ART AND THE ARTIST
(Francisco Bravo Cabrera, while listening to the Sonata no. 9 by Beethoven)
Well, maybe I should rather say ART AND LIFE or THE ARTIST AND LIFE, something like that, I don’t know, I think it may have been a better title, but no, the one I’ve chosen I like…
Life, what is life? José Saramago in his book All the Names said: “Life is like paintings; it’s best to look at them four steps back.” Four steps… phenomenal.
The distinguished writer, whom I admire very much, has told us what life is similar to, but he has not told us what life actually is, nor why he relates it to paintings. Well, could it be that paintings are similar to life? I don’t think so, but anything is possible.
Paintings are representations. Nothing that is portrayed on the canvas, wood, or whatever surface the painter uses is truth. Moreover, I remind you that nothing in art is reality. The closest it comes is to a reflection, if the artist does it well, and if you immerse yourself in the painting, you may see something in it that you associate with real life. But you won’t find reality in any painting. However, if you’re lucky, you’ll see how the author has perceived it. A painting, like a movie, a play, or a ballet, lies. Finally, don’t delude yourself into thinking that you’ll find sincerity in art. Perhaps art is the most cynical thing on the face of the earth. Don’t doubt it.
And why do I tell you this? Because I am an artist. My professional and academic training taught me that reality is not art. Art feeds on reality, uses it, embellishes or tarnishes it, but always changes it. The actor does not feel what you think he is feeling when you see him in the theater or in a movie. Neither does the painter nor the poet. Yes, we all play with emotions, but as the great director and co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre, Konstantin Stanislavski, said, “Raw emotion (human) is not art.” We play with real emotions, but the ones we represent are artistic creations, period.
So, why take four steps back? Frankly, I don’t know. Looking for a better perspective? Maybe…
But well, let’s see, what is an artist? The great masters of the European Renaissance did not consider themselves artists. They viewed themselves as craftsmen, men (and women) who had learned their trade well and had also been trained in other disciplines. Moreover, they painted not what they wanted, but what was commissioned by their great patrons, who were the church, royalty, nobility, and to some extent, the emerging bourgeois class.
It may have been Michelangelo who first considered himself an artist, but that’s debatable. The thing is that artisans and craftsmen began to turn into artists. Once they were artists, they could choose the themes they were going to paint, and the subject matter shifted from biblical scenes and portraits of kings to something more casual, everyday, and completely secular. Art began to gain value, and collectors emerged. Then came the museums, and with them, art history started to be written. In 1793, the Louvre Museum was founded in Paris, the Prado Museum opened its doors in Madrid in 1819, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1870.
That’s how things began to change. The avant-gardes of the 20th century came along, and art took on previously unthinkable directions, causing artists to evolve. But now, after the great artistic milestones of geniuses like Picasso and Matisse, artists no longer know what to do. They seek to experiment, draw attention, shock, alarm, scandalize, and even offend. They also enjoy making people think they are exceptional beings with almost supernatural abilities. But don’t you dare believe that; it’s all nonsense.
Artists today are neither geniuses nor avant-garde. Everything has already been done, so don’t think that for art to be good it has to be original because nothing is original anymore in art. A good artist, as Picasso said, imitates, but a brilliant artist steals. However, what they have stolen is transformed into something better. And I remind you that we create art for only one reason: to earn a living. Nobody enters a studio for ten hours a day, painting like a madman, for the love of art. We do it because we want to sell our work. And if they talk to you about inspiration, don’t believe it either. It’s a myth, nonsense, a fairy tale, a con trick. The artist works and dedicates themselves to their craft not because a muse with magical powers has inspired them, but because they are hungry.
Perhaps a better title would have been The Great Deception…
JaZzArt en València 
❤
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Cheers Isabelle ❤
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Dear Francisco, you are right, art is amazing world, and the reality in art,… is this what is expected actually? Art is something for me, feeding our souls… or making a point for us to think, to feel, to see,….etc. José Saramago’s quote is a great words.. “Life is like paintings; it’s best to look at them four steps back.” Actually we watch the painting or looking at them a few steps back,…. Most of us in running life, I mean, in other words, in our daily lives, we do not even look for a moment, to the sunrise, or a smiling face, or…etc. What I understand,from the author reminds us to stop and look at life, even if only for a moment, as we would look at an art paintings.. Again for our souls.. On the other hand, about your ending words, yes, Today art became like that.. Money is important now. When money is the center of life, artist can’t wait for muses.. or anything that could inspire them. The real art knows to wait.. It takes time… I do believe every artist has this precious inspirational moments.. Maybe all these inspirational moments/projects wouldn’t make any money, but this is great piece of him/her… Sorry for my humble thoughts I tried to explain in my less language,…Thank you dear Francisco, you know, I love your art works, Have a nice day, Love, nia
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Thank you so much Nia, and you express yourself quite beautifully and all is well understood. I think you are right about most people that they do not stop, take a few steps back and contemplate life as if it were a picture on a wall. It seems like more older people are willing to slow down but younger people think life is just a rat race and that the only thing important is to get a raise at work or a better position or just make more and more money… And your point on art is also quite right. Many times we work on projects that we know will not fetch as much as we would expect, but we do it because we, as artists, need to express something or experiment. However, as a professional artist, one works for money just like engineers, doctors, lawyers, et cetera. Thank you again so much dear Nia, I truly appreciate your words and enjoy fully our conversations. Have a marvellous Thursday (middle of the week) and all the best to you.
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You are most welcome dear Francisco, it is same for me too. Thank you your nice words. Made me happy. To be understood it so nice. Yes, we are in here in the afternoon, soon it would be evening. I hope and wish your day is going well too. Love, nia
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All the best and a lovely evening to you Nia. Thank you 🙏🏻
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Humans have two basic instincts that are the strongest: survival and reproduction. Everything other than these two can be considered art. So, for example, when you prepare a meal because you are hungry, it’s not art, but if you prepare it in a way that is not necessary to the consumption of it, then that becomes art. If you are working a job for the sole purpose of money(survival) even if the thing you do is painting, that is not art. But if you are putting rocks on top of each other for the aesthetic pleasure the product and the process gives you, then that becomes art. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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Thank you Aiva, I truly appreciate your words and enjoy fully our conversations on art and the philosophy of life, that although we differ at times, it is very good to keep talking about art and about life. Have a great day and all the best to you!
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🥰🥰🥰
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As an author I look at my surroundings and myself with a more or less benevolent distance. Emotion is only interesting if one finds a form for it.
If you define art as everything beyond reproduction and survival then you end up with a definition that says everything and nothing. The reception theory, going back to the Prague Structuralists like Mukařovsky, gives a clear definition of what we see as art or what we see non-art e.g. If I do something for money only (like Aiva writes) or not has nothing to do with it. An artefact is first of all a kind of closed universe. That’s easy to explain, if you find the sentence ‘it’s raining’ in a poem it doesn’t matter if it is raining outside what matters how this sentence fits rhythmwise or is it a rhyme e.g. With pictures f.e. it matters in which surrounding they are perceived and all in all if something is seen as art has to do with the history of the perception of the perceiver. Art is what is perceived as art there is no other definition we know that makes sense.
Klausbernd
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Than you so much for proffering your opinion and thoughts on art. I find the discussion quite interesting and I appreciate it. We must pursue the dialogue and continue to state our thoughts. All the best.
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nothin to say other than Sigh
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Hehehe… good one!
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¡Muy original el toro!
No me he leído el texto Francisco, lo tengo que llevar al traductor y a estas horas ya estoy kao.
Mañana me lo miro
Un abrazo🌷
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Gracias Ivonne! Feliz viernes y un abrazo 🤗
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Such an insightful viewpoint. It really makes you think about the true nature of art, the balance between creativity and reality. You’ve definitely made me see the artist’s world in a new light. 🎨
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Glad to hear that Willie. Thank you!
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