“Who are Your Favorite Artists?”

So, I am curious about your artistic background. Who are your top 5 favorite artists (photographers, painters, whatever you like), and why do you like them so much? — Anonymous

This is a fun question, thank you for asking this! (I had to pick a more light-hearted question for our last Ask the Artist! of the year).

It’s so hard to narrow my list down to just five. There are so many individuals who have been influential to me as an artist and photographer. But, thankfully, I should be able to pick a few photographers and artists whose work has been the most inspiring to me (now, if you had asked me for one name only, I would’ve been in a pickle!).

In narrowing down my list, I would have to start with those mentors and inspirations closest to me. Of course, those artists and photographers will be the least well known, so not all will be mentioned by name. My great-grandfather was a sculptor, and although I was not old enough to learn from him before he passed away, the presence of his work throughout my family’s home was a definite influence. Additionally, my both of my grandfathers loved photography — one took many pictures while in the navy, and the other while traveling the world in his later years. Though not professional photographers, these two men valued the art of photography enough to inspire me (there was also my father, also an avid fan of photography). Proceeding on from there, I would need to consider all those who have mentored and trained me in the course of my artistic career. Kindergarten art teachers, middle school, high school, and finally college-level art professors, have all made a positive impact in my creative style — as well as my present-day photographic colleagues. But, I can’t just look at the direct influences, can I?

So, onto the art history books! I was lucky enough to extensively study many artists and artistic time periods while pursuing my Studio Art degree. Of course, we studied the classic works by painters such as Michelangelo (painter), Claude Monet (painter), Edouard Manet (painter), Edgar Degas (painter), and even more contemporary artists such as Wassily Kadinsky (painter), Ansel Adams (photographer), and Richard Avedon (photographer). One of my more specialized courses focused on the influential women artists who had been overlooked in classic history, such as Berthe Morisot, an impressionist painter. Women photographers like Margaret Bourke-White and Annie Liebovitz have been very influential in the course of history as well. But, since I have to pick my favorite five, naming off all these names only seems to make things harder! The thing is, there are so many artists and photographers who have helped shape their artistic medium into what it is today. Things once considered avant-garde are now considered “classic” — and today’s art that pushes the boundaries will at some point become more commonplace and well-accepted.

Yes, I know I haven’t answered the question yet — but I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. My five favorite artists and photographers are listed below, with a short description alongside.

Franz Marc — a German Expressionist painter, Franz Marc’s work uses bright colors, simplistic forms, and is full of emotion. Much of his work focuses on the portrayal of animals, and I love his renditions of horses. His earlier work was more realistic, while his later work became much more abstract, focusing on the dynamics of forms and colors.

Luke Swank — Modernist photographer Luke Swank was well-known during his lifetime for his influence on modern photography, but is relatively unknown today. His eye for detail and light allowed Swank to create technically powerful and emotional images. One of my favorite images of his is “Meason Mansion Staircase,” other favorites include an image of a child on laundry day. While his early work was more pictorial, Swank’s later work was documentary in nature, capturing the fading lifestyles of America — traveling circus performers, steel foundry workers. I had the privilege of seeing Swank’s work in person, and they are stunning.

Katsushika Hokusai — Japanese painter Hokusai is most famous in the West for his print of “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.” This is one of my favorite prints, and is from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuiji). In addition to his ukioy-e art pieces (”ukioy-e” is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints), Hokusai also is known for his collection of sketches, “Hokusai manga.” I may be drawn to Hokusai’s work because of my interest in printmaking — but you have to admit that Hokusai’s use of bold colors and lines creates very powerful imagery.

Ansel Adams — American photographer Ansel Adams is quite famous for his landscape work and his impact on the world of photography. I love the detailed nature of his landscapes, and the quality of light is amazing. Did you know that one of his photographs was recorded on the voyager spacecraft’s “Voyager Golden Record”?

Berthe Morisot — French Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot is one of the lesser known artists of the Impressionist period. She was a contemporary of Monet, and actually married Manet’s brother. Her paintings reveal the restrictions placed on women during the time period, and her subject matter was more focused on domestic life, rather than street life or nude models. The comparison between her work and her male contemporaries is an interesting study in 19th century culture. I particularly enjoy her landscape paintings and en plein air paintings (french for “in the open air”).

I’m sure this list would change if I were to answer this question a few weeks or months later, but overall, these five artist and photographers are a good representation of my “favorite” artists. I struggled with narrowing it down, and other runners-up included Frank Lloyd Wright, Monte Zucker, Dorthea Lange, and Michael Collopy. Again, I’ve enjoyed thinking about this question, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed learning about my inspirations and favorite artists!

Ask the Artist! features your questions, answered by Betsy Finn, photographic artist. Trust Betsy’s Photography, You’ll be Trusting the Best!

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