|
|
|
Drawing and seeing
An artist is somebody who has the ability to see. In design, the artistic process is split among several people. The term "visualiser" is used for the creative individual in the group. His concepts are taken on by a layout artist, a renderer, a lettering specialist or typographer, an illustrator, and at the end of the process, by the finished artist. In many cases all of these functions are fulfilled by the same person, but the range of functions or skills is always there. In the same way Beethoven was a dreamer, a visionary, a composer, a pianist, and a conductor. The aspect that makes him the great artist that he is, is his vision. Similarly, Shakespeare was a visionary, a storyteller, a writer, a producer, a director, and a poet, and it is in his vision that his greatness lies. Output or production has little to do with art. If it were important, Leonardo da Vinci would not be regarded as an artist, because he produced no more than 15 paintings in his 67 years. 15 is enough. One is enough, as the sculptor of the Winged Victory of Samotrace demonstrates. The great marble sculptures of Rodin were carved by other artists, but because of his vision, they are forever his alone. It is when the artist works in a intimate fashion, as in poetry, writing, composing, or painting, that we need those skills which we work so hard to attain. But the final render of the initial concept is only that, a skill. The art lies in the vision. Seeing/drawing There is an interface between vision and art, where the artist and the art become one, where a dance develops where now the artist leads, now he follows. This interface is in the act of drawing. In the processes of drawing it is often the model that leads, and sometimes the drawing itself. There are three parties to this act of creation: vision, the artist, and the work itself. The drawing feeds back to the artist, not only lines and marks which demand sensitive reaction, but ideas and inspiration. In fact, the creative process called visualising takes place on paper. For the artist to refine and even to identify his vision he has to work it out on paper, reshaping and refining the vision in a series of studies. Producing picture after picture does not make anybody an artist, unless the picture is the culmination of a unique and meaningful vision. The skills of perspective, proportion, chiaroscuro are reserved for a small group of artists who are willing to sacrifice years to learn them. Composition work is an exploration best done as a series of sketches. Still life and landscape painting and even life painting involve simple copying rather than visualisation. It remains the best method to teach art, though, because until a student can paint what they can see with their eyes, they can never paint what they see in imagination, in memory, or as concepts. Joy in artArt is all about mood. We all know the feeling: when we are depressed, all we have to do is to pick up a pencil or a brush, and after ten minutes of work we are in a different place, a place of joy and of peace. Expressionist art has always worried me with its insistence on the expression of angst and of misery. I have never seen a happy expressionist picture, and eventually I realised that the expression of joy and happiness is to be found in Impressionist art. It is when we look at flowers, rainbows, kittens, and pretty girls that happiness comes to us, but equally in contemplating the stars, thunderstorms and Clydesdale horses. When we turn our attention inwards, to our psyche, we find only blackness. Happiness is in the rain, the sun, and the curve of a leaf. Joy comes to us when we forget ourselves. WorkshopsWe are doing a figure drawing workshop this week: October 7 - 10 (Tue to Fri): 4 day watercolour workshop |
In this issueWebsiteWorkshopsFor details on workshops and classes in Cape Town and Europe, click here ArchivePrevious newsletters from Ryno can be found here. Pass it onI'd love to widen our circle of friends. If you know someone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, you can easily forward up to five copies at once. If this letter has been forwarded to you by a friend, and you would like to continue receiving it, please click here. |
|
|
|