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The Whole Idea Behind the Cafe
Just as you said, PETER GARRETT, probably "the posts are a little passionate because we actually care about art and what we're doing". It's great to see painters duke it out ... isn't that the whole idea behind the Cafe?
On the other hand, dealing in generalities is pretty tough as there are always exceptions to the rule.
I've seen exhibits of the work of students coming out of one unnamed (but allegedly reputable) art school here in San Francisco that truly made me cringe. Whether or not they could draw was beside the point. Unless they professed to be anti-art, nothing in their work could be called worthwhile.
On the other hand, there are works by a figurative and abstractionist painter Diebenkorn that absolutely make me drool. His mastery of richly layered and subtle paint surfaces is unsurpassed. The only other painter I can think of whose paint surfaces were so rich and wonderful is Rembrandt. When I saw his 'Rape of Lucretia' at the Minneapolis Art Institute, I could hardly believe it!
Yes, a painted surface can knock me out ... so can beautifully painted edges, an exciting juxtaposition of colors, a delicately painted passage, an imaginative composition, a fantastic brushstroke that says it all ... and, more!
Hey, it's good for painters to learn how to draw because it expands the possibilities of their work. But, let's not make someone's draftsmanship the sole criteria by which we judge a work.
I'd like to say to PETER JOCHEMS that the techniques of the masters have only been forgotten in some quarters. Like JIM RILEY I chose to study at a particular art school (even though it didn't offer a degree) because colleges and universities at that time were very much into "do your own thing" and "innovation for innovation's sake".
JIM, Thanks for the compliment about my age. However, I graduated from high school in 1955!
By the way, while my focus has always been in the fine arts, I was a graphic designer and illustrator myself for about 10 years!
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