Welcome to the Idle Acres estate...A humble and personal worldview, perspective, and outlook about a lifestyle for Living the Moment towards the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit to achieve one's Unique Potential along life's path. It's all about The Journey and one's personal Daily Walk. I am a self-taught artist finding my way.
Visited the exhibit Degas and the Nude at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts recently during an unseasonably warm 54 degrees in a Boston January and with no snow on the ground. Enjoyed over 3 hours of observation and note-taking. Lots of fun also to watch people and listen in on other's perceptions while seemingly appearing intent on my note pad. Which I was really!
Original Photo: There is Still Life for Degas - Copyright James E. Martin 2012
The MFA publication for the exhibit by Shackelford and Rey is in the MFA store and is a superb record of the walkthrough. I picked up my own copy to reference along with my own notes.
Fingers are itching to reach for the pastels, blending brushes, and french stippled color paper.
I briefly visited the European gallery after Degas and enjoyed the Impressionist gallery in particular of course. Have to spend another longer visit soon and take in the American Art gallery as well. For those of us who enjoy the French Impressionists, these are heart-pounding and breath-taking walks to take.
I am endeared to artistic chat with charming little old ladies with walkers who amble along and with only slight provocation speak their mind without hesitation about their likes and dislikes for the artists in the collection while they are being escorted by quiet, reserved, dashing, lightly-bearded, young men with bright eyes who casually besmirch a small knowing and patient smile while the casual conversation between not-so-distant strangers takes place.
After many years of studying and reading about the Impressionist style, I happened upon one the best characterizations of the movement from a book in my local library recently. How did I miss this one? Modern French Painters by R. H. Wilenski. Originally published in 1939, I borrowed the 1963 edition.
Lessons Learned: In summary from the rich detail provided, the Impressionist articles of faith include:
First, a visual impression of a scene from a moment in time accidently encountered by the artist
Second, start and complete the painting of the scene en pleine aire, outdoors not in the studio, preferably in one sitting
Third, utilize a bright and lively palette of tonal color
Fourth, utilize a method of "broken color"...the application of pigment in small strokes that merge at a distance
Although I have not yet finished reading the book, there is one other tenet that shows in many of the Impressionist's works that I think should be included:
Fifth, utilize a unique perspective, angle, view, frame, and/or panorama
Like many articles of faith and in accordance with the tenor and reach of each artist during the period, these parameters were jostled in the community of practice between artists and over time as the Modern art movement progressed. Interestingly, Impressionism would be considered part of the Realism genre based on Tenet 1 and Tenet 2 emphasizing direct observation as opposed to an idealistic, romantic, or theoretical composition arranged from one's memory in the studio.
The advent and rise of photography would also coincide somewhat with the Impressionist movement and eventually supercede its prevalence as a popular way to record a moment in history. In years to come, the 'Kodak Moment" would become the more republican and democratic way to create and record the important "still life" image. An ever widening user-audience could frame the picture with a simpler skill set than the time, training or talent drawing and painting might require. The digital age has taken "point-and-click-and share" to affordable new heights with remarkable quality and distribution.
My first original Impressionist painting according to these basic tenets was Celebration of Passage (2009).
Original Art: Copyright James E. Martin 2009
Description: I had been contemplating doing an original Impressionist painting for quite some time. My oldest daughter graduated high school in 2009 and my second oldest daughter graduated from middle school the same year. A graduation party was hosted in our front yard replete with red balloons tied to our white scalloped picket fence representing the local school colors. The following morning I arose with the dawn to complete the yard cleanup and beheld two balloons lazily drifting in a mild wind after losing some of their helium by the open corner gate. That moment in time, the two balloons yearning to be free of their restraints at the open gate from within the fences bounding our property iconified how I perceived my two girl's Celebration of Passage through one of life's gates to the next phase of their maturity and subsequent release to the world at large. I had planted a small Blue Spruce christmas tree at the corner years earlier which had the potential to baseline the painting and the girl's growth over time as we viewed the painting against the tree's growth in the future. The perspective and composition for the fence, shrubs, flowers, trees, and gate was there in the blink of an eye. No arrangement of objects required. The light was dramatic. Today was the day. This was the moment.
With the five tenets of Impressionism in mind, the easel was set up for a suitable perspective to frame the picture based on that moment's inspiration and the painting started and completed within a few hours using colors straight from the paint tube with little mixing. Although, I took digital photos throughout the session of what I was painting to characterize the changing light for later retrospection, I didn't refer to them because of the sun's glare on the small digital viewer. I recall a sense of anxiety about the manner in which the light changed during the session. But I very much enjoyed the challenge of coloring the grass in the yard based on its hillocks, dips and shadows. Speed was of the essence. I felt I couldn't paint fast enough. It was my first experience with the Impressionist approach in real time. I found it challenging and exhilarating by the time I was finished. I finally and actually knew in some small way what they had experienced in France during the late 1800s.I have found that my study of Victorian history and the Impressionist era has influenced my "mind's eye". Capturing those particular observed moments in Time and Space in my daily walk serves to inspire a litany of potential art motifs and locations. Some days I cannot outline the ideas fast enough. Studying the Impressionist paintings regarding their approach, development of motif, methods, and techniques has served to influence how I approached this first painting and what I was seeking to accomplish. But caution is well advised that a "formula" to painting is not necessarily what I am about or what I am after.Lesson Learned: Living in the moment is one of the life's deep satisfactions. The Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit help give meaning to some of the important moments. Seek to exercise and emphasize Tenet 5 to discover unique perspectives.
To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them:
To die, to sleep No more; and by a sleep, to say we end The heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks That Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished.
To die to sleep, To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the respect That makes Calamity of so long life.
Reference: From Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1: Shakespeare
Photo courtesy - Wikimedia Commons
One of Van Gogh's last completed works before committing his self-inflicted fatal injury was At Eternities Gate (Jul 1890). The title alone reflects his state of mind in the final days of his earthly treadpath revealed here as perhaps he wrestles with "shuffling off his mortal coil" and crossing the one-way threshold into eternity to meet his Maker. From the subject's perspective in the painting, he would see darkness, feel tension in the clenched hands, hear the crackling of the fire, and feel the posture of sitting in the chair. Only the subject, not the viewer, would ever fully know his internal state of mind.
From the viewer's perspective, there are only three objects of note in the location, the subject, the chair and the fire. I sense anguish and fatigue and indecision in the subject's posture as he wilfully shuts out the light of day by covering his eyes with his own clenched hands as if in a feeble attempt to stop observation of all things, to not look at the viewer, and to stop time. Only from his autobiographical letters are we made aware of his recurring efforts to still the demons of internal mental illness and anguish. Many of those bouts were incapacitating for his artistic endeavors for longer and longer periods of time creating further anxiety and frustration in direct conflict with his creative pursuit. Because of his theological studies early in life, can we surmise that he may even be in a posture of prayer conversing with and wrestling with his Maker? Earlier in Van Gogh's Still Life with Open Bible (1885), the book is opened to the suffering servant depiction in Isaiah 53:3-5. Is the natural man wrestling with the spiritual man? With thoughts of suicide, the consequences of the irretrievable act in the flesh might be daunting for a Christian believer with an eternity to consider for the final disposition of the human spirit. Heaven or hell? For the natural man, the fire is burning bright in his artistic productions despite his limitations and provides warmth in its proximity but may diminish to embers in the future or die out to dark coals without fuel to continue. But for the spiritual man? Is that a crackling of a symbolic hellfire we hear in the otherwise quiet stillness of the contemplative room?
To Be or Not to Be? THAT IS THE QUESTION. No doubt in my mind. Every moment of every day. And, there is Calamity in so long a life as apportioned to us in fleeting moments. I can respect these things.... along with the diversity of thought from folks who propose that some artist other than Shakespeare created those lines. As Artists, we hope we can change the world amidst its Calamity with our unique hand. Let's create Order from Chaos. Let's create Something Humble or Magnaminous from Nothing. Lets paint. And.....Lord.....please have mercy on us poor sinners and help us all with abundant grace and overflowing mercies. I need more than my talent. Thank you Van Gogh. ;o)
Once upon a time (all great stories start this way).... there was a Dutch artist named Vincent Van Gogh (30 Mar 1853-29 Jul 1890) who eventually became a famous post-Impressionist and was recognized as a leader in what was to become the Modern art movement since many artists were influenced by his style.
Although the Van Gogh WikiBiography provides much fun, I note a few salient points for today:
Early in his career, Vincent was a theology student in preparation for preaching and church work (1877-1880)
Vincent was known for his signature bright blue and yellow depictions of paint-heavy expressive brushstrokes
His life of trials and tribulation as an artist is uniquely well-documented since he maintained a robust correspondence with his younger brother Theo, an art dealer
He was regarded generally as a loner afflicted with mental illness
Brother Theo was a close confidant and Vincent's primary means of financial support
Vincent cut off his own ear during an argument with the artist Gauguin (1888)
Vincent's artistic breakthrough occurred in Arles France (1888-1889). With worsening bouts of mental anguish, eventually he was admitted to an insane asylum in Saint-Remy de Provence and was released to work in Auvers-sur-Oise (1890) but he created some his most notable and colorful works during this time
Vincent was a proverbial starving artist having made only one sale in his lifetime for a mere pittance
He allegedly shot himself in the chest in a wheatfield and crawled back to his boarding room
He died at age 37 in the arms of his brother Theo who arrived from Paris two days after the incident
According to some art historians, Van Gogh's last executed work left on the easel was Crows in a Wheatfield (Jul 1890)
Photo courtesy - Wikimedia Commons
The sky is a bold turbulent blue and the wheatfields are a golden yellow perhaps whipped by the wind. The roads are brown and green....partly barren and partly verdant. Uncharacteristically, there are two celestial bodies lit on the horizon-a greater and a lesser light. Traversing the rolling hills, I see three roads and possible paths emerging from the viewer's perspective. One is centrally located and approaches the greater light at the distance horizon. It seems to command the viewer's perspective and selection. The remaining two paths surround the golden wheatfields that are ready for harvest. Marauding crows intent upon the harvest are either entering or leaving the field of view in the central portion and upper right hand corner of the landscape....the flock receding to the distant horizon.
In 1996, 106 years after Van Gogh's death, my wife and I had the good fortune during a business trip to Amsterdam to enjoy many of his works now held in the Amsterdam Van Gogh museum.
In 2009, I visited a local high school art show and was inspired by the creative execution of the young artists under the tutelage of the local art teacher. I recall a number of students creating new innovative art work and noted with pleasant surprise that some had also depicted some works of the well-known Impressionists, i.e., Van Gogh and Monet in particular. One young female student had painted Vincent Van Gogh's Crows in a Wheat Field. I was most impressed with this souvenir of his alleged last painting and I inquired whether I could purchase it but it was not for sale.
It took me about a year of further wanderlust but I was eventually inspired partially by the effort of these local high school artists to renew my artistic endeavors from my own early years. I did not intend to exactly copy the original piece but rather to allow it to influence how I approached my souvenir of the masterpiece. I began my new artistic journey by rendering Crows in a Wheat Field (souvenir 2009). I researched the piece in the literature and with images from the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum and one sunny, summer day, I set up the easel outdoors and completed the work to my own satisfaction. The result is then a memory and recollection of what I saw in the original and how I feel about Van Gogh and the meaning of his life's journey and work.
Opinion: What does the Van Gogh painting Crows in a Wheatfield mean to me? It is a somber, sober and foreboding piece. Based on his biography, I sense Vincent's battle between spiritual and worldy imperatives perhaps denoted by the depiction of a greater and lesser light at a distant horizon yet to be reached. As the moon reflects the emitted light of the sun, so the lesser light on the horizon depicts the imperatives of the more worldy human spirit reflecting the greater divine light that is emitted from its source. The practical demands of choosing an occupation and making his way in the world financially was always at war with his human spirit for a noble and pure life and his spiritual outlook for the divine which included his occupational selections of either artist or Christian preacher. There is more than one perceived path to be taken. One leads to the greater light in the distance. All paths are bathed in the glow of the greater light. All paths include proximity to the potential harvest in the walk-through of financially viable work product or paintings in the field along the way to the horizon. Each path however is both a barren brown and a verdant green denoting some unproductive and also productive work along the trodden path in the earthy soil. Vincent was never economically successful at either of his selected occupational roles although his resultant artistic works are prolific and eventually became known as rare and valuable masterpieces after his death.
In painting one of his last works, he represents that the seeds of his artistic endeavors have been planted in the world, the crop is golden and mature and his life's work and oeuvre were in the hands of his brother Theo, and the portfolio is therefore ready for harvest at some future time. Oddly, there is no human in the painting representing a farmer trodding the path nor reaping the harvest but rather we have a flock of maurauding crows from the world at large that steal at the ripe kernels of the finished paintings at the peak of the harvest. Vincent left his works to Theo. His last words spoken according to Theo were...."The sadness will last forever". Theo died six months after his brother. It was Theo's wife who would later consolidate and process the collection of paintings and letters for posterity.
Conclusion: The sources for artistic influence of one's own work can be on a global and local level. The influence may come from historical sources and one's daily life journey. We are connected to others across time and space. We have the opportunity to influence others in the future with our own works. We can paint our future today with our daily occupational, avocational, or recreational work effort.
We live in what may be the greatest of times. Just imagine for a moment the tantamount number of souls across human history that have experienced only hunger, poverty, famine, ignorance, disease, violence, war, fear, tyranny, bondage, oppression, and obscurity. Have we really considered, personally and corporately, the end result of the lack of freedom and venue in the world to BECOME somebody special and noteworthy based on who you are or who you want to be? Have our conclusions, our thinking, and our actions truly influenced how we behave and decide in the moment? What has humanity not attained, gained, or retained as a result of the spirit of darkness that suppresses or ignores the achievement and recognition of individual creative expression? How should we position ourselves and posture our artistic efforts amidst the clamour, chaos, clutter, and noise that might drown an emergent pure and sweet song?
Throughout all the ages of humanity, each soul has lived their allotted time on this green earth. Each individual is framed by their geneological roots, born to a time, germinated in a country, fostered by their family, shaped by their culture, and handed their talents. We are born of water and return to dust. We do not choose these foundations.
Yet, each of us has a Unique Potential based on our foundations. No one else in all of humanity has been given our particular and marvelous formula of attributes. By deliberately and purposefully selecting the direction for and application of our life's force and energy, we can execute activities in Time to leverage our talents, increase our knowledge, grow our abilities, develop our skills, and add to our experiences. We can share ourselves, connect, and inspire others. Perhaps it can be asserted that the fulfillment of the human spirit is in achieving one's Unique Potential along life's journey.
We may live in obscurity. Or we can endeavor, with providential wisdom, discernment, and guidance, to live our lives in a creative pursuit, to study, follow, and emulate those who have gone before us, to make our own contribution and legacy through personal hard work and concerted effort, to innovate with our mind, our heart, and our voice, and therefore to make our individual mark with our own destiny to scribe upon the recording of world history.
Manifestoa: My recommended position and posture is this.....Let us each, then, resolve to march forward today and each moment thereafter, with deliberate design intent, finding our own purposeful way and manner, running the race that is set before us, overcoming obstacles and limitations, emanating the joy and happiness of our own melody and light, respecting the value of others, embracing the diversity around us, connecting and sharing for the greater good, absorbing and reflecting the influence from the communities that surround us, making a joyful noise and dance, resonating the harmony of many voices that influence who we are, and thus create our individual Masterpiece upon the timeline of humanity.
A complete stranger has inspired me to begin a web log based on their blog. Today. At this moment. Thank you, stranger. Maybe we will become friends.
Perhaps life is somewhat like a once empty room. We are given the room....and we furnish it with our personal and professional achievements on a daily basis along the way. By chance, by serendipity, or by deliberate design intent, we conduct our life through occupation and craft, execute an Apprenticeship, mature our skills as a Journeyman, and, at some point, move along the path to Master.
We "paint" our Studies, our Works-In-Progress and our Masterpieces along the way and place them on our walls. Our works define us....who we have been, who we are now, and who we will someday become.
Are the works occupational, avocational, or recreational? What is the lasting value of one's life work and oeuvre? Many travel their path and are lost to obscurity. There are many starving artists. Where do we go from here? Are we to change the world and in what manner? I think I am going to redecorate my room. And start some new Art. Managing a blog is only a small side trip on the way to endeavoring the longer journey.....like traversing a small cul-de-sac. Keep the end destination in sight and don't get caught up in a round-about do-loop side trip.
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