Month: February 2020

Artist Victor Hardy takes a fond look back on remarks received in response to his award-winning artwork.

 

From ‘gorgeous’ and ‘brilliant’ to ‘marvelous’ and ‘sublime,’ there’s no shortage of praise for renowned painter Victor Hardy from Austin, Texas, and his miniature painting masterpieces. Following almost three decades of refining his craft, here, the award-winning artist fondly revisits past remarks from several fans of his artwork. 

 

“Gorgeous, brilliant, [and] an inspiration,” says one fan of Victor Hardy’s work, Sanjay. “I think Victor Hardy is astounding,” he adds, “and his artwork is a testament to his patience and skill.” 

 

“Sublime,” says another fan of the artist’s work, this time in specific reference to one of Hardy’s most famous pieces – a figure known as Golgotha. “Golgotha,” Hardy reveals, “was famously and controversially disqualified from the 2004 Golden Demon Awards, yet it remains one of my best-known and best-loved pieces.”

 

Although universally well-loved, Victor Hardy’s work has, at times, attracted controversy, perhaps owing to one leading basis for much of his most famous artwork. “Although I use a variety of iconography in my art, much of what I do is inspired by Roman Catholic imagery,” reveals Hardy, “which may, at times, be seen as somewhat controversial.” 

 

Over the course of more than 20 years, Hardy has exhibited his work both in-person and online. “Feedback for almost every one of my pieces,” he reveals, “has been overwhelmingly positive.”

 

Victor Hardy, a Harvard, University of Houston, and University of Texas graduate from Austin, Texas, next points toward feedback from a fan praising his freehand work, calling it ‘a pinnacle,’ and suggesting that Hardy is a true artist.

 

“A two-dimensional picture won’t adequately display how [Victor Hardy’s] freehand blends together as you view [it] from different angles,” they remark. “Without being melodramatic, a pinnacle, reached by a true artist,” concludes the feedback. “Marvelous! There’s nothing else I can say,” says another similarly positive comment about Hardy’s multi-award-winning artwork. 

 

The Austin, Texas-based artist’s work has also attracted praise from well-known names within miniature painting circles, such as Bobby Wong, the author of the popular publication, Miniature-Art. “Victor’s [work] is outstanding because of his originality in painting, conversion, and presentation,” says Wong. 

 

“Unlike other painters, his interpretation [often] takes on a new twist,” adds the Miniature-Art author, concluding one of Victor Hardy’s mostly fondly looked-upon pieces of feedback for his award-winning artwork.

Award-winning artist Victor Hardy, from Austin, Texas, explains the basics of the present period in the history of philosophy.

 

Having recently spoken at length about his passion for philosophy, and sharing a number of his favorite quotes from famous philosophers, Victor Hardy, an award-winning artist from Austin, Texas, turns his focus to the basics of the present period in the history of the millennia-old field of study.

 

Contemporary philosophy follows early-modern and late-modern philosophy – philosophy developed in what Hardy calls the modern era, and associated with modernity. “The 17th century roughly marks the beginning of modern philosophy, while the early 20th century marks the end,” he explains. 

 

Accordingly, contemporary philosophy most widely refers to the period of philosophy beginning in the early 20th century and continuing to the present day, according to Victor Hardy. “This period, in particular,” adds the artist and philosophy expert, “marks the increasing professionalization of the discipline.” 

 

The same period, Hardy goes on to reveal, also coincides with the rise of what’s known as analytic and continental philosophy. “Quite often, and, quite understandably, often confused with modern philosophy and postmodern philosophy, contemporary philosophy must not, however,” he adds, “be confused with the non-technical use of phrasing referring to recent philosophic works.”

 

Victor Hardy is keen to highlight the increasing professionalization of philosophy witnessed in the current period of the discipline, first marked, he says, to a large degree, by the initial formation of the Western Philosophical Association. “Following its formation, the Western Philosophical Association and aspects of the American Psychological Association soon merged,” Hardy explains, “to form the American Philosophical Association.”

 

Founded in 1900, the American Philosophical Association remains the primary professional organization for philosophers in the United States. “The American Philosophical Association’s mission,” Hardy reveals, “is to represent philosophy as a discipline, to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to facilitate the professional work and teaching of philosophers, and to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy.”

 

The association is also responsible for administering many of the philosophy profession’s top honors, including one of the oldest prizes in philosophy, the American Philosophical Association Book Prize, according to Victor Hardy. 

 

A recent survey of today’s professional philosophers asked them to rank prominent professional journals in contemporary philosophy. “In first place was Philosophical Review, while Mind, the quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published on behalf of the Mind Association, came second,” adds Hardy, wrapping up, “with Nous in third, the Journal of Philosophy in fourth, and, in fifth, Philosophy & Phenomenological Research.”