/\\\
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this is a drawing??? oh no... this is a piece of art!!! so perfect... god! i'm speachless!!!!
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HOLY CRAP MAN!!!!
Do u mind not beeing so damn perfect ??!?!?
Seriously.... it's superb!
Outstanding pencil art!!!
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Hmm.. I really like this piece. The detail is exquisite and the broken lightbulb, for some reason really draws my attention. But that could partly because I admire anyone who is able light to the extent where an object is see-through. Something that in painting I have not quite mastered yet, but that's a wholly different matter altogether.
I would go so far as to say this is my favorite piece of yours because I love how the light and the shadows were manipulated in this piece.
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May I say right off- this piece is fascinating.
First off, I would like to note the simple symmetry in the piece, since you have the broken light bulb above and the three minor figures below. This semi-balance catches the eye, and draws the viewer in closer. As for the light bulb, well, I am reminiscing of your past "Shattered" contemplations and the whole piece itself, and you can clearly see the side-effects of drawing one-too-many light bulbs. But I digress from trying to compare this to "Shattered"
Again Armin, you are a master of your work, and you almost flawlessly create this picture as if you took a snap shot of some morbid scene in your head and transferred it to paper magically. The shattered light bulb again is an amazing and fluent drawing which is hard to believe was done by hand, and possesses painful detail in each and every little piece of glass. Even the edges of the pieces of glass look quite sharp. I also admire how you captured the picture on the horizon, which gives it more of a "showcase" feel.
One personal thing about the background is that I can't imagine drawing that. Anybody who can draw clouds can amaze me, so I don't really think I have too much to say about that creatively.
And then, you have the three minor pieces below. Each one, a creative little square with (again) excruciating detail. While the left and right square are noticeable close-shots on the eyes, the middle is more of an abstract image of an embryo, which is one of the little pieces that you cannot just draw off a simple photo usually.
I am most amazed with the right-most box, and the detail that has been placed in the concept of that eye. Because of your contrast in light and dark, you create a vivid image that almost jumps out at you through depth. Of course, the left eye is also extremely good, but since it seems to be younger, the right one gives more detail through age (the wrinkles). What I find amazing is the eyeball itself, as it is magnificent (really it is) and looks almost touchably real. While most eyes look like liquid blobs, you caught this one exactly as an eyeball in its total essence, which is the reason it is magnificent. To say so myself, I've seen photos of eyes that look even more fake than this eye you have created.
Now then, it is common sense that a well drawn art piece equals good review, but in another sense, art isn't just art without reason and motif. Naturally, this drawing doesn't attract viewers as it would your other fabulous piece "Name of the Father", but because there is a "method to the madness" this piece may even be more enjoyable to view.
When talking about this, I can't help but jump right into analyzing the theme of this entire piece (as I don't think it is simply enough to just view it and appreciate it, but to really see what the artist was trying to create [always good to give a guess, eh?]). Now, using common sense and logic combined, I can't help but notice the subtle signs that direct me towards what this piece is saying (or its truth). For one, the name is the biggest clue. "Fragile". Fragility is break-ability, which is recognizable in the shattered light bulb. You also have the three boxes/frames and instead of having a tradition "three-eye-montage", you place an embryo in the middle, thus almost confusing the viewer but at the same time, intriguing him/her. And, the left eye is looking to the left and the right eye is looking to the right, thus of which to avoid placing their gaze on the embryo.
Going a bit beyond that, there are some more aspects that can be placed together. The background for the light bulb is the sky/clouds, and from looking at the shadows on the ground, there is, of course, a ground. In correspondence with the title, it seems suggestible that somehow, the light bulb wasn't exactly smashed, but rather, dropped from a high point and shattered into what it is not. Since it could not survive the fall and maintain its original shape, it gains the title of being "fragile".
And what of the eyes and the embryo? What part do they play in the song that is "fragility"? Well, again, it is common sense that an embryo is a fragile and delicate thing, so it must be "handled with care". But I find it fascinating that the embryo seems to be placed inside a womb that is almost bolted and/or pinned down to the rest of the square. Without the rest of the mother to be seen and the womb dissected, the embryo is without it's protection. And since the eyes veer their sight away from the embryo, it is definitely without protection and watch, which means that it is currently gaining the title of "being fragile", since it may be broken by some unknown force.
Out of everything, I adore the eyes the most though. I believe it was intentional that you made them different eyes, because they could have been two casual eyes looking left and right. But no. They are different. I also believe it is intentional that you made one actually look at the viewer (the right one, of course), while the other eye tends to look behind the viewer. Since the whole concept is based on fragility which is accurately shown and portrayed by the shattered light bulb, you also give the hidden message of the fragility that lies within humans. In this idea, the embryo comes into play, as it subconsciously makes us think of humanity, since it is the initial phase of a human being. But the eyes. It's in the glare of the eyes. The right one is the older eye, and thus, imposes more of a strict and powerful glance upon the viewer, as compared to the other eye. The right eye looks at you... well, not in a condescending way, but in a way an elder would. It seems to tell you of the fragility that lies within you as a person and human (again, due to the message interoperated from the embryo and light bulb), and to be honest, that goes deep Armin. Meanwhile, the left eye views past you, and almost (amazingly) gazes upon the rest of humanity. That is the eye that peers almost at everything behind you (the rest of humanity in other words) as an inane, yet interesting, mesh of ideas all brought together. The pose the eye holds tells of this exact message, and almost at the same time, it wants to scold humanity for being so fragile in it's poor origins. And the embryo between both of the eyes covers the area in between the personal fragility of the individual and the sad fragility of humanity as a whole... well, somehow.
And the light bulb above just enhances this idea, as it covers each square above with just a "broken" essence... as though everything the eyes are viewing is already broken.
Wow, it has really been a long time since I've gone this in depth with anything... er, anyway... as you have stated, the majority of this piece has not relied upon the best artistic skills you can muster up into one drawing, but rather, how well you can portray a message/theme. Since you are an excellent artist, you seem to effortlessly portray the message without confusion (well, I mean that nothing is misinterperated in a bad way, as if someone thought the glass was food [just an example] or something obscure like that) and allow the viewer to see on board a picture that should be expressed in their mind. You contrast of light and dark really set a powerful mood to this. Again, this is fascinating and at the same time, extremely impressive.
The symbolism is mighty and I am quite sure there are parts I have missed, but that is what I like- you are not just commonly portraying the drawing and saying "here are the reasons for this and that". You leave the viewer still interested and wanting to know more. That is great, and that is what really makes this drawing great along with the idea you are showing. This is an superb portrayal, and a wonderful drawing. Keep at it Armin, I really appreciate how you boggle the mind.
Encore.
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I must say your insightful and in-depth commentary of “fragile” is fascinating! Rarely do I get such a well thought out review. It was an honor for me to read this.
I must say that a great percentage of my works symbolism is intuitive and to a great extend steeped in the subconscious. But, there is a balance; I had well thought out reasons to choose the light bulb as a representation of our fragile nature, we being humans. The bulb, the symbol for human thought and ideas, smashed, strewn along the horizon reminiscent of a plane crash sight I ones encountered and the clouds bring a vastness and expanse within the picture plane. The eye of a younger person that of my best friend and the other eye belonging to my wife helps identify the fragile short trip we humans experience, from fetus to youth to old age to death. I believe that the artists satisfies his/her own reasons for doing a work like this, but once it hangs in a gallery it becomes a different truth to whoever connects with it, when art works, my truth no longer matters very much.
My enemy as an artist is apathy, not criticism, not flattery, not harsh words but pure apathy. Thank you my friend for noticing.
/\\\
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The details in this are fucking aaaaaamaaaaazing. And the concept, blows me away, and I love it. You are by far a genius.
Have my children. XD.
But seriously, I love your skill, and I love your mind.
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so.... u drew those eyes ey? SHIT
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this is amazing! fantastic rendering!!
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again amazing, but you already know that
simply stellar
:+fav+
godspeed
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breathtaking!!! probably one of the best artist ive ever seen!!
i really love the details in the eye and light bulb...
wow....im speechless!
u are such an amazing artist!
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this piece speaks to me on so many different levels... i like the idea of your imagery and repeated tachnical use of the circle and circular things... then with the juxtaposition of the "death" of light and life in the smashing of the lightbulb... this is a technically clever piece... i think you should try to market this piece if you haven't already... or perhaps make a Gallery ready series ... i definately see a series potential developing here... arrrrghhhh.... it's sooooo amazing....
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WOW!! Fantastic job...also "Fragile" is one of my fav Sting's songs!!
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such a wonderful image....great work...........!
reminds a little of oldrich kulhanek the czech artist
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THis is prob one of the best pieces of DA , I LOVE IT
now which parts of this piece are drawn and with the others how were they created...?
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As usual, your work has forced me to sit here spellbound as I absorb, interpret and feel it. Only you could take a lightbulb and a pencil and force me to think about life.
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Wow, I'm blown away a truly extraordinary talent...
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