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Steven, thank you. You make some solid thought provoking points. I hope we can analyze a point or to in the near future.
Enzie, thank you. This is quite interesting what you have here. One can get an idea a crumb, if I may, into the thought of each artist.
Art is really having its chance. The urge to draw seems to have taken hold of many more thousands today than ever before. It has spread across the world. While many are interested in art as a pastime or hobby, others would gladly choose it as a means of livelihood if they were convinced that their ability was sufficient to provide any real hope of success.
There will always be a certain amount of confusion about what is talent or native ability in drawing and what is knowledge of the craft. Too often, knowledge is construed as talent. On the other hand, drawing that lacks constructive knowledge is seldom successful as drawing. The truth is that we do not see the talent until the means of bringing it forth has been developed. That means is reasonably accurate analysis and understanding of the laws of nature as they apply to man's vision.
We who choose art as our medium of expression should realize that it has certain fundamentals from which we progress, just as there are fundamentals of literature, drama, or music. Unfortunately, the fundamentals of an approach to art have not usually been so clearelly defined for practical study as have those of some other creative activities.
Suppose we have two drawings before us. One appeals; the other does not. This one is good, the other bad. Why? I believe I can point out underlying reasons that are perfectly understandable. Strangely enough, the reasons are usually not found in art books or taught in classes. The response to drawing is related to the emotions and experience of the individual, and is wholely apart, so far as I know, from the teaching of art. Yet I do not believe art can go very far unless the artist has some sort of an understanding of this response. An artist can go all his life without realizing why his/her work does not appeal. Even successful artists may not really know why their work does appeal, though they thank heaven is does.
To understand why a drawing does or does not appeal, we must recognize a certain ability that is developed in every childhood through adult life. The term "intelligent perception" I think comes as close as any to describing this faculty. It is vision coordinated with the brain. It is a sense rightness developed by contact. At some time or other, our brain accept certain effects or appearances as truth, and abide by these decisions. We learn to distinguish one appearance from another, in size or proportion, in color, and in texture. All the senses combine to give us intelligent perception. We have a sense of space or depth, even if we know nothing of the science of perspective. We are quickly aware of distortion or deformity, since the appearance does not coincide with what experience has taught us is normal or truthful. Form is registered in the mind, even if we know nothing of anatomy and proportion, so that we recognize a face immediately, though we could not even give a good verbal description of it. Our sense of proportion tells us that this is a child and that a midget, or this a puppy and that a small dog. Intelligent perception includes a feeling for bulk and contour.
The minute the spectator sees change of proportion, distortion, change of form, color, or texture, he/she realizes that something is wrong. The cleverest imitation will not fool him/her. The dummy in the department store window is a dummy to everyone.
To be continued
P.S. feel free to contribute
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