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Thursday, January 14, 2010

What's It All About

Alfie??? no I won't burst into song, that would sound scary. I've been looking at art around town, Portland, and thinking about where what I do fits in (or not). What do I want to paint, what images, ideas inspire me, how can I paint landscape without detailing the things, just abstract the essence. The show at Laura Russo up this month of Michael Dailey's work is one very powerful solution to that question. He offers a possible starting point for my own explorations.
Then there are the fun mixed media pieces about wine and food that I think of as color and design problems to be worked out to hopefully delight the eye. They are fun to do and many seem to enjoy them.
These thoughts are bound up in the question What is Art? I think of it as an expression of awe or wonder about the world. Here is what Aristotle had to say "Art completes what nature cannot bring to finish. The artist gives us knowledge of nature's unrealized ends."
Or this from Cezanne "An art which isn't based on feeling isn't an art at all... feeling is the principle, the beginning and the end; craft, objective, technique - all these are in the middle."
Yet another view: I once had the nerve to ask Picasso the question "What is art?" He answered, "Art is a lie which makes us see the truth." (James Dickey)
Finally from the philosopher (Alfred North Whitehead) Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.
My thanks to The Painters Keys for these quotes.
What's your definition of Art? Let me know and thanks for looking and allowing me to ramble.
Bruce

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