Of cabbages and critiques

[Steven Sweeney]

Yes, point taken. I was focusing on the kinds of debilitating things that keep us from achieving goals, rather than the sorts of practical considerations (mortgages, tuition, hunger pangs, vanity) that motivate us.

My "goal" is to be so impelled toward an end through desire and ardor and an appreciation of the pleasures of excellence, that I have no sense of being chased by fears that I'm not up to the task. If I could get there, I'm pretty sure that the mortgage would get paid and the unveilings would go well. I have never completely achieved this level of confidence or serenity (or success), but I'm under construction.

My experience is that long before the disappointing unveiling or the missed payment or the abrasive critique (which is usually spot on, at least technically), I have already disappointed myself in some way and I already knew it, by not being disciplined and true to the work. I can rarely feign surprise that I haven't worked up to my potential. Or if, on the other hand, I have done my work as well as I could, then others' critiques or disappointments aren't daggers that I feel I have to grasp and plunge into my own soul -- a tendency that young and vulnerable artists may have when faced with withering appraisals. There can be little satisfying progress in the dim light of such feelings, but we are in charge of disarming those fears.

And to come around to the point of the thread, the best instructors/critiquers guide us in that endeavor.

[Simon Bland]

It seems that the philosophy of art criticism has been a topic of discussion for a while. In his 1921 essay "Aesthetic Jurisprudence" George Jean Nathan wrote some insightful musings on art and criticism:

"Yet criticism is itself an art. It might, indeed, be defined as an art within an art, since every work of art is the struggle between the heart that is the artist himself and his mind that is the critic."

"The little mind and its little criticism are the flattering foes of sound art. Such art demands for its training and triumph the countless preliminary body blows of muscular criticism guided by a muscular mind. Art and the artist cannot be developed by mere back-slapping. If art, according to Beule, is the intervention of the human mind in the elements furnished by experience, criticism is the intervention of the human mind in the elements furnished by aesthetic passion. Art and the artist are ever youthful lovers; criticism is their chaperon."

Simon

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Michelle, I agree that fear can be a motivator, but doesn't it also place a noose around the artist's neck? People tend to stick to the familiar, "the thing that proved to work in the past " in order to assure that the bills get paid. I would call that the Kinkade phenomenon ( I'm in no way degrading his work). Those paintings work, they made him very wealthy, yet if he has not branched out, hasn't this also hindered him from exploring new ideas in his artistic growth?

Steven, being a perfectionist I have taken myself way too seriously over the years and I have gotten tired of living and conforming to the rules "within the box". I share your goal and I am also working on breaking negative ways of thinking.

I used to moan and groan, when things were not working the way I expected them to until I read this:

A shoe factory send two marketing scouts to a region of Africa to study the prospects for expanding business. One send back a telegram saying,
SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES

The other writes back triumphantly,
GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES

Things are the way the are, but there are endless ways we can make things turn around and work for us. The trick is to find them.

If I listened to the rejection of gallery owners that portraiture does not sell in southern California, I would be painting landscapes now. Instead I have marketed myself, attended shows, approached stores, did home parties, etc.

If I wanted to wait until I have mastered every aspect of traditional portraiture, I might be too old to see what I was painting or too weak to hit the pavement to market myself. Instead I have chosen to do the best given with the skills I have at the moment and to keep working at getting better with each painting.

If I wanted to pay the bills I would have had no choice, but to paint landscapes. Instead I chose to branch out and find things that still fall within the field of portraiture and paint those to pay for my expenses.

If I wanted to do things the conventional way, I would still be waiting for sales. I would never admit to doing "home parties", but they do work if you put on enough charm and are passionate enough about what it is you do.

I chose to overcome my fears and anxieties and adapted the 2nd marketing scout's way of thinking. I forced myself to think outside the box and look for the possibilities. The lack of a portrait market in my area is no longer a negative thing, but a golden opportunity. By the time I am done, if you don't know what I do, you must not live in my area!

Negativity , whether imposed by teachers, contemporaries, family members, etc. hinders our progress. As long as we can be truly honest about our shortcoming, we all know weather certain critiques about our work have basis and that's the time to evaluate and find ways to improve. By perfecting skills over time, listening to sincere advise and being open to new creative ideas, there is no other way but to succeed.

Simon, I love

Art and the artist are ever youthful lovers; criticism is their chaperon.

Why not add: "Endless possibilities the fuel of their love affair!"

[Steven Sweeney]

Originally Posted by Simon Bland

If art is the intervention of the human mind in the elements furnished by experience, criticism is the intervention of the human mind in the elements furnished by aesthetic passion.

And so the "dance" is perhaps not unlike that described by Sven Birkerts in The Gutenberg Elegies, regarding the steps taken by the writer, and the reader:

Writing is the monumentally complex operation whereby experience, insight, and imagination are distilled into language; Reading is the equally complex operation that disperses these distilled elements into another person's life.

The goal of critiques (and I'm distinguishing this from the role of art critic) is to speak to the kinds of balance and form that will make the dance as graceful and seemingly effortless as possible, so that through mastery over (including manipulation of) line and edges and value design and the like, the artist expresses his or her intentions in such a way that the patron or viewer can say, "Yes! You have helped me to see what it is that you saw. Thank you for that."

That would be a useful critique.

[Simon Bland]

Steven, that is a marvellous use of metaphor. I guess there's a hope that even the work of an artistic equivalent of clog dancer like me can one day look graceful and effortless.

Enzie, your marketing story is inspirational.

Simon

[Mischa Milosevic]

Steven, excellent thread. I hope you wont mind if I chime in with the hope to be in tune.

While at the academy I noticed the masterful level of professionalisms exhibited by the instructor there. A young man in his early thirties but so on the ball and while resolving self issues, in regard to a professional level of instruction, he always managed to stay focused and true to the job at hand. He exhibited and entered the arena of art and art instruction with a passion. If, when there he noticed a area that was lacking he took steps to resolve the shortcoming.

If one loves their craft with a passion then you are where you need to be. If while there, one does not take the proper steps in order to be the best they can, then that individual has not earned the right to receive the benefits in what ever form.

Sure everything on this planet is a struggle but imagine what it would be like if your parents did not take the time to teach you the basics and prepare you for school. Lets not forget the love involved to put up with the devilish attitude of a youngster.

The cold truth hit me one day, some years back, that if I am to make a living at art I must start and master the basics and in turn go on to the next level. The same applies to anything we hope to acheave.

So, (well stated Steven)

"My "goal" is to be so impelled toward an end through desire and ardor and an appreciation of the pleasures of excellence, that I have no sense of being chased by fears that I'm not up to the task. If I could get there, I'm pretty sure that the mortgage would get paid and the unveiling's would go well. I have YET to completely achieve this level of confidence or serenity (or success), but I'm under construction."

"Yet criticism is itself an art. It might, indeed, be defined as an art within an art, since every work of art is the struggle between the heart that is the artist himself and his mind that is the critic."