Copying life
Another thing I need to let go of is painting exactly what I see. That was such a useful skill for me for so long. And now I’m questioning how much I need to be faithful to my literal eye. I was talking recently with a friend about this, and when I reflect on some of the art that I love, the faces aren’t realistic, there’s no likeness, the forms are still expressive, the landscape is reduced to basic shapes and the more I look at these pieces, the more I realize just how difficult it is to do this. It’s seeing with a different kind of spice.
From the Musee D’Orsay - I should know the artist but I don’t.
A lot of people who paint and draw as a hobby think they’re failing when things don’t appear realistic, proportionate, in perspective, or the colour palette is off. They want to translate precisely fact to paper, which yes, is a great skill. But I wonder if they just let that expectation go and leaned in to wobbly lines and heads that are too big and fell in love with the story they were telling, that could be such a fabulous success.
A very loose portrayal of Steffi in bed.
