I had the thought the other day -and its the first time this notion has seemed to have a purpose- that I am consistently most pleased with the first layer of a work. Everything afterwards seems to only corrupt the purity of this first attack on the virgin canvas. The notion seemed to come to me and then drift away again, but today, as I have just started another work, this feeling has stuck. Why, why this time? Now i’m unsure what to do. Whilst the idea that the hard work behind painting has t sshow in its completion, no longer distracts me. I still have the idea in my mind, that a painter has to break through the metaphysical barrier in someway, and that this requires a shifting of context within the work. But it is perhaps foolish of me to believe that this “wall” need necessarily mean that a painting is worked then re-worked. It is obvious now that I have still been holding onto romanticised notions of work within painting.
Recent Posts
Categories
- Artist's statment
- Contemporary art
- Critical theory
- Dance
- Diary entry
- Historical Studies
- Interviews
- Literature
- Music
- Other artists
- Other forms of culture
- Our poems
- Our work
- Photography
- Poetry
- Pre 20th Century art
- Talks/seminars/lectures
- The creative process
- The world/society and politics
- Theatre
- Twentieth Century Art
- Uncategorized
I think there are certain truths in the fact that we both still hold onto certain romanticised notions about painting. Before going on I should state I am still undecided about whether or not I want to get rid of them or not. I certainly want to lose the ones that hold no weight in reality, and I tihnk the direct corrolation between labour and output is one of these. It need not be elaborated.
Having said that, i don’t think you can put your enjoyment of the first layer of painting, but insistentance to want to reach ‘beyond’ totally down to a hang up on the previously stated romanticised notion.
That first layer holds a certain appeal due to its unique freshenss. It also holds it as it registers, in your head, the start of a journey towards an unreachable ideal. At this point the ideal still seems reachable, even if unkown, so those first marks still hold great weight.
If we were to remove the continuation and stop at this point then we would be removing one of the key reasons we enoy those first makrs, which is thaty we beleive they are going to lead to something. If they are the end point themselves then they become vacuous.
On a simple aesthetic level there is also an appeal. there is a freshness to the makrs first laid down. it is something which cannot be recaptured or manufactured later on. Yet it is hollow. It does not really do anything,
I still believe in the continued process. Although it is one I tihnk we need to follow with a desire to not overwork and also without being afraid to hold back areas of freshness. But I still think that the transmutation from the first point to the end point is where good painting can be found. It is where we discover. Without a certain amount of ‘layering’ (and I don’t mean in the literal terms we both perhaps used to follow) I still think it is perhaps impossible to reach a certain level.
I think that layeriung can be done off as well as on the canvas.
I am feeling lost with the agenda of my point now and am thinking that perhaps I am just still foolishly clinging onto romanticised notions myself and trying to use logic to deny this fact.
Tom
19 Jun 08 at 2:10 pm
Thats exactly what was happening to me when i was writing the post. i was trying to find definitive descriptions of what i meant when i talked about working and reworking and how sometimes it needs to occur and other times it doesn’t, but i just kept finding myself within a ball of contradictions. i use this phrase a lot, but again it just comes down to intuition and experience, about knowing what is needed and when. Like the study of the crucifixion which prompted my speculations, it seems to have a power in which the freshness and unfussiness is a key factor. but that doesn’t mean it is finished. it requires a type of work that does not disrupt its qualities, the work done on this will be within the quiet contemplation of the image, where only a few decisive actions are required to complete it, but this contemplation may take days, weeks or months. the deliberateness will be its main strength i think. but another painting, the balloon one, is only coming closer to being finished after a lot of actual application work has been accrued, and it seems that its power comes from the questioning and alterations, its uncertainty.
Andy
19 Jun 08 at 11:49 pm