”Of course,” Cesar went on, “talent isn’t enough in itself to make one’s way in the world. You do understand that, don’t you, young man? (Sergio) All the great art forms require a certain knowledge of the world, a deep experience of human relations. It’s quite another matter with abstract activities, in which talent is of the essence and experience merely a complement. By that I mean music, mathematics . . . chess.”
Being an abstract artist, I’m not sure exactly what he means. Maybe painting is not an abstract activity because it involves materials—paint, canvas—but the real activity of painting is time, space, not thought, but most probably, yes, the experience the artists’ life brings to that time and space—to make it a profound revelation over time and into space.
When I was in art school, there was a constant emphasis on not exhibiting too young, on garnering experience, learning, studying, maturing. That art is process not product. Things have changed. Youth is revered, blessed. And I often wonder what would have happened if I had not been so shy, not had so much fear on the personality level and been able to exhibit my work at a much younger stage. I’ll never know……………….
Posted by leya at July 15, 2004 08:18 AM