I shall shamelessly shout it from the rooftops: “I am a painter”. Almost a decade before I was even born, painting was declared to be dead for the millionth time. Almost 100 years ago artist Marcel Duchamp placed a urinal on a pedestal, signed it R. Mutt, titled it “Fountain”, and questioned the validity of a singular and original work of art (painting seems a likely target).
Duchamp’s readymades created an artistic free-for-all. You can make art out of and into anything you like- there are no boundaries. Today artists are blurring the boundaries between science, music, technology, and political action.
With the emergence of “bioart” the boundaries between art and life, and I do mean life- literally, have been broken down.
So with all this innovation why would anyone admit to being a painter? Why would anyone risk not being on the “cutting edge” or risk being considered “old fashioned” or “irrelevant”?
Landscape #6 by Nick Nelson
The answer that I’ve come up with, for myself, is in the value of the tradition of painting. Painting is a tradition that, as I see it, stretches 30,000 years. Some caveman or cavewoman (probably a cave woman) decided it would be a good idea to spread mud on a cave wall and make it look like a wooly mammoth. We humans have been at it ever since. It is this link across time and culture that makes painting valuable.
Even at its most hackneyed, a painting is a participation in a uniquely human activity that spans a sizable chunk of human history and crosses cultures and continents. Maybe I’m being melodramatic but that, to me, seems profound. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my fair share of conceptually based installations (some of which I consider my best work) and I’m not promoting dumb, trite paintings. I am saying that it is my opinion, those “traditional”, “old-fashioned”, and “played-out” art forms will never die.
It seems silly that a handful of people working for the past 100 years or so can negate something that has been done by humans all over the world for at least 30,000 years. I think the question painters face in the 21st century is not what or how to paint but why.
If you are a painter please leave a comment explaining why you paint.
Plowed Field by Nick Nelson.
I guess I’ll be the first to admit it. I am a painter! As for why I do it…my first answer is because I need to do it. I have to “get it out” in a creative way. When I don’t get time to paint, doing crafts with my kids can be a substitute – kind of like a snack, instead of a meal. I survived on snacks since January and finally sat down to paint in June – not a good idea, it certainly wasn’t good for my health.
So why do I need to paint? I know that it makes me feel more in touch with myself. I suppose it’s a lot like meditation, or being in the moment. It’s good for my mental well being. I feel happier. I liked painting and drawing since I was a little kid, and if I could afford psychotherapy we could learn more.
- Tracy Mehearg