Reading a more in-depth interview on Jack Vettriano it looks that he is a very complicated man that is misunderstood as an artist by critics that have been saying he’s rubbish for so long that they won’t admit that they were wrong from the start.
Jack Vettriano is quick to admit his need to be connected with what he is painting and I think this can be applied to most people that are creating something that comes from themselves. In Jack Vettriano’s case, his pictures have a beautiful seductiveness about them that has you trying to pick out different aspects of the composition and reflecting on what might happen next in the scene.
Jack Vettriano produces work that revels in the sensuality of a certain brand of a lady, reveling in their confidence and sexuality. Jack Vettriano paints scenes that he likes to look at, that he likes the feel of, and that he would be at home being a part of. His own hedonistic lifestyle looks to reflect off the canvas but frankly who cares, this man’s work is brilliant, loved the world over and printed and reprinted globally.
With Jack Vettriano prints being distributed all across the globe outselling artists such as Klimt or Monet it is surprising that this man from Fife’s work is well loved by the public. His annual income from his print licensing alone is worth over half a million a year which on any level is someone that is doing something right.
Speaking of money one of his most controversial pieces “the singing butler” fetched £ 750,000 pounds at Sotheby’s which if art were based on a purely monetary level that would point to someone that is well regarded by collectors (if not collections).
“The singing butler” was chastised by the critics when it was revealed that Mr. Vettriano had used the human forms from an artist reference book and used them within the composition of the piece. But as rightly pointed out by Jack Vettriano the figures do not make the piece merely add to the story being told on the canvas.
Obviously, this was immediately jumped on by the art establishment who had backed themselves into their elitist corner and talked of as “Plagiarism” but as Mr. Vettriano said himself “But the background and the story, they were mine. Anyone who knows anything about art will know an artist will do anything to get an image down on paper tracing, pulling images out of magazines, anything. that I lifted The Singing Butler completely out of a book and that’s not fair. Lots of artists use photos Francis Bacon did, I still do. it would not have been a problem. ”
Jack Vettriano is a great artist producing great art, let’s hope in 2009 he will get the recognition he truly describes.
Featured Image: Daily Mail