Talking About Art, and Other Things…

I have asked many times before what is art? Everybody has an answer and all answers are more or less similar. Most people concede that art is a human endeavour, i.e. something that a human does to enhance his world, to decorate his salon, to collect or to express a thought, an emotion or an idea. But most people do not remember that art is also an academic pursuit. It is a profession and a course of study. Granted, I would be the first to say that you don’t need an academic education, or to go to the uni to be an artist, but you do have to train, you do need instructors, even if they are virtual. No one is auto didactic, we are all taught by someone.

I have also said…ad infinitum…that to me art is the search. I can tell you that a painting begins with a question, (What do I want to say?), and answering the question is where the process of creating art comes into play. As the idea for the composition comes into focus, problems begin to arise that the artist must resolve. These are: 1) The composition itself. How am I going to lay it out, how am I going to use the canvas (and what size); 2) The palette. Most important as this is what gives life to the composition. The choice of colour and which colours to mix is crucial; 3) How am I going to paint this? What style am I going to use? How am I going to transmit my message.

Of course, there are many styles of art and there is always the possibility that the search can lead you to developing a new one. An artist does not have to stick to one style alone, there are endless possibilities. And canvases can be of any size and colours are infinite. So, since these are the «problems» you will face, you must know how to begin to solve them. Buying a canvas already stretched or stretching your own. Choosing the style requires a little knowledge of Art History, but all of it is available (even in my YouTube channel, see below). Colours are all readily available in tubes. But to mix you must know colour theory. And remember, these problems are faced by all artists, even abstract artists, as abstract art is not just paint splattered on a canvas, it has to answer all those questions and also have a reference.

So, in conclusion, art requires thought and intention, preparation and knowledge. It is not intuitive as intuition is not a path that leads to artistic creation, just like raw emotion is not art. And there are no such people as auto didactic ones, we all learn from someone or something…

Here is a little bit of Art History, a popular movement I am sure you will agree. You can search for more in my channel:

Cheers…