Art Now and Then

If one is an avid reader of Art books, as am I, it is often beneficial to peruse the shelves of second hand bookstalls and flea markets for that “out of print” treasure that one hopes may impart the missing secret of forgotten knowledge. One is always hopeful that some insight might transform one’s latest painting into a masterpiece of note!

Recently, I alighted on one such particularly dated book that had been written for the outdoor artist. The author was extremely practical in his advice and the opening chapter described in great detail the ideal protective clothing and equipment recommended for painting outdoors. Although written for British conditions, the description may as easily have applied to an expedition into uncharted areas of “darkest Africa”. My vivid imagination created the amusing picture of a man, barely visible beneath his burden of protective headgear, jackets, boots, painting equipment and those “little extras” to cope with every conceivable change in weather, terrain or insect infestations!

It set me to wondering whether we, present day artists, had not become a bit “soft”.
Anyone who watched the recent movie “The Pearl Earring” ( a fictional story based on the little we know about the Dutch artist, Jan Vermeer) will have noticed that the artist began his day by crushing raw pigment and mixing it with binders such as linseed oil. That certainly meant he had to get up early and many of us would already be wondering whether painting was the career for us.

I suppose it is all part of the age of instant coffee and email and we certainly wouldn’t want that to be any other way. Certainly one may wonder if our dedicated artist would be any more creatively inspired once he forded streams, negotiated inclines, weathered windstorms and manoeuvered through mud. Perhaps irritation and discomfort might have caused the painting muse to depart indefinitely.

Or did Jan Vermeer say “Well I’ve mixed the *** stuff, so I’ll paint her if it’s the last thing I do”.

Ah, to live in the 21st Century. I think I’ll go into my studio and squeeze out copious amounts of Ultramarine blue onto my palette. I can feel inspiration coming on.