These days, in fact for a long time now you need a thick skin if you are to follow an artistic painter path. Since being relegated to the status of worker only as a producer he or she been valued. That is, up until just recently. Of course, there are still the selected few always hungry to enjoy these fruits.
ARTIST-ART
The Artist as Degenerate Outcast
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Slave to Paint Part II
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
"Modern Houses", oil on linen, 46cm x 36cm, 2009
The other day my wife read on FriendFeed that “a society without a stable arts base is a parking lot”. I do not know who it was that said that but they nailed it. I began writing this blog (first article posted originally in April 2007) with this essential core thought. I mean what in the hell are we thinking of. Art is today exactly whatever you want it to be from a pile of rocks, a dead cat, to you name it, n’importe quoi.
Slave to Paint Part I
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009A good many years ago I read Estelle Jussim’s excellent book about F. Holland Day: « Slave to Beauty ». I recommend it if you can manage to get your hands on a copy. (It has evidently been reprinted link). It is an excellent account of a prevalent frame of mind that is divisive in the world of art. Most artists, I think, would deny this influence, but it is implicit in the “decadence dialog” that dominates most contemporary commentary on art. More will be said about this in a future article.
I believe we need to get past it and move on to more important issues. Otherwise, art has the risk of becoming irrelevant. It clearly already is for all but a very small number of people. And I’m not at all sure this is a healthy sustainable situation. But, then again, progress in art is not a straight line. It has often moved in reverse.
Published in french as Esclave de la peinture Partie I
Poetic integrity
Friday, May 8th, 2009Originally posted on March, 13, 2009
It has never failed to amaze me how we become stuck in our ruts. Most of us change slowly if ever. I’ve done a fair amount of travelling. And at one time I was inclined to talk to many people. Numerous times I’ve found people living close to a scenic wonder they have never seen. When I say close that could be Montana where people are found who have not been to Glacier National Park. I kid you not. I found several people in Montana who had not been to this mind blowing natural splendor.