Art and Philosophy are the foundation of the modern world
Art and philosophy have had an enormous influence on the world we have inherited. The earliest benchmark of human civilization is the creation of art. Philosophers created the foundations ethics, law, science and government. It can be stated that without them, the modern world, as we know it, would never have existed.
The sculpture of the Venus of Willendorf Is the earliest know sculpture and dates to 30,000 years ago. The cave art of Lascaux is at least 17,000 years ago. These are some of the earliest expressions of what distinguished Homo Sapiens from all other creatures and are used by modern scientists as the benchmark of humanity.
What would the world be if this human attribute hadn’t manifested?
Philosophy developed from observation of groups and the need to describe the desirable traits humans needed to have optimal success.
Art and Philosophy reached a pinnacle in the city states of Greece. These two disciplines more than any other attributes formed the core of the classical Greek civilization.
What would Rome have been without the influence of Grecian art, architecture, law, science and philosophy.
Would there have been a renaissance without the philosophy of Aristotle, Socrates random Plato? Would Michelangelo and DaVinci have ever created their masterpieces without the influence of the Greeks?
Would Europe have risen from the Dark Ages and the plague without this influence from the past?
Would a loosely associated collection of colonies produced the greatest single most important document in human history, the United States Constitution?
These and many more elements of human civilization were reliant on these foundations.
Art served as a way to communicate thoughts and ideals to a mostly illiterate populace. Philosophy refined those ideals and codified them into the essence of human activity.
This is why both disciplines are important. They each define our civilizations as they are or as they should be. Without them, humanity descends into barbarism. We all know this to be true because it has happened in the past. We can choose to learn from history or destined to repeat it.
Is digital art created by A.I. really art?
During my career, I have observed a seismic change in the graphic arts. When I started my career, there were still printers that used hot type machines to use molten lead to cast blocks of type for printing. Later, electronic typesetting replaced this centuries old trade.
Photographs and art moved from etched plates to be reproduced on film and burned on sensitive aluminum plates. The plates were then mounted on lithography presses and printed.
Photography moved from the age of film to the digital camera and is now in the process of residing in every cell phone.
These changes occurred slowly at first. The masters of the older trades were often considered artists of their craft. The idea that electronics and computers could replace the training and artistry they had spent their lives refining could be replaced by machines was laughable.
When I spoke with them about these new technologies, the response was always,
“No machine can ever replace me!”
But, in a few short years that is exactly what happened.
Now I am seeing a similar change sweeping through the art world. New technologies like NFTs and Artificial Intelligence, AI, are beating at the gates of the art world.
Because I am a traditional artist, I am understandably wary of these technologies. But my experience tells me that these early entries are likely to have a similar effect on art.
I have been a proponent of the digital age and an early adopter of the machines and software used to create it. But I always saw the sacrifice in careers and livelihoods left in tatters.
Today, I am sensing the same changes hovering over the art world like some digital sword of Damocles.
Will human created art, made with talent, learning and time be superseded by machines that can pump out countless finished examples from a simple suggestion?
If my experience is any indication, the future is not bright.
But for the time being, I still hold on to the belief that the human spirit, intellect and creativity will hold sway. Maybe that is the same wishful thinking those past craftsmen felt. I hope I’m wrong and the soulless production of images by machine doesn’t replace what is the earliest definition of humanity, Art.
Painting transparent fabrics
Medusa, oil on linen, 24x36”
Painting transparent fabric is a mystery to many artists. But in fact, it is no more so than any other challenge a realist artist will face in constructing a visually compelling painting.
When constructing a painting, I naturally follow time honored steps of theme, design, sketch, under painting and final painting.
When faced with decisions about how to deal with aspects of the subject, I stop and evaluate the strategy needed to make a convincing rendering.
These steps are not mysterious but are no different than any other aesthetic decisions. I look closely at my reference and study the values, color , textures and structure of the draped area.
In the painting Medusa, I painted the skin tones in the under painting. The skin tones were cool to reflect the gauzy black of the fabric.
Later, after working on other areas and drying time, I tackled the application of the folds and wrinkles.
At this point there were areas that I wanted to warm up a bit. This is because the skin is closer to the surface of the fabric and the figure needs to reflect the volume and not appear flat.
I painted the largest folds and main details quickly to delineate the positions and shapes.
I also fine tuned areas of color that would eventually be partially obscured by details added later.
Finally, I painted the small details and thin wrinkles in the fabric.
In this process, I am continually adjusting and refining the shapes and values as needed.
The final rendering is more a visual suggestion than an exact representation. I achieved the effect I wanted without needing to reproduce an exact copy of the reference.
This is part of the artistic process of editing creatively and not slavishly copying the original.
Painting any fabric requires constant attention to the landscape of the folds, highlights and shadows.
Don’t feel daunted by a transparent fabric. Once deconstructed and analyzed, it becomes no less difficult than other aspects of a figurative painting.
Changing your style
I think all artist explore other styles of painting and drawing throughout their careers. It’s normal to try new techniques and methods to see how they enhance your style or whether they offer a new approach you want to pursue.
Many successful artists may feel that they have reached a point where their personal style has reached a climax or has become stale and repetitive.
Then, there are the expectations of their collectors, fans and galleries. Once established, there are expectations that the artist reprise their subjects, paint work and aesthetic considerations. This has a dampening effect on the artist, who commonly feels frustrated by not being able to break through this barrier.
I have heard many artists complain that once they have successful sales, they feel pressured to repeat that work over and over in recognizable issues for commercial reasons.
While this may be a commercially successful way for a stable business plan, it can often lead to a career that seems the antithesis of the reason you became an artist in the first place.
Embarking on a major change in the way you paint is a risky adventure that can be career ending. However, art history is filled with examples of artists that have done this seemingly without hesitation or concern for outside opinions.
Picasso comes to mind because he went from classical style to expressive, to cubistic, to abstract, to… not only did he paint in these various style he would jump from one to another, sometimes in the same day.
Gauguin went from realistic to impressionistic to a post impressionist style inspired by his life in Tahiti.
I’m not promoting a style change for any other reason than the personal need to explore new ideas and fresh subjects. I think that the original passion that drove you to paint in the first place will manifest in the new work in ways unexpected, novel and, yes, successful.
