Art abounds today everywhere in so many different guises. So, interestingly enough there must be something to suit everyone. Personal taste is a matter of opinion, so really it does not matter if you are knowledgeable or a beginner to art.

The Japanese and Chinese seem to know quite a bit about the subject. These orientals are clever enough to write and paint with their brushes. They usually use brushes with a bamboo handle, the brush itself tapering to a fine point. You also find that most of their work is actually only done in black and white.

How fantastic then were the actual paintings of Zen. We need to look no further to have an appreciation of this type of art. When they draw and paint they brush on a wash before they paint later carefully with ink.

Trees etc. just seem so lifelike, as if they are really moving, flowing naturally as it were. A good example is the patterns produced on the famous Willow Pattern plates. These same brushes are also used for Calligraphy and no doubt silk painting.

So what do we know about Expressionism? How does one describe this type of work to a beginner? I actually see it as a way of letting your inner emotional state run free. But I stress that this is my interpretation of it.

To the eye of a beginner particularly, I am sure this art form would appear to seem unbalanced and even distorted, with unusually created shapes. Take Van Gogh for instance.

The painting is often brought together by a series of dots and dashes, which when viewed from a distance can be really appreciated like the artist Monet.

If you go back to about the 19th Century this is about where it started. This style is good for landscapes where the light makes such a difference to the actual scene.

If we go back to the 17th Century however and the Dutch Masters, around this time, I think Still Life was born. This style was very easy to understand as normal objects were portrayed. I cannot help think how far ahead some of these artists were in their ideas.

Just because we recognize them, doesn’t mean they are easy! Really you do need a good background first to work from to enhance your work. The 17th Century Dutch Masters started something! Grapes in a bowl, with a glass of wine, you get the picture!

Now to the regular night-time scenes found in gay Paris created by the likes of Toulouse-Lautrec. How he loved all this and brought the subjects all to life for us and into our homes as posters etc. showing the bawdy lifestyle of the local artists and burlesque in the dance halls.

Even Monet did some amazing humorous sketches often of his friends yet still created such fantastic luminous colourful scenes. They were always so lovely and bright.

However, there are so many well known artists. Take Renoir, Paul Klee, J.W. Turner. Pablo Picasso, these are just a few and there are many more up and coming artists we are yet to hear about.

For those who like art, prime examples to be recommended are to be seen all over Barcelona in the works of Salvador Dali, which seem to spread all over this city. To look at these one surely feels his brain must have been overloaded.

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