A High Authority

I have no doubts about the benefits of working from life. Nor do I need validation as to the superior nature of the working method. But I have to say it was heartening when I came across this quote by Leonardo da Vinci:

"…. those who take for their inspiration anything but nature - mistress of all masters - weary themselves in vain".

Figure Study, oil pastel on toned paper
9 1/2" X 6", 2013

500 years after Leonardo's death I independently came to the same conclusion. I doubt he would think any differently presented with todays plethora of second hand inspirations.

Holding Back

Since starting this blog I have freely posted images with little regard to how many or which works to display. My only concern has been finding the best quality drawings or paintings that illustrate whatever point I am making. Working from the figure two or three times a week new images became available continuously and I had an extensive body of work from which to draw. Looking back at early posts I would include two, three, sometimes four images in one post.

Reclining Nude Study, oil on linen, 9" X 10", 2015

Gesture Study, oil pastel, 8" X 10", 2015

This dynamic has changed. Over the last few months my work from the figure has slowed. Also I unexpectedly took to heart the phenomena I referenced recently about reproduction diminishing an original work of arts aura. I now feel inclined to hold back on posting images of what I consider some of my most accomplished figurative works.

It May Be Primal

Some time ago through odd circumstances I came into possession of two sketchbooks. The man they belonged to is no longer living.  I keep sketchbooks so of course I looked through his. The books contained some writing but mostly pencil drawings. These included room interiors, a couple of portraits and quite a few crudely drawn nudes, some phallic male images but mostly female. Various people made entries over a long time span so with the exception of a few signed pages it is impossible to know who did what.

Sketchbook page, unknown artist

Sketchbook page, unknown artist

The moment I first saw these drawings I thought them more honest and powerful than anything I do. That initial reaction has softened somewhat but that was my first gut response. Why would anyone do these drawings? Are they simply the scratchings of some old pervert? I remember doing similar, though far less explicit, drawings when I was quite young. What if there is something primal going on here? What if they are a modern mans Venus of Willendorf? Capturing femaleness in it's most basic form.

Venus of Willendorf
Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna

I know I'm out on a limb here but I just found this interesting.

The Aura

I came across a 1936 essay by Walter Benjamin titled "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction". In it Benjamin warns that reproducing works of art can limit or even destroy the originals uniqueness or "aura". He was warning about new reproduction methods of his era and couldn't have imagined the ease and number of todays options. I think he was on to something.

Reclining Nude, oil pastel on toned paper, 7" X 9", 2013

I would extend Benjamin's thesis to include the creation of a work of art. I have said many times how I believe works done from life posses a quality or power missing in photo or other reference derived works. I never had a specific term for this until now. It is the aura. Be it a landscape or a still life or a person, capturing an aura can only happen during the physical interchange between subject and artist.

I wince when I see "landscape" painters working from photos or now computer screens. Take your easel out and sit under a tree. The aura is illusive but it is there. It isn't easily harnessed but the only chance of truly capturing it is in that moment and environment.

A High Bar

I recently read a sports column about a basketball teams season ending loss. They were a team that by all accounts shouldn't have gotten as far as they did into the playoff rounds. But they set their sights high and nearly succeeded. Ultimately they lost and the disappointment was profound. So profound that the columnist and others were questioning whether the elation associated with the attempt was worth the inevitable pain of coming up short.

Model in Mirror, oil on linen, 22" X 19", 2005

In sports or art the realization of ones goals hopefully results in feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. But those moments are ephemeral. Each time I have reached a new level with my art I am driven to raise the bar. A new standard takes hold and what was good enough yesterday no longer makes the cut.

Working to clear a high bar is a good thing. But it is important to realize that 99.9% percent of the joy and fulfillment derived from any endeavor stems from the pursuit of that endeavor. And the only thing more painful than not reaching a goal is not trying.

Distractions

Doing ones best work requires finding your "zone". That place where all outside distractions fade and you are 100% focused. Getting there can be tricky. Many artists I know including myself have heightened sensibilities. This may be a positive trait for creating art but in the real world it can be problematic. My new working space faces a busy downtown street. Traffic noise and voices carry right through the second floor windows. Depending on my state of mind these often aren't easy to tune out.

Group session, oil on canvas, 14" X 12", 2014

Group sessions can be rife with distractions. People arriving late, setting up, talking, you name it. The longer I work in group environments the easier it is to ignore these things. In fact I almost find comfort in the tumult of a group. Besides, when the model gets into pose everyone settles down trying to find their zone. When you get there it's like a deep meditative state where only the most extreme annoyances can distract.

Painter/Teacher II

I discussed my reluctance to teach art in a previous post (see January 9, 2015). I had a flash the other day that I might actually have something to offer, not by virtue of my successes but by virtue of my failures. In group sessions I constantly see artists frustrated by some aspect of their work. I can usually see ways through or around their roadblocks because I have faced similar obstacles multiple times and from different directions.

Nude Study, oil on linen, 12" X 10", 2015

There is no single "right" method to teach art but there are wrong methods. For too many art teachers the path from student to teacher was too short and too narrow. They have developed a proficiency for certain techniques and then pass them on to students. The problem is one method doesn't work for everyone. No two people approach a blank surface the same way nor should they.

For the student seeking a good solid base from which to venture out, bad advice can lead to years in the wilderness or worse.