The Bare Facts: Nude v. Naked

How One Man’s Broccoli is Another Man's Asparagus in the Southcoast, MA – HERE’S A POST THAT ATTEMPTS TO BLEND WHAT I BELIEVE IS SIMILAR ABOUT MARKETING AND ART –  Why?  It’s partly an exercise and a leap of faith.  Much of drawing is about focused observation.  By that, I mean, really looking at what you’re looking at.  Observation feeds perception and perception frames reality.  In business, you have to be observant.  Vigilant.  Every nuance.  Every inflection.  Everything offers a clue.  But, you have to know what you’re looking at.  You can’t jump to any conclusions.  You have to be aware of patterns and trends.

When you look, regardless of who you are, business (marketer) person or draftsman (artist), what are you looking at?  What do you see?  The old chestnut of one man’s trash being another man’s treasure is the same as one man’s opportunity is another man’s threat comes down to one thing – perception.  My college art instructor Herb Cummings used to have his own  version of that old chestnut: One man’s broccoli is another man’s asparagus. 

What it means is, that there is a danger of allowing our preconceptions to cloud or distort our judgement.  Eye witness reports are unreliable for that very reason.  What you see may not be what you’re actually seeing because you’re not looking at what you’re looking at objectively or, with objectivity.  Much of art (appreciation) is about objectivity.  Case in point: A work of art depicting an unclothed woman.  One observer sees a nude figure.  The other sees a naked woman.  The painting or sculpture hasn’t changed.  Why then, are the observations entirely different?  Does education or experience, or the lack of either define the objectivity of the observation? 

In art school, live drawing classes or, figure drawing classes, utilize the unclothed human figure.  Some of you reading the preceding sentence read it as follows: In art school, live drawing classes, or figure drawing classes, utilize naked models. While, others read it as: In art school, live drawing classes, or figure drawing classes, utilize the nude figure.  Why?  Maybe, it’s a reflection of either your present state of mind, or your lack of perspective on the subject.  Maybe it’s straight-out stereotyping and prejudice as a result of your cultural or religious background.  Whether a model is nude or naked to you may be a matter of your sense of morality. Where to an artist, it’s a matter of aesthetics. 

Perhaps this may be helpful: The model is only nude when no sexual thought enters into your perception. Why are nude models used as part of drawing (art) instruction?  Because it is a tradition handed down to us from ancient Greece and Rome.  They believed the human body was to be glorified for what it was objectively.  It was not objectified.  That in a nutshell is the difference between nude and naked.  Learning how to draw the unclothed human figure is difficult for many reasons on many levels.  I plan on doing a post devoted exactly to this. 

Art instruction, (yeah, here comes the pun) strips away the student’s preconceptions of what drawing is, as well as, the subject, motif or model, clothed or otherwise, in front of them.  Looking exercises force them to really see what they’re looking at.  It does this through a series of objective (there’s that word again) exercises.  The students think the exercises are just drawing exercises when in reality, they’re looking exercises.  One of which has the students drawing everything that isn’t the subject, motif or model.  It helps students see the subject, motif or model from a different perspective.  Wasn’t it Christ who said, “…seek and you will find…”?   

Part of the spiritual awakening that comes with learning how to draw is the finding – the finding of yourself. He also said, in reference to his doubting apostle Thomas, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."  If I’m going to tie drawing and spirituality together based on “Religion and art – the hallmarks of civilization...” then, I’m going to present to you that learning to draw (art) is a leap of faith requiring the student to trust the teacher and themselves. Speaking of faith; religion(s) has been entwined with Art through one, many or all of its manifestations of drawing/painting, music, dance and singing.  At several points in history, they were inseparable.  I have a whole theory of the current state of both but, I’ll visit that at another time.

 

This presence and level of trust determines what you see.  With all of this in mind, the difference between the observer (draftsman), or the viewer of the drawing, seeing an unclothed or, a nude figure is based on the same reason one business person sees an opportunity for what it is, or for what it may be – a threat.  What separates the two is perspective, which is an interesting word.  It is defined as one’s view or outlook of the subject, or point of view.  It is about posessing an ability to perceive the actual interrelations or comparative importance of things.  Much of marketing then is no different than art; it is about sustaining an acute level of observation and objectivity as well.

Most interestingly, perspective is also defined as a technique utilized by artists to represent three-dimensional objects and depth relationships on a two-dimensional surface. Linear perspective was both en vogue and the new standard in art during the Renaissance. Perspective changed a lot more than art.  It also changed how Westerners viewed themselves and the World.  It was as if Europeans were seeing space and their surroundings for the first time.  

Jacques Cauvin, the archaeologist who started his career in the Paleolithic era caves in France, spoke of a "revolution of symbols." He viewed this revolution as a shift in the ability of humans to conceptualize.  The revolution gave humans the ability to imagine gods.  Drawing went from an act of observing and duplicating (or, recording) the surrounding natural environment to imagining, through symbols (which developed into writing), the supernatural and a metaphysical universe beyond the perceived physical world to assist in answering who we are, why we’re here and whether or not we’re alone..

IMAGE: Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres - Little Bather or Inside a Harem - 1828

So Your Child Wants to Be an Artist…

Sustaining Better Health, Lifestyles and Legacies in Southcoast, MA – What to do if Your Child Wants to be an Artist – A report from the Island of Misfit Toys*.

What do you do when your child informs you that they want to be an Artist? For some parents, this news is greeted in the same way as finding out their child is gay, dropping out of school or joining a religious order. There are many more examples. But, all of them are about a sense of loss combined with the guilt of bad parenting.

The first question usually is; how are you going to make a living? Follow ups are; you have to go to school for that? Comments include: we know you’re very creative but can’t you apply your creativity to something more practical? My own parents were a bit taken back. But, my mother had given it a shot at being a club singer back in the Fifties and she knew what it was like. She also knew what it was like to give up on a dream because of adult obligations and responsibilities like marriage and children.

So, what’s the real problem here? Is the parental angst about status or sustainability or both or what? Being an artist carries with it lots of different requirements. Society, on the other hand, imposes other criteria. Only the well-known selling Artist is respected. Everyone else is a struggling artist. But, why do artists struggle? Or, for that matter, have to struggle at all? Success in the arts is about sales. If you sell, you’re successful. The more successful and celebrated you become, the more you sell!

So, perhaps being an artist has nothing to do with creativity as it does with business success. Not all artists die in poverty only to have the value of their work skyrocket afterwards to make everyone else rich. Michelangelo was one of the wealthiest living artists of his day. He was a very good businessman, too. And, before I forget, what’s the difference whether your child wants to be a pop star or a sports star? Many parents share in those dreams. Yet, the chances of their children achieving stardom or celebrity are even more remote than the possibility of achieving success in the field of art. Just to be clear, when I say artist, I mean painter, sculptor or printmaker and the other disciplines of the Fine Arts.

What happened to me? Many things both controllable and otherwise; I was very naive for one. I received a full-ride scholarship to graduate school to pursue my Masters in Fine Art (MFA) and short of a new convertible and paying my rent for me; I received two-years of education for free. Plus, they paid me to be there! I never knew at the time that there were a lot of high hopes for me. Within hours of my MFA thesis show opening, I was picked up by a major gallery. And that’s when everything began to unravel. Suddenly, there was a very bright and very hot spotlight on me. Everyone was eager to hear my thoughts and see my next piece.

The gallery wanted more of my work, but could you make it bigger honey and brighten up the colors? – Oh, we love your originality! I felt overwhelmed and unworthy and scared out of my mind. I had only been married a short time and the social aspects of celebrity, whether imagined or not, were not something I wanted to deal with. I had been to those parties and had no interest in indulging in any of that stupidity. I guess I was brought up with some pretty good values. My main focus was to get a job teaching college level drawing and painting. We returned to the Southcoast and the economy went into the crapper. Jimmy Carter had been doing what he could do to keep it together and then Reaganomics marched in. Trickle-down indeed!

The humanities are usually the first to be affected by a down economy. No teaching jobs – no work and so it goes. There were other circumstances, too. But the point here is to clear up why creative young people don’t have as many opportunities as they could or should have. The humanities always underfunded, or denied funding. Why is it only the rich can afford to subsidize and enjoy the Arts? If, according to Richard Florida, the creative class is on the rise, then why is art still so secluded?

I’ve written, I’ve lectured and I believe that art and religion have been inextricably linked for centuries. So, then, my premise is that with the declining numbers of the faithful, in the Catholic Church especially, the gap that began just around 1962 widened. (More about that in another post) And, if the Church was, at one time, the greatest patron of the arts, well then, the conclusion is obvious.

The last gasps of Post-War Modernism, in my opinion were sometime around 1985. So, going into art today is much iffier than it was back in the Seventies when I was in school. Add to that the artist stereotypes, the uncertainty and a limited market and, well, why wouldn’t you be a bit set back Mom and Dad at hearing of your child’s dream, desire or decision? I know it may not be of any comfort to you but, what they want is neither good nor bad; it is what it is.

Just make sure they’re mature enough and have a solid business foundation and most of all, that they know that you support them. Yes, they’ll be waiting on tables or doing other things to survive financially. What they’ll need most of all though, is time to pursue and polish their art and good timing.

Look, I can’t address this all in one posting. But I will return to it often. I won’t get real sappy about it. At some point, however, whether on its own or by some other means, Art will become as important to society as it once was. Perhaps it will come with the resurgence of organized religion in our lives. Or, perhaps it will be something totally different.

I am willing to bet though that as soon as it is seen as an integral part of our children’s education and lives, things will change! With that said, I leave this post with these words for you to think about “My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.' Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso.”

*I’ve always felt, and I have been told occasionally, that I belonged on the Island of Misfit Toys. Why? Artists, it seems, just aren’t considered like everyone else. We have made great inroads in eliminating religious, race and gender bias, to name a few. However, no one seems to notice the creative bias that is prevalent in our society. Creative Bias – I’ll leave that for another post.

Beer is Left-Brain. Art & Wine Are Not.

Short Stuff from the Southcoast, MA – I recently had a meeting with a gallery owner. It went very well thank you! While she was looking through my work, I tried to explain the time, place and thoughts that were part of the environment and reason for doing some of the pieces. I then told her how stupid I always felt doing this. Thank goodness she herself is a practicing artist because she understood.

For an artist to get into the why and what not behind a particular group or piece of work (she agreed) is well - stupid. The reason we (artists) do what we do or, did what we did, is simply because; if we could describe it – we wouldn’t be doing it! Doing art quite frankly is a way of working out a problem an artist either is or is not consciously aware of. These problems can range from (depending on the artist) visual dilemmas about weight, mass or space and color or, any variety of visual conundrums. They can also be a platform for the artist’s happiness or unhappiness. It is said that Picasso painted better in between wives and girlfriends. For him, pain was good.

However the point of all this reminds me of tasting and trying to enjoy wine. For some, it goes beyond the norm and to listen to real wine aficionados discussing wine in a manner and language that is foreign to most might just be the same reason why wine and art cost so much. Yes, this is all tongue-in-cheek here. There are so few regular folk who can understand the right-brain experience and the mumbo-jumbo of the art/wine language. Maybe that's why the high prices have to make up for the lack of volume sales.

Why can’t art (should I get real anal here and capitalize it?) be more associated with beer? Most beer drinkers are brand loyal – almost rabidly. Most beer drinkers just care about whether or not there’s enough beer to be had, if it’s cold enough and if there’s something to munch with it. No, I'm not disparaging them, I'm actually praising them! You see, wine drinkers don’t have wine munchies that come in rip-open-and-eat packaging; they have to pair the wine to whatever they put in their mouths. Of course I’m having fun with all this. But, wine and art are and can be very simple.

You either like it or you don’t. You like it because you do – end of story. Yes, knowing why you do is wonderful but you can't indoctrinate the uninitiated by making them feel alienated, or worse, stupid with all the fancy talk. Wine is nothing more than fermented grape juice! People made it and consumed it for thousands of years before wine experts and ratings. In most places, wine was safer to drink than water! They made it with whatever grapes grew where they lived.

Art perhaps had a bit loftier purpose. It was a spiritual act. Doing it or, perhaps more correctly making it made the maker happy. For the viewer, it was a shared or communal experience. Art was one of the earliest forms of non-verbal communication. It also was used to solve the proverbial problem of (because we are beings who possess self-awareness) who we are, why we’re here and whether or not we’re alone. It was also undeniably an outward expression of human intelligence and sentiment. It was both a rational and emotional activity. It was also part of our earliest attempts to control our environment. More about this at another time but, even if Annie was around way back then, they were never too sure whether the Sun would come up the next day.

Ask yourself why children are drawn (the pun is intended here) to paper and crayons as moths to a flame almost as soon as they can sit up and grasp the crayon? What is it about art that even a baby can sense (or, make sense of)? Well, maybe not all babies you say? Left Brain dominant people tend to look at parts versus the whole and demonstrate behaviors that can be considered:

• Logical
  
• Sequential
• Rational
• Analytical
• Objective

While Right Brain dominant individuals tend to look at the whole versus the parts and demonstrate behaviors that can be considered:

• Random
• Intuitive
• Holistic
• Synthesizing
• Subjective

But what do these behaviors mean anyway? I believe the answer is as simple as the the solution to most art/visual problems and also answers what makes a good wine – balance. What about beer? The answer is also simple. It’s – yes! The multi-part question is do you have any, what kind is it and is it cold? Benjamin Franklin who used both sides of his brain quite successfully said it best, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

In either case promise yourself to learn something you didn’t know yesterday and not to get too, too snobby if and when you really, really get into wine or art (yeah, even your beer - you're not exempt). And remember, somebody really smart said, “excess is the death of pleasure,” whether your tasting/buying wine, making/buying art or talking about either one. And, yeah, some beer drinkers should take more time to enjoy what they put in their mouths and how much they drink. Everything in moderation folks!

Look. See. Achieve. It’s a Mind-Body Experience!

Shameless Self-Promotion from the Southcoast, MA – [AUTHOR’S NOTE – Please sign up for my upcoming drawing class at Artworks this June] You say you’ve always wanted to learn to draw. You haven’t tried? Perhaps it’s because you’re afraid to fail. Or, maybe it’s that you truly believe you have no talent for it. Whatever is stopping you can be addressed. I truly believe anyone can draw. As with anything else that is meaningful to you; it requires patience and dedication. It also requires that you trust your instructor. There are several steps to the process of learning to draw.

The first step is looking. You must learn how to see as an artist sees. Then and only then, will you be able to achieve the creative experience you crave. When you really look at objects; the things, places and people around you - is when you begin to really see. Or, as I should more correctly say – see for real. One of the greatest impediments to achieving the creative experience you crave is your subconscious mind. Many people approach art on an emotional level while their brain approaches it from a rational level. Because of this dichotomy of processing there is already conflict. Conflict breeds confusion. Confusion creates frustration. Frustration leads to quitting.

Therefore, if you are not totally conscious of what you are looking at; you will not see it as it really is. Perception is indeed reality. You cannot really see if you really aren’t looking. Most beginning drawing students think this is preposterous because they’re very eager to get going and start creating something on paper. They don’t understand that with this mindset of theirs; they’ll only be acting like artists instead of becoming an artist.

Many drawing students crash and burn right after takeoff because they haven’t allowed themselves the opportunity to learn. Yes, many people consider the ability to be creative, or being an artist, as romantic (as in adventurous) and exciting. And, it is. However, there is a lot of self-disciple involved in order to get the full benefits of the instruction, the training and the total creative experience.

I very much believe that the act of drawing is exceptionally spiritual in nature. One of my college art instructors described the experience, especially when the artist or student is conscious of their mark-making activity, as touching the face of God. There are quite a few misconceptions as to what an artist is or what drawing is all about. The first misconception is what people believe is required.

Talent is not a requirement. Talent is what is developed through instruction, discipline and experience. Yes, there are people who seem to have been born with a talent for drawing. What lends credence to this perception is that they just seem to pick up a pencil and draw. It has nothing more to do, in my opinion, than the fact that these people just have better observational skills. Why? I don’t know! Perhaps they are just more conscious or aware of their surroundings. I have witnessed my own grandchild drawing by observation with a knowledge of observation that stupefied me. She had never been instructed on how to do what she was doing!

Yes, I see many examples of drawings that are quite remarkable. They are very polished. They are excellently executed. They are, as many like to remark – so lifelike. However, these drawings leave me cold. They are more an illustration of a person, or an object or a scene, but they are not drawings in the true sense of the word. What’s the difference you ask? An illustration is complete. It does not allow you inside of itself. It is a tune you cannot whistle or hum or sing along with. It is a solo. It is closed to you beyond your ability to see it. These drawings then, are illustrations. Illustration has a specific purpose but it is not to be confused with drawing. Norman Rockwell was one of the finest illustrators that ever lived and yet, he was preoccupied with not being a fine artist. He knew there was a difference.

A drawing on the other hand is a record of a person, an object or a scene as you observed in its natural state or environment versus it being staged. Unlike an illustration, a drawing is incomplete. It invites you inside of itself to participate in the joy of the journey of the hand that created it. A drawing then, is a tune you can whistle or hum or sing along with. It is opened to you beyond your ability to just look at it or see it. It is a duet. It is goes beyond your ability to see it because you are looking at it as the artist who created it did. Ah, there’s the spirituality of it.

A photograph records reality. A drawing, on the other hand, records consciousness. Drawing is primarily about line. Line is magical. It defines space, shape and mass. Line is sensual. Highly sensual. And it is so because good marks (lines) are alive! Part of the learning-to-draw experience is the simple act of observing the person, object or the scene which is determined by the artist to be the subject of the purpose of their investigation - the drawing. The other part of the learning experience is being consciousness of the marks that are being made.

There are intelligent lines (marks) and otherwise, as well as, lines which exude a life force. Michelangelo’s spark of life - The Creation of Adam - depicts the Almighty giving life to Adam at the beginning of his spiritual narrative of the Old Testament in his famous fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. This scene defines exactly what I’m attempting to transmit to you. A well rendered line contains the elusive spark of life and gives the viewer a glimpse of what the artist saw and felt, as well as, how they executed the piece.

Here I’ll stop for now. But before I go, please consider allowing yourself to be taken to a place or level of consciousness in order for you to experience a sensation you may have never felt before. If you’re looking for something to help you feel more or fell better about; learning to draw is what you need to give you that experience you’re craving for, whether you know it or not.