Abstract art is perhaps more peculiar than many other traditional painting forms as if one can see a definite object, it becomes also clear what is focused upon. It is visible, that the inspiration came from that lifeless vase, that definitely emits some unseen molecules that happened to become the object of desire for the artist.
When it comes to abstract art, all doors (and windows) are opened. What did she paint? Why? What is that supposed to mean - for anyone, if she even thought about it? Maybe just some psychotherapy for herself that she now sells?
Haha. In this post, I decided to open the door to the backroom of artist's soul and let you in, behind the veil. That said, every artist does and thinks different, so all you can find in this writing, applies to my own thinking world and actions departed from it. Art is always very individual.
For me, there are two main lines (arrows!) leaving from my heart of art. Yes, both of them are poetic. The first part of me comes from the depths that I had already when I started. That was in 2010. In this post, I won't be writing about my Children Art School years that obviously didn't have much philosophy at such scale, but were more for training the hand and eye.
Next to my studies at University of Tartu, at Fine Arts, Painting, I was doing my own abstract pieces at late nights. Very actively, being very disciplined. If not every night, most of them, I was painting into the night. As the time was that of a student, I didn't have the possibility to purchase canvases as many as I would like, and therefor, of course, often I just painted and painted and painted ...on the same canvas. The paintings therefor became very thick (layered).
That's when I understood that the painting never dies. Every layer that is on that precise canvas, leaves its mark. The final painting would never be the same without all these underlying ones, and they all stand for the force that this one painting now has, even when all these other soldier layers are not to be found even a mark about.
That's the energy about them... The unseen. As an opposition to that, I am the person to say, it DOES NOT matter how long the painting was painted. It does not add to the value or worth. My longest painting was done in 10 years. My most expensive painting sold (10K) was painted rather fast (in a few sessions). What matter are either the strength of the painting (force) or the pureness of energy (how high it is delivered from).
There is an actual comparison from the current popular BECKHAM series: how can a football team lose when they have been on the winning side 90 minutes :)
Because those 30 seconds matter.
In art, as in football, traffic or every other life scenario, when lived intensely and not on the couch, every f-ing second counts so much. The painting can be 99% ready and there is an utterly small stroke left to make it to perfection, and then... you blew it all. The stroke became not that perfect in whatever sense and everything needs changing!
...
...
First abstract paintings are delivered from heart, from my own emotions. I feel they tire me out most as well. And often mean the most to me.
And in some special way, the viewer mostly understands that worth. That they are carrying some special sort of (soul?) energy. The are often paintings liked most by the viewers.
Of course, also these have an hierarchy in my own mind. There are some which mean the world to me (like the ones about my children), some which I feel are like "delivered" (really strange to sign them!) - come really fast and rarely need improvement, often I have the title before or during painting; and some that are just very good in terms of colours and harmony.
And some which are weaker.
Perfection can only be achieved as an ultimate luxury. When one has all the time. You can't have every painting worked until perfection. It could even ruin the adventure of it all. You have to be capable of understanding "ready" and that is utterly difficult.
Can't have the intellectual or logical mind decide as well. There has to be the perfect balance of understanding via mostly
– intuition.
...
Second array are landscapes and other objects that I do feel as alive. I know I'm good with colours, not so much with fixed frames. (I often walk into real life objects myself!) This flowing and feeling are the most important to me and that's what I try to convey as well, making it most important that the painting speaks about feelings and is able to arise emotions in people.
Personally, I like some Dutch masters, all kinds of different art, but not the form decides, but the feelings that are put into the painting. I also feel it is the pureness and strength of this piece of soul that the viewer understands. Not some cold kind of elite viewer that has another angle, but when an artist's piece of soul on canvas moves something within the viewer's soul... that's when the theatre happens in museum, or as nowadays, via computer :)
And all that stands for still taking place communication between people. From people to people. I think that's how it has mostly always been... The artists who are remembered are so because of the people, not for a small elite circle. The decision is made by numbers. That's why when we ask on streets, who are your favourite local artists, you probably get same names pretty much, but on contemporary local galleries, you don't see them.
They are the people's choice. They have the votes.
But it's corrupted as is politics as in fact, it is politics :)
All that said, I felt I needed to speak it out as a support for all the young artists there who feel the attention is not given easily. It does never matter. You just have to work on your own things, on your own terms, but very devotedly, do things that satisfy your own greed of implementation and when you see you've given life to those things, you don't need anything outer.
It is the inside that matters.
Also in painting.
Isn't that controversial now?
But it is so.
It is the inside that matters.
Photo by Ruudu Rahumaru