Replies: 25 Comments
on Saturday, October 7th, gabriella said
Alberto:
The October ARTNEWS has a write-up of the Wada controversy, however it only hints at just how duplicitous Wada was in his dealings with you. One has to "read" between the lines.
It is heartening that you have put behind you this unfortunate happening, and that you have retained that which is most important for a painter, that is, to pull out the next canvas and continue with one's project.
on Wednesday, October 4th, walt said
Dusanka, please do not take offense at my resoponse to the squirrels or the men. It was not my intention to insult anyone. But if you don't mind I will continue to call my white squirrel Andy.
on Tuesday, October 3rd, Andrew said
Jose, you're there. Not that we turn into any kind of criminal, which I don't condone, but that we use our ingenuity to not only produce our work, but expose it, get people to look at it, and receive a reward proportionate to our efforts and abilities. Alberto, when you arrive at a certain point in your career, when people recognize and are willing to pay for what you do, perhaps the struggle you went through to get there fades from memory. I was in the Uffizzi gallery today, looking for a long time at works which charged me with a duty to improve what I'm doing, to strive to reach a point of being able to say I'm in the same profession that Cimabue or Boticelli were in. I'd like to try tempera on a panel. And see how far I have yet to go.
on Tuesday, October 3rd, jose said
Now that I get your point Dušanka, I agree with you, I think we all do. But the point Andrew was trying to bring across was not that we turn into criminals, but that we use our ingenuity. And do so wisely, not as literally as in the example of the little critters – not to sit back and watch opportunities be handed to others, but to make use our resourcefulness and find innovative ways of getting by as artists on our own terms.
on Tuesday, October 3rd, Dušanka Badovinac said
Dear men from the squirrels,
I wish you with your art all success you deserve.
As I see this discussion going some direction I don’t like, I wish to make my self clear.
I refuse to be clever as your squirrels; and when I wrote my comment about them, my idea was to neither be funny nor provoke ideas of working together…especially not on that level. It is more my criticism of the world we are living in. Unfortunately I am completely aware of it and I don’t like it. That is why I need to paint, helps me survive (not in financial way, of course).
on Tuesday, October 3rd, walt said
Andrew,
Yes, I agree...so are we.
on Tuesday, October 3rd, Andrew said
Walter, it's not just that we have to work together, as most artists up until recently already have. It's also the neccesity of adapting to the time and places we find ourselves in. The world is not a fair place, it never has been, neither in nature nor in society, and if we don't realize who we are and what kind of world we live in, then we won't go very far, or possibly even survive. Nature is very good to take example from... she has no pity, is objective, and rewards only the fittest, etc. The squirrels were only an example of one of the myriad of ways of adapting. I've seen them water skiing, they're really pretty clever.
on Monday, October 2nd, Hunter Cashdollar said
I'm curious what the inspiration for a painting like this is? Hunter Cashdollar
on Monday, October 2nd, Hunter Cashdollar said
I think this is a really interesting, haunting painting. Hunter Cashdollar
on Sunday, October 1st, walt said
Should have been "monographs" not "monograms".
on Sunday, October 1st, walt said
Andrew,
The squirrel analogy is quite humorous! And Dusanka’s translation is even funnier. Yes, I suppose we, like the squirrels, should work together more. That is the moral of the analogy rather than the suggestion that squirrels (and therefore artists?) are somehow banditos who work together to take from the rich and give to the poor starving artists of the world.
The Impressionists organized their own shows as did Manet. They believed in themselves enough to eschew the opinion of the Academies and Salons and find a way to enter the dialogue. The Surrealists did it as well. And before them at one point Courbet became the equivalent to the Minister of Art around the time of the Paris Commune. His intentions were lofty even if unwieldy. Balthus became the head of the Academy in Florence. (Wasn’t it Florence or maybe Rome? Alberto maybe you can help me with that fact. Was it Florence? I’m afraid I’m too lazy at the moment to look it up.)
Peter Blake the English Pop Artist did the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper’s album and at that moment became the commercial artist he often mocked... it changed both fields at the same time. The verdict is still out whether for good or for evil-- like most things in this world. Andy Warhol was a shameless self promoter. In fact I can just picture that squirrel with white hair like the one in my back yard whom I will forever call Andy after this with a smile and a chuckle... After Warhol mind you, not you Andrew. I somehow doubt you are in any way a bandito.
We must remember artists worked in guilds, sought their clients in church and government or from the wealthy in competition with other artists and artisans…that it was the Medici who opened the first gallery/museum, now the Uffizi, only about 500 years ago. That it was not until the 17 and 1800's that galleries and dealers really began to affect the lives of artists because artists did most of their own sales calls before that. Portraiture, otherwise known as flatery of the rich and famous was the bread and butter income for most artists. Rembrandt’s famous hundred guilder print and the letters to various collectors he’d written shows how hard he had to work to find buyers. Or Da Vinci’s letters to possible patrons explaining that he was able to design weapons and fortifications… and oh by the way he wasn’t such a bad painter and sculptor either. Well, he was looking for a sugar daddy having grown tired of humping one job at a time. Ultimately he became one of the first national treasures. But the days when artists are seen as some kind of national treasure are rare. Mostly only after this mortal coil has sprung. It is a shame that we must dirty our hands with this business in one respect. While in another it does keep us in contact with the world at a level we might otherwise choose to ignore if only because it tends to ignore us.
Alberto, because you are truly the grandest of us all with the most cultural history of us all you hold up a standard that we all hope to see raised again someday. But for the moment it is frustrating, especially for me as I grew up with that standard only to see it reduced pretty much to rubble in the last 30 years or so. Many younger than you and I have no memory of it at all. For them it is a myth, a fairy tale told to them by painting professors, art historians and all those monograms about famous artists. It is still however true, I think, that we celebrate artists who have managed to get their work to us in one form or another, survived long enough to add to the dialogue on the human condition, and then entered the halls of cultural memory. We celebrate them as much for their ability to persevere, survive and even prosper as we do for the cultural heritage they give us (under conditions that would bankrupt most normal citizens). In a way we artists are more like farmers who till the soil of our souls, sell our bushels too cheap only to see so many middle men making huge profits betting on the futures of our labors. But ultimately the farmer still gets up every morning and milks the cows.
Yes, and maybe one of those cows was white and we can call her Andy. Lets hope that cows never have to learn to jump out of trees to learn to survive.
on Sunday, October 1st, Matt said
"It may seem odd, but often the painter doesn’t know much more about what is going on in a painting than the spectator.
This means that everyone can come to their own conclusions and, in some senses, complete the artist’s work, which is why I often say that the act of painting does not ‘recount’, but rather ‘represents’; it represents something around which the viewer constructs his/her own story."
Yes! How true, how true; and that is one of the incredible things about the power of art over the maker and viewer.
on Sunday, October 1st, jose said
fortunately, the best translations are never the literal ones.
on Sunday, October 1st, Dušanka Badovinac said
Very interesting example Andrew,
Translated in the language of people (for an example an artist), not squirrels, it is something like this:
An artist jumps on a head of person looking like having money or loving art: he or she grabs the wallet…the other few artists grab the money; pay the exhibition for all of them and they all get famous and lived happy ever after.
on Sunday, October 1st, Andrew said
I love this painting, full of possibilities for the observer to go beyond what is actually on the canvass. On the issue of self promotion and the results it brings, I can think of the example the squirrels set down in Washington Square park in New York City. I have seen a passerby eating a sandwich while walking. As he passes under a tree, a squirrel jumps on his head, and he drops the sandwich. Three other squirrels, hidden in the shrubbery, run out and each grabs a part of the sandwich, along with the first who by this time has lept to the ground.
These animals have assumed the responsibility for their own destiny, as we artists must. The ambiance in which they live has changed the way they behave, as we must adapt to ever changing circumstances. We don't need to be victims, we need to find ways to be victors, not just with our work, but with every other part of ourselves. The studio is a luxury that comes only to those who somehow pay for it, whatever they may do once inside it.
on Saturday, September 30th, Brad said
Jose,
I understand you are one of the hardest working artists here at aa, and your history, as described in the past blogs you've shared, indicates how well you've achieved goals in the all-around of producing and promoting your art and the art of others. So often people misconstrue artists as being self-serving - especially in the movies. In reality, I've seen many artists who generally are more selfless than dilatants. My earlier statement was a self-reflection and not a reference to anyone else's measure - just my own look in the mirror...
on Saturday, September 30th, olga said
Good for you, Alberto that you can consider painting as a job and at the same time you can paint what you want. It means that you reached "that point". But still hard to believe (I am not personalizing this) that artist can "sit" in studio and just enjoy painting without any extra efforts to make his/her works seen.
In my understanding, doing art is a pleasure and selling/exhibiting it - it's a job, unless it Dali ...whatever!
on Saturday, September 30th, Matt said
Right on Jose!
on Saturday, September 30th, josé said
Brad, I hope you didn’t misunderstand that statement I made. Reading it like this, out of its context, makes it sound like I was saying that the work [the actual studio work, creating art] is not the most important thing, when in actual fact what I meant by placing the hyphen and calling on Walt’s previous comment was: the ‘organization and convincing others bit’ is not the work but it is something I have to come to terms with and learn to tackle. If I had to count on the galleries and art foundations of my own country to give me a hand I would have been forced to hang my gloves a long time ago.
I refuse to be brought down by a system we all seem to agree on to be run by lobbies to whose rules and ideals we do not wish to give in to. I wish to be independent. From reading these blogs I get a feeling we all do. If it was possible for musicians to gain some measure of independence through the creation of a different approach to the music industry I wish to believe that it is possible for the fine artist to do the same. It will take longer, no doubt about that. Fine art is not as desirable or sellable as music. It does not wiggle itself as easily into our subconscious to create a desire to want to possess it. Why? Because people [a sufficiently abundant group of people] don’t know yet that they can possess it. Why again? Because the art market tends to cater to [and shape] the interests of an elite. But also because we play along: because unlike musicians, who are no less artists than we are, we fill ourselves with an arrogance and a feeling that what we churn out is somehow superior and requires some elevated taste to be understood or enjoyed.
In our time this is a misconception we have to rid ourselves of once and for all if we want to reach people and get a chance to step out of the morass. People should ultimately be the corner stones of our career, not the galleries and foundations – it is the people who buy our work who give us the means to move on until such a point when we reach a critical mass and a quality of work that may attract the attention of more significant partners. But we should never forget the people… especially when we have made it to the top.
So, if galleries and art foundations don’t feel inclined to share my work with people I have to learn to handle the ropes myself, as much as it makes my stomach churn [and believe me it does!] and as much energy as it requires of me, or takes from what I love to do best – to create art. It is not the work, but in my case it is part of the job.
on Friday, September 29th, Brad said
And Jose first said, "For me organizing exhibitions or making efforts to convince others to show my art is an important part of the job - not the work, as Walter King, pointed out some time ago..."
Wow, I guess I see by this POV why I don't sell more of my work - I've forgotten how to sell myself, and my art is not so much my own vocation by my considerations - it's the passion and misunderstanding of the urges possessing my internal soul. If I can't understand what God wishes of me - then I just use the tools I have to ponder what the possibilities are. How does one sell that? It's hard enough to bare my soul - so my art only hints of it. I thank Alberto for baring his soul, and believe this blog spoke more clearly to me about the art of life than his others past.
on Friday, September 29th, Claude said
Hello Alberto,
I think this is a beautiful painting I would like to add that the expressions and the images conjured in ones mind form looking at this and any painting is fueled by every individual’s past experiences, his culture and his whole existence. This means that the interpretation of a painting is as unique as we are and that the mere fact that your painting inspires us to delve into our souls for interpretation is when the artist really has achieved his goal.
Good Job
on Friday, September 29th, Dušanka Badovinac said
Dear Alberto,
It is nice to read your words again and I’m very glad to hear that you isolated your art from that scandal.
It is a very cruel art-game nowadays.
To be found and recognized, artist should learn the rules of that game.
Artists are doing marketing, promoting, web-promoting, art-sales, art-fairs; some of them even better than making art.
It is an artist who must take all the risk of being an artist.
Gallery’s wont take any risk nowadays, they ask money for there expenses. Than artist has to think commercial to be able to stay artist; but then artist very often loses the quality of his art.
My art is for me completely voluntarily job, something I need to express my self, to feel good. I promise my self and my family that if we need some more money I should search for some other job.
I feel very lucky to be able to make that choice.
I did try to learn that new art-game and I tried to learn the marketing rules and commercial tricks, but I admit I failed.
Because of storage (I work a lot) I use now my old paintings and paint over them. Maybe my time will come, maybe not, but I’m doing the best I can.
I like your Carte da gioco. Best wishes, Dusanka
on Friday, September 29th, Mark said
Jose is right that most of us must set up our own exhibitions. I have been an emerging artists for thirty plus years and still if I do not tell people I am here no one will do it for me. That said I would like to comment on what Alberto said about painting.
I agree that an artist should not "Recount" but "Represent". Since I am primarily a landscape painter I spend a lot of time outdoors doing sketches, pastels and oils, though most my oils are done in the studio because of size. When I am struck with the need to paint a subject I try to absurb all that is around me, not just what I see but what I hear, smell and feel physicaly and emotionaly. My on site work tends to be more realistic then my studio work. In the studio I can look at my sketches and pastels then turning from them I begin to create to dream as the painting emerges from the canvas, I do not always know just what will happen, or what direction I will go with a given work, and the work more often turns toward an abstracted verion of the real.
I do not wish to just record what I see but to paint what I feel, and though the painting in the end may not look much look like what I started from, it will express that place more then if I just recorded it. And because much has been changed or left out (in the sense of detail) it allows the viewer to become more apart of the creative proccess of the painting. Trouble is a lot of viewers don't want to be apart of the creative proccess they want an artist to tell them everything so they do not have to think, but thats another subject.
Anyway a painting can take on a life of its own, that I think can be a good thing.
Alberto what ever you do in regards to Japan, good luck to you and I hope it all works out for you.
on Thursday, September 28th, deenya ssorenson said
i love this piece and agree with you whole heartedly which is unusual for lme howeverof late i have notice more artists willing to express themselves more freely not try to do "ART SPEAK" wondering what was in someones head is almost no really impossible even a psychiatrist would not truly be able to do that .and more importantly think artists creat and as things go along add to substrate from the surface of what they are doing..of course someone could be an anal person and have to have it be as they planned but that is another story
wimsyartart@aol.com
on Thursday, September 28th, josé said
Alberto, it is always good to hear from you on these blogs. And it is especially good to hear that our comments are meaningful to you. I was one of those calling for blood, though I can understand the validity of your point of view. I agree wholeheartedly that ideally the focus of interest should lie in the artist's work and not in the hype surrounding it, be it good or bad, and so to wait for things to die down is the right course of action. However I can't get myself to agree on the issue of it not being our job to organize exhibitions.
You are of course in a different league altogether than I am. Ideally, sure. I could wish for nothing better. However, having started late I missed out on the chance of being recognized as a young artist, reached the emerging artist stage on my own initiative, vanishing from the radar shortly after, and have now returned to Portugal 6 years later to discover that the art scene has changed dramatically and has become the exclusive club of an elite around whose lobby it is all but impossible to circumvent. For me organizing exhibitions or making efforts to convince others to show my art is an important part of the job – not the work, as Walter King, pointed out some time ago, but it’s something I have to tackle when the work is done.
I don’t say this out of spite. I respect your work and what you have achieved and can only wish you… Auguri.
I’ve just removed the painting I’ve been working on from the easel: a girl with one hand on her chest holding a white sheet that partly covers her body is peering through a half-open doorway. We don’t know what she is looking at: our only hint being her astonished and frightened expression.
Last month I read your comments with great interest and pleasure. Some of you expressed contrasting points of view: some suggested that I should immediately put on a show in Japan to take advantage of the considerable publicity that this situation has generated, others felt, and this is also my own feeling about it all, that I should wait until the Wada affair has died down before thinking about any eventual exhibition in Japan, but there are convincing arguments support both points of view.
At the moment no offer, among those that I have received for an exhibition in Japan, has particularly interested me: they seemed too concerned with the commercial aspect, rather than deriving from a genuine cultural interest in my work. If, one day, I am offered a project that interests me, I will be very happy to present my work in Japan in a different context. 
