« On becoming an artist | Main | The Perspective Shift »
January 18, 2006
The effort involved in appearing effortless
Art shouldn’t appear forced or conscious. If you are aware that some aspect of the piece, be it painting, music or poetry, is trying too hard then it isn’t art. One of the many definitions of art is: the excellence of an acquired skill. You haven’t acquired the skill if things look forced and awkward.
This is not to say that the piece can’t be self-referential, that is: reflecting the process by which it was created, which is one of the cracked crucibles I stir about in.
Effortlessness is what you’re after, and it’s not easy to achieve. I can’t say how on some days I can make marks on panels which “work” and on other days everything looks like skid marks on clean sheets.
Maybe it’s an attitude of mind, it’s certainly about how you feel. It’s also about how things sit in time. What appears great today can take on the Mantle of the Mundane tomorrow. That is why time is necessary to create a piece, and why the artist reserves the right to change and move a painting on until it’s taken from him.
And then, after all the hard work, the piece will look unforced, unconscious and effortless.
Posted by john at January 18, 2006 10:03 AM