- A small history lesson, to begin this post... It's a tale of two artists who underwent the same very rigorous drawing course/training. Both went on to become hugely famous, but not for their finely tuned drawing skills. One is known for his painting skills, and the other fathered a whole new style of art. I am talking about Van Gogh and Picasso, and their training from Charles Bargue. You can buy a book online containing the plates and an explanation of the lessons of the Charles Bargue drawing course. I bought myself a copy for Christmas several years back. But this is not the point of my post today. The point is, it is not widely known that these two artists underwent such training and that they both had incredible drawing skills. While it is better known in the artistic community, for the most part, the general public may only be familiar with their more famous work, let alone their training.
- To an artist, there are a few things about all of this that should be extremely encouraging. For one thing, after all that training and progressing, there are still works from both of these artists that would almost make a person cringe. I looked at Picasso's "Minotaur Caressing A Sleeping Girl", and Van Gogh's "Peasant Of Camargue" in a magazine the other night, and I laughed. Don't get me wrong, I would still gladly be owner of either of these two particular works, and find some artistic value in both. But I doubt either of these artists regarded these pieces as their best work. And it made me think of the non-linear progression of an artist's work, in general. Because even after all our training (self-taught or formal), one day we may put out a great painting, the next day "not so much". Because we are always growing, and sometimes when we grow, we risk, and we stumble. Add to that non-linear progression, the occasional bad day where we have too much absinthe or the like...and there you have it....maybe a painting you cringe over having done. So to any artist out there who has ever had that love/hate thing going on with their work, I hope you will remember this story.
Without further ado, here are faces #588-#595...some of which I have cringed over. And it doesn't negate my own previous rigorous efforts spread over a life time...Some are warm up pieces, some experimental.
Until next time, take care!
