Monday, June 30, 2008

Rant: Trying not to turn too much inward...

One of the things I struggle with is the temptation to look inward, at yourself, and confuse that with something artists should represent. There is a killer combo of personal life's experience and solid observation. But when you fall into the trap of thinking it's all about you, your drawings become weak, and you enter that depressing era of modern art, where it takes a cadre of art historians and critics to tell you how important the work is. This comic strip by John Campbell sums that up, check out his other work as well, good stuff. As artists, our first responsibility is to represent the natural world we live in, or those we live with, and to express that in emotional terms that others can relate to. Getting lost in self indulgence is something that happens way too often in fine art.

65 comments:

john c said...

this guys stuff is great, thanks for the link!

Jerry Chan said...

I couldn't tell you how many feathers I ruffled in my art foundations classes because I was so obsessed with the issue of audience rather than some deep cryptic meaning for my pieces. I suppose that's what makes us animators and not conceptual artists, huh?

On an unrelated note, have you seen Wall-e yet?

Anonymous said...

let go of your head

Anonymous said...

yes, it is just like science and math. unless it is easily understood by people with absolutely no background in these subjects it is totally worthless and self serving. especially, it is like literature. unless an illiterate person can pick up the book and get something out of it, the story contained within is totally with out value and is masterbatory. nes't pas? m

Anonymous said...

There is, sometimes, a personal reward in creating a work which of entirely personal expression. A film or painting which is not intended to been seen by others.


I sometimes find such works to be fascinating.

Sasha M. said...

This is why animation is still so filled with possibilities. Because people have such sophomoric attitudes toward art in the medium. Why on God's earth do I need to see you re-render reality? I get reality 24 hours a day, free of charge, don't need to buy your DVDs or nothin.

I don't care if your work is introspective (I think it helps if it's personal) but I'd much rather go see a movie that is going to take me to a new world or give me an image like something to eat than just see some dope ape the ape. To hold a mirror to mirrorland.

And to paraphrase Cocteau 'An artist always draws his self portrait'. It may not be an absolute truth but I think the only people it's not true for are buddhas and saints.

Patrick Smith said...

"Why on God's earth do I need to see you re-render reality?"

Sasha, who is suggesting to re-rendering reality? you misunderstand a very basic point. Observing and REPRESENTING reality is to highlight and emphasize truth, power, weakness, beauty, etc, and artists will inevitably do this in individualistic and creative ways, so why dive so deep into the self if it will be there anyway?

you will learn more about yourself if you talk and listen to another person, climb a mountain, or run a marathon than if you stand in front of a mirror. it's just like Derek Zoolander looking into the puddle... "who am I" lol....

Rupert Piston said...

Some great thoughts in the blog and in this discussion.

If the introspection is done in a way that invites other to relate and connect, it likely just looks like good thoughtful work rather than introspection. Art is about communication and connection, however. Too introspective and it's like an inside joke that nobody else is in on, which is neither funny nor interesting.

Anonymous said...

i have a joke inside me...

that wasn't interesting or funny, was it?

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