Month: November 2008

This passage was taken from the book:  Theories of Modern Art, Ed. Herschel B. Chipp

Imagination (a letter to Brnard, Arles, April 1888 (B3,p.478)

“The imagination is certainly a faculty which we must develop, one which alone can lead us to the creation of a more exhalting and consoling nature that the single brief glance of reality- which in our sight is ever changing, passing like a flash of lightning-can let us perceive….”

I chose to feature this quote because it is the essence of what I believe art should be.  I think that nature as a subject matter in painting can be a jumping off point for the human mind.  It is here that we can dicover our own creativity, purpose, and greatness. Nature, like us, is an organic manifestation that grows and transforms in reaction to the fluidity of the universe.  As being products of nature, we have that very same power in creativity, to see and redesign as we see fit.

The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands,but in seeing with new eyes.

-Marcel Proust

As artists, thinkers, and creators it is important that we never get too comfortable, or make assumptions in our exprience of the world.  In doing so, we filter out what could potentially be genius insights or life changing expriences.   It’s important to remember, but easy to forget. Our brains seems to want to somehow instinctively switch into autopilot.

I have posted some new drawings in the gallery that I am excited about.  They are mostly rough quick drawings, but they continue to inform my stylization and study of shapes.

“To reproduce the three-dimensional two-dimensionally, however, is an excercise in abstraction.  As with all illusions, two-dmensional art is a critique on the limits of perception.”

GeoffreyBent- “Let there be Giotto”

This quote is taken from an essay by Bent about Giotto published in Boulevard-Vol.23.  Giotto is a 13th Century Itlaian painter who is credited with breaking many of the traditions of art in that time and forming a movement in painting that gets away from the flat, two-dimensional imagery and aspires to create the illusion of three-dmensions. I think that this quote is a reminder of how painting is still painting. we are reinterpreting and transferring what we see onto a two-dimensional plane.  Therefore, we are always at the mercy of our own perceptions, no matter our intentions.

Image:

The Kiss of Judas

Giotto (1267-1337)

Fresco, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua

A good reference book to have on the shelf.  I have found that this book covers an important history of the relationships between art, science, and religion.  The author is Lynn Gamwell and her writing is both in depth and accessible.

This book on Amazon.com