N.B., Click on images to zoom.
'Near Clawddnewydd in North Wales'
20 min Sketch, Oil Paint on Panel
As can be seen, this is a quick and very straightforward sketch of a particular winter moment, seen in the Clwyd Valley. It was made with no other intention other than to observe and portray the colours and the 'mood' of that landscape.
Very often when people ask me why I paint or draw something in a particular way, my answer is usually some variation on the notion that a painter should be absolutely clear about the aim of the picture at all stages of the work, and attempt to achieve that aim by selecting the appropriate techniques, colours etc. It sounds straightforward.
The execution follows the purpose.
The end determines the means.
(If this was philosophy it would be called the 'teleological' approach).
Such an approach or discipline can be difficult to sustain throughout the period of any particular work. And of course the purpose may be re-thought and change on the next painting. But I would suggest that it's essential to be clear in one's mind about the purpose of each and every piece of work.
I suppose the thing is, that we see so many paintings which are produced without any particular intention, and the artist simply lays something down without any thought about what the content of the painting or the 'meaning' of the painting is to be. This is an approach that many many artists adopt, and I have the feeling that this is why we see so many paintings in which any meaning is obscure or ambiguous. Of course, obscure and ambiguous have their place, but I think that any artwork is stronger if such ambiguity is intended and considered, rather than unconsidered.
For example, I have seen too many works, in which the paint application, the drawing, and so on is very sloppily executed and then the term 'expressionist' is used as a coverall explanation. By way of contrast to this approach, I tend to remember some of the original expressionists, eg, Kirchner, Marc, Munch, Kandinsky, etc, who would have a very specific emotion, or thought, that they were attempting to evoke, and they used all their skills and expertise to achieve that particular desired effect. Not accidental, but highly focussed.
It reminds me of the words of George Orwell, in 'Politics and the English Language', where he is offering guidelines on good writing. He points out that the intended image or idea should be very clear in the writers mind, and that the words chosen should be as simple as possible to comprehensibly and accurately express the intended idea.
"What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way around". Orwell
Brilliant! So simple a thought, and so applicable across any of the expressive arts.
(By the way, on an angry note, I noticed the other day that the view depicted in the sketch at the top of the post is now 'blessed' with a row of wind turbines. Vandals!)
______________________________________________________
Coasting around the net a week ago I came across this review of my (and John Baum's) recent exhibition at the RCA ...........
It's by the writer and art historian Remy Dean.
___________________________________
quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz “details, details............” quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz
Who painted this intense-looking bloke, and in which picture?
And here's the answer from the last posting -
' Big Self-Portrait'
Chuck Close. 1967-8. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz “details, details............” quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz
"I am often viewed as a 'conservative' critic. On the other hand, what does 'conservative' and what does 'radical' mean in today's context? As far as I can make up, when an artist says that I am conservative, it means that I haven't praised him recently."
Roberts Hughes