Let me tell you how difficult it is to search for art about spring cleaning. All of my initial searches showed me about cleaning products or the art of cleaning in a fantastical way. However, I am your friendly neighbourhood art detective, so I have succeeded. Now, this may not be our typical dive into art, but I can assure you that we'll have a ton of fun, because today, we're looking at an artist that I quite like. I've been to his exhibit in my hometown, and let's just say, it's all spectacular.
Our first painting is not really a painting, but graffiti, by the artist Banksy. In case you haven't heard about Banksy, well, we don't know much, other than his skill is something I could only dream of. Originally, Banksy began on the streets of London, but now, you wouldn't be able to find this one, as it's probably been altered in some way. This specific piece of art is of a maid, seeming to sweep dirt underneath the rug. Banksy himself explained the meaning of this piece of art: "In the bad old days, it was only popes and princes who had the money to pay for their portraits to be painted, this is a portrait of a maid called Leanne who cleaned my room in a Los Angeles motel. She was quite a feisty lady."
This is just spectacular. I mean, look at it. The attention to detail is absolutely outstanding. You can see every little piece of design on her apron and the curl of her hair. His art is something special, that I can tell you.
Our next painting is an oil on canvas on a panel, painted in 1885 in The Netherlands by none other than Vincent Van Gogh. If you haven't heard of Van Gogh, I highly suggest you look up his work. He's one of my all-time favourite artists. His work is absolutely spectacular, and the entire history of his life is even better. He's an inspiration, but at the same time, he's been through quite a bit. This particular painting is called Peasant Woman Sweeping the Floor. It's a simple painting, but it's still rather beautiful. I adore the dark colours chosen to represent this peasant woman and it's got me pretty curious as to what this woman's thinking about. What do you think she's got on her mind?
What do you think about cleaning art? Do you have any favourites or ones that you'd like to share with me? Feel free to always share art you like with me. I love learning about new types of art, almost as much as I love sharing art with all of you! And maybe this will inspire you to do some spring cleaning as well. I know I've done quite a bit this month.
Stay artsy, friends!
Aria
Sources:
https://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/421/Peasant-Woman-Sweeping-the-Floor.html
https://www.artofthestate.co.uk/archive/banksy-2/banksy_sweep_it_under_the_carpet_maid