The Main Design 469 Main Street
Warrenton, GA 30828
706-465-2743
info@themaindesign.com

The Main Idea of The Main Design


We will display and sell fine art at The Main Design, but “What is fine art?” Some ideas;

My Thoughts...

Art elevates. “Fine art” should give you that little “ping!”, a little intake of breath that makes your pulse beat a little faster in appreciation of the vision and skill an artist presents to your visual sense. Like the bumpkin who has read of “The Night Watch” and seen reproductions in books and on the web, and then is smacked in the face by the “Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch” in its 12-foot-high by 15-foot-wide glory in the Rijksmuseum, and had a little trouble catching his breath at first.

So, “Fine Art” is still a loose definition;

From some people who should know;

The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself and carry you away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion. It is the current which he puts forth, which sweeps you along in his passion. The pain passes, the beauty remains. -Pierre-Auguste Renoir
The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life. -William Faulkner
Fantasy, abandoned by reason, produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of marvels. -Francisco de Goya
Listen to the advice of others, but follow only what you understand and can unite in your own feeling. Be firm, be meek, but follow your own convictions. It is better to be nothing than an echo of other painters. -Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

We initially plan to offer fine art in the forms of painting, printmaking, and photography – “2-D” art, so to speak. I know we have talented local artists and want to give them a venue to display and sell their work, and to also give local residents and tourists exposure to something out of the ordinary. And yes, to hopefully make money for the artists and to keep the doors of The Main Design open.

Our displays won't be only what Mike and Mike like, but what we think other people will like. We want artists' biographies to go with the art, so people can feel a connection to the work. We want to share our community's better aspects with the wider world. Information on commission and procedures for submitting art for panel review for display will be available soon.

We hope you will help us help The Main Design benefit our artists, Warren County, and all involved.


Some general definitions used to develop our effort;

American Heritage Dictionary

  1. Art produced or intended primarily for beauty rather than utility.

  2. Any of the art forms, such as sculpture, painting, or music, used to create such art. Often used in the plural.

  3. Something requiring highly developed techniques and skills: the fine art of teaching.

Wikipedia (excerpts)

The word "fine" does not so much denote the quality of the artwork in question, but the purity of the discipline.

"Imitation, then, is one instinct of our nature. Next, there is the instinct for 'harmony' and rhythm, meters being manifestly sections of rhythm. Persons, therefore, starting with this natural gift developed by degrees their special aptitudes, till their rude improvisations gave birth to Poetry." -Aristotle

Fine art describes any art form developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than utility. This type of art is often expressed in the production of art objects using visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, architecture, photography and printmaking. Schools, institutes, and other organizations still use the term to indicate a traditional perspective on the art forms, often implying an association with classic or academic art.

Academic Art: Academic art is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies or universities.

Two dimensional work:

  • Illustration - An illustration is a visualization such as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate textual information (such as a story, poem or newspaper article) by providing a visual representation.

  • Painting and Drawing - [… is a form of] visual expression and is one of the major forms within the visual arts. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, chalk, pastels, markers, stylus, or various metals like silverpoint.

  • Printmaking and imaging - is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a print. Each piece is not a copy but an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically known as an impression.

  • Fine art photography - refers to photographs that are created to fulfill the creative vision of the artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism and commercial photography.

Encarta

Art, the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea, emotion, or visually interesting form.

All definitions of art, including the one in the first sentence of this article, are open to question and debate. There are several reasons for this.

A definition of art that seems correct to many Americans in the 21st century is likely to differ greatly from definitions of art in non-Western cultures, in tribal societies, and in other historical periods. Our rather open-ended definition may even sound strange to those in contemporary Western society who expect art to be limited to familiar categories such as painting and sculpture.