Art and Photography

While I believe that photography can and certainly is an art. It has also been become so easy to take pictures that the creativity and thought that I feel goes into the art, is often lost. Maybe there is an art to the selfie and the posed picture of people in front of every location that you visit, but part of what gets lost in that for me is the actual visit; the time spent seeing, feeling and understanding the place.

When you paint or draw a location, you have to stop, sit or stand, and really look at the place. You look at the lines, the color, the form. You look for cracks, shadows, and angles. You also become a part of that moment. You are a part of the scene. You are putting more of yourself into the place and opening the door to others looking over your shoulder to see if you are any good or maybe just to see what has intrigued you enough to stop in that location.

I had planned to draw and paint more on this trip, but it was very hard to stop, find a place to settle in for a while, and then expose myself to the world.

In truth writing this blog and even sharing my photos on Flickr are exposure that leave me open to criticism, apathy and maybe even compliments. Maybe that is part of what art is; being willing to put yourself out there to be viewed by others no matter what they think, say, or don't say about your work. I think that art is so personal; something that you feel that you absolutely need to do to satisfy your soul.

Van Gogh needed to paint so much, that in the ten years that he was a painter, he made 900 paintings. During his life, only one of them sold.

The impressionist artists wanted to do something different from the traditional painting of the time and their work, for the most part, was not accepted into the art salons until they created their own exhibit. They lived in poverty and used most of the money that they had to buy more canvases and paints, just so they could make one more painting.

Musee D'Orangerie

Monet's Studio

The modern artists did it again, wanting to create something new and different. They wanted to show their perspective of the world.

Art within Art within Art

Fleeting Moment of Art outside the Pompidou

I sat on the street one day and drew. As I started the sketch, a little girl came up to stand next to me and watch. Her parents said she just liked watching people draw. She would look at the drawing then to the location that I was working on capturing and back again. She never said a word. She didn't want to leave, but her parents pulled her away and thanked me for allowing her to watch. Later, a group of men coming toward me, posed so I could capture them in the drawing. I made quick swirling motions with my with my hand as if I was trying to capture them in the drawing. They stopped to looked and were complimentary. They said it needed color, but it was good. They are correct that it needs color. I stopped to draw this scene for two reasons; the color of the flowers and buildings and a desire to practice drawing perspective.

Sketch of a Street in Old Arles Looking toward the Amphitheatre

I survived putting myself out there. Those wandering past were not critical but complimentary. Selling your work is not a prerequisite, though it is likely a form of validation that you are an artist. Doing the work, putting yourself on the the canvas, through the lens, on the paper, or in the blog are what make you an artist.