Dear World,
I would like to start this blog by saying how long its been since I've engaged in learning about art in an academic environment...let's just say a while. It's been a pleasure reintroducing it into my life. That said, let me share with you some of the things I've learned and was inspired by.
This week our guest speaker was Laura Vandenburgh; she draws and paints by nature, but as we've mentioned in class, it is hard to say that an artist only has one medium. Laura presented many ideas and perspectives, she claims that "everyone engages in drawing," whether it be doodling in your notebook or making a map for someone to find your house, its all drawing. I felt particularly drawn (don't mind the pun) to this statement, for I've always admired people who can draw with much convincing detail and never thought of myself as a drawer. I may give it another chance now. She also mentioned that just as each person has their own signature, they also each have their own unique style of drawing or marking. When you look at a drawing, "you feel the hand of the artist," you might even feel empathetic towards their learning process.
Laura gave us some examples of artists who primarily work with drawing. There were a huge variety of different ways to create a mark or a line without having to use the standard pencil on paper. I was ignorant that one might create a drawing by using other means, such as rope, wire, garbage, etc. What a broad world drawing turned out to be.
"Art is a form of visual curiosity, which means that it is always in some sense about how we view ourselves and others in the world" (Art Theory for Beginners p.1) I believe this to be very much correct, or at least being parallel with my momentary perspective. I see this world as a place to practice having more compassion. Compassion can be another word for 'understanding' and understanding is the primary goal of curiosity; there for, through art one might find compassion for themselves and others.
Another perspective I saw eye to eye with was the idea behind 'Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics'. Robert Smithson who was the artist that created the earthwork (or drawing, as Laura had shown us) Spiral Jetty, made in 1970 at the Great Salt Lake in Utah. "For Smithson it showed that order is unstable and easily lost. This loss of order, this instability, and openness to change was something Smithson tried to build into his artwork. His art was all about accepting that things get created and then they decay. The Spiral Jetty changes and submerges over time. It is not stable." (Art Theory for Beginners p.9) I've learned this lesson many times and in many ways; change is the only thing that is permanent. What Smithson created is a beautiful truth of all things.
Magaret Kilgallen was a seeker of truth and curiosity as well. Influenced mostly by American and Indian Folk art she was inspired by inspiring others. "...the thing that keeps me going is the fact that maybe, maybe, somebody will learn from what I'm doing... when you put your work out there and somebody comes up to you and thanks you for doing it, that is why I do work. It can inspire." (Influences and Train Marking interview) And she's right, I for one was inspired by her art. The hand-painted train yard photos reminded me of my own recent art work. Combining photographs with drawings and/ or other found objects to create a memory that may or my not have happened. Kilgallen also mentions that "on any day in the Mission, in San Fransisco you can see a hand-painted sign that is kind of funky... I think its beautiful, what they did and that they did it themselves." I just happen to be in San Fransisco a few weeks ago and I can honestly say that some of the art work I saw in the Mission was breath-taking. All I wanted to do was find random alleyways and gaze at the graffiti, which were more like master pieces of the streets. Here's a few graffiti art works I happen to see while being in San Fransisco. look up 'December 29, 2010'
San Fransisco street art
For art to be openly shared with whomever happens to pass by is a blessing that I'm grateful for.
What I am gathering from the all of this information is its common thread. "Art allows the truth to happen, it does not predetermine it or make it conform to an already existing idea, art allows the truth to arise in the creation of the artwork itself." (words influenced by Martin Heidegger; Art Theory for Beginners p.65)
Each artist, and I mean everyone, is searching for their truth. Allowing their mind to move with the ebb and flow of change, curiosity, and inspiration; arriving finally at our unique mark and our uniqueness.
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