In which Pooh goes into a blinding depression after discovering Piglet in bed with Eeyore, only to find his muse has returned and that he is painting like a genius again.
This is a continuation of a thread running over at Blarnyville
As I was writing it down, it got longer than I thought it would...
(Don’t say anything Bill ) ...and it became something I wanted to post here as well.
The thread went everywhere, but one of the issues focused on Art and Artists and whether they must live tortured lives to be any good.
I think pain can and does cause great art to be created. Just like love or hate or anger or joy can fuel great art
Art is anything we want it to be really, but I think of art as expression and emotion. Artist are either trying to express an emotion or a feeling or a thought, or they are looking to elicit an emotional expression from the person who is experiencing it.
It is no stereotype that artist's can be tortured. It is a fact of life. I think the question of tortured or not tortured misses the point, as all humans can be tortured by their emotions at one time or another.
Now understand I am speaking only for myself here and no one else. (I don't want to be accused of simplifying or assuming someone else’s motives.) I have always felt that I experienced and perceived things a little differently from others. My blues are bluer, my red's, redder. My highs are higher and low's lower. I understand that this may or may not be true, but it is my perception and therefore real to me.
I find that I have a real need to express or explain those differences to myself. I also sometimes need or want to share this perspective with others.
This is why I am an artist.
I yearn to communicate to myself and others those things that move or inspire me. Am I tortured by these feelings? Yes, at times. Can that be the inspiration for my art?
Absolutely!
Does it make my art great? Not in and of itself. It is just that "Big hurt", "Great joy", "More pain", "New love ", and a whole gamut of other emotions and experiences, positive and negative are the gasoline to the fire in my soul.
It can and does consume and burn me at times but it can also fire my emotions and flame my heart.
Back to my point. (Yes, I have one.)
It is emotions and feeling that drive most art.
It is not unexpected then that when you are in a state of emotional turmoil (this can be both good and bad turmoil) you very well may be stirring up the very elixir that fuels art’s creation. Good or bad right or wrong it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that you are made alive with these feelings.
That is everything.
Jack, I posted this at IG.com as well. Well, almost all. I had to add more here.
"It is emotions and feeling that drive most art. "
I very much agree. Strong emotions and grand ideas make the best art. Pain is just a subset of emotions. Not THE emotion.
I disagree with that pain makes the best art. That's all. I disagree with the stereotype that a good artist has to be tortured. Art is an intellectual and emotional response to the world. But you don't have to a raging alcoholic, manic-depressive, or have lead-poisoning to be a good artist. Those things help make a good story but not necessarily good art.
"Art is anything we want it to be really..."
Again, I agree. When someone makes a painting they are experiencing and thinking certain things. When the viewer looks at that painting they may have a totally different response. That's ok. The important thing is that the art evoked a response.
Posted by: Sam on April 25, 2003 08:32 AMI dunno Sam, having lead poisoning wouldn't be so bad if your art medium of choice was pencil. Just bite the end off a finger and you are ready to go!
I am not sure why you are reluctant to admit that some of our greatest artists created some of their best art precisely when or because they were emotionally tortured in one way or another.
The lists of artists that fit this bill are endless. Mozart, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Tchaikovsky, Thoreau, Picasso, Pollock.
The lists of their tortures is just as long. Depression, Alcoholism, Drugs, Relationship Disasters, Poverty, Horrible Health...you name it.
My point is that it is BECAUSE artist perceive life "hotter" that it somehow fuels whatever it is that gives them the inspiration to create.
maybe you should come to the art crawl with us tonight. we can act petulant and look at art!
Posted by: irish-girl on April 25, 2003 11:30 AMI am not reluctant to say that pain creates great art. It most certainly does. All I am saying is that other emotions can as well. Pain is not THE only thing that make great art.
"My point is that it is BECAUSE artist perceive life "hotter" that it somehow fuels whatever it is that gives them the inspiration to create."
Does one have to be pained in order to have a "hotter" life? I'm not so certain. After the birth of my daughter the range and intensity of my emotions greatly deepened. Things that never used to bother me make me burst into tears or get wildly angry. Now, could I successfully translate that into good art? Who knows.
As for the lead poisioning, some scholars think that may have contributed to Van Gogh's craziness. Back in the day they licked their paint brushes to clean them and there weren't any non-toxic Crayola water colors back then.
BTW.. I was reading about Namvar. What you did was very cool. Not many people would have followed through.
Posted by: Sam on April 25, 2003 08:47 PMok, having grown up in a house surrounded by artists.. I would have to say.. that I believe the thing that makes an artist an artist is an ability to expierence the world around them more intensly.. this can be emotional.. but it can also be physical.. would you consider an great chef to be an artist? I would.. I don't think a depressed chef is going to make a great work of art, but a chef with lead poisoning might make a very interesting work of art.. perhaps this lead poisoning makes him crave certain foods, and this chef, being an artist would be more open to expierence this craving and listen to it and draw from it and create something wonderful, and hopefully in the process not give us all lead poisoning. I have met some pretty famous photographers in my life.. comes from the family background.. anyway, they are not depressed people, yes, they feel emotions very deeply, but their art comes from somewhere else.. yes, some of them are depressed and fight that, but more then that, they are all incredibly patient and observant.
Posted by: bill on April 26, 2003 12:22 AM