<>
Part of the bargain of being in the Visual Arts
Showcase was to function as a docent for a few hours. I picked up a couple of shifts and it was a very rewarding time. Rewarding in the sense that I was able to explain to people what Chinese Brush Painting is about. In this part of the woods, many savvy artists had the slightest of idea about Chinese Brush Painting. The overriding concern was whether it was water color done with a Chinese Brush. I guess this is as relevant as whether God Save the Queen was played on a sitar. As I had mentioned in my "Soap Box" blog, certain knowledge about the art form is mandatory in order to really appreciate the art form.
I had guests pointing out to me other works in the exhibit that were very Chinese Brush Painting-ish. I did not want to offend them by pointing out their ignorance. I simply emphasized what to look for in a Chinese Brush painting and how to appreciate the quality of the brush strokes. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Hence I am going to use 2 samples to again illustrate my point.
Of these 2 patches, which one is better? They are both results of collaborative painting. One is done by a group who has varying degrees of expertise in the craft. The other one is done by visitors at the art show, where a piece of Xuan paper and brushes are provided and people are encouraged to contribute their marks. I am not going to distinguish which one is which. I hope the difference is obvious.
I am going to further support my argument by providing an analogy to calligraphy, Western calligraphy. This is a page taken out of a Speedball manual. Here we see the study of form, shape, angle of slant and nib placement in order to effect the broad and narrow widths of the strokes. A non calligrapher will use the same nib but produce totally different results.
It seems frivolous to denote so much on the mechanics of Chinese Brush painting and not mention the emotional impact of this art form. Here is where I shall submit that I cannot prescribe a sensory illumination , instead, I am trying to provide a basic appreciation of the tactile attributes.
Part of the bargain of being in the Visual Arts
Showcase was to function as a docent for a few hours. I picked up a couple of shifts and it was a very rewarding time. Rewarding in the sense that I was able to explain to people what Chinese Brush Painting is about. In this part of the woods, many savvy artists had the slightest of idea about Chinese Brush Painting. The overriding concern was whether it was water color done with a Chinese Brush. I guess this is as relevant as whether God Save the Queen was played on a sitar. As I had mentioned in my "Soap Box" blog, certain knowledge about the art form is mandatory in order to really appreciate the art form.I had guests pointing out to me other works in the exhibit that were very Chinese Brush Painting-ish. I did not want to offend them by pointing out their ignorance. I simply emphasized what to look for in a Chinese Brush painting and how to appreciate the quality of the brush strokes. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Hence I am going to use 2 samples to again illustrate my point.
Of these 2 patches, which one is better? They are both results of collaborative painting. One is done by a group who has varying degrees of expertise in the craft. The other one is done by visitors at the art show, where a piece of Xuan paper and brushes are provided and people are encouraged to contribute their marks. I am not going to distinguish which one is which. I hope the difference is obvious.
I am going to further support my argument by providing an analogy to calligraphy, Western calligraphy. This is a page taken out of a Speedball manual. Here we see the study of form, shape, angle of slant and nib placement in order to effect the broad and narrow widths of the strokes. A non calligrapher will use the same nib but produce totally different results.
It seems frivolous to denote so much on the mechanics of Chinese Brush painting and not mention the emotional impact of this art form. Here is where I shall submit that I cannot prescribe a sensory illumination , instead, I am trying to provide a basic appreciation of the tactile attributes.
No comments:
Post a Comment