Eyes Towards The Dove, header from 2011-2013
Various images of eyes from the author’s own paintings and photographs as well as appropriated. Dimensions variable.
What is eyes towards the dove?
Eyes Towards the Dove is a website that was founded in 2007 by Katy Diamond Hamer. The title stems from the symbology of dove as common reference in art of the Italian Renaissance. Paintings made during this time used continuous repetition of symbols, colors, and characteristics of certain ‘characters’ from Biblical and Mythological narratives which allowed for a universal identification of sorts, especially for those who were illiterate.
While focusing almost entirely on contemporary art, Eyes Towards the Dove is a gesture. It is a moment, a particular realization and a tilt of the head as one looks upward in acknowledgement of semiotics in art. Originally didactic in nature, the symbol here is used as a reminder to never relinquish the past but hold it close, specifically in regards to art history, as we inevitably march into the future.
As founder and editor of the site, Katy Diamond Hamer’s approach to art writing is quite organic. She has spent almost twenty years looking at art, investigating technique, approach, and the psychology behind the subjective content. Trained as an artist, as a writer she states:
When looking at or physically experiencing artwork, I attempt to insert myself into it. I imagine what the artist may have been thinking when making the work and if they met their original intention for the piece. Certain art historical movements have been very relevant to my writing and in establishing a particular taste level, most specifically Arte Povera (Italy, 1962-1972). I also have been and am still continuously inspired by artistic practice on a global level having traveled to and looked at art in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and across North America. ~KDH
Katy Diamond Hamer is originally from New York and currently based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Clients she has been published with include: Cultured Magazine, W Magazine, Flash Art International, Sleek Magazine, New York Magazine, Artnet, BOMB, The Brooklyn Rail, The Art Newspaper, and others. For more information please visit: www.katyhamer.com
All text & images copyright Katy Diamond Hamer, 2023 unless otherwise noted.
Each article is the possession of the author and may not be reproduced without permission.