Less is More
Today my Tuesday Art in Art Spaces class hit the West Hollywood and Culver City galleries. I was particularly struck by a Sam Francis painting at Manny Silverman Gallery. This was an early Sam Francis edge painting, -- so early that the edge work was creeping out into the center of the piece. I think it was before he started painting only the edges and leaving the centers entirely white.
I've seen lots of Sam Francis paintings before, but I suddenly realized how radical it is to leave part of the canvas unpainted. Even today, most artists cover the entire canvas with paint. I rarely see work where part of the canvas is left white, let alone most of the canvas.
I think there is something to be learned from this -- maybe that less is more. With fewer painted areas, the sections that are painted become more powerful.
I want to try it with my work. Sam Francis' colors were a lot stronger than my palette, and it may be that strong colors are necessary to balance all of that white. It may not translate well to what I do, but it will be fun to experiment.
I've seen lots of Sam Francis paintings before, but I suddenly realized how radical it is to leave part of the canvas unpainted. Even today, most artists cover the entire canvas with paint. I rarely see work where part of the canvas is left white, let alone most of the canvas.
I think there is something to be learned from this -- maybe that less is more. With fewer painted areas, the sections that are painted become more powerful.
I want to try it with my work. Sam Francis' colors were a lot stronger than my palette, and it may be that strong colors are necessary to balance all of that white. It may not translate well to what I do, but it will be fun to experiment.
posted by Cassandra at 5:26 PM
5 Comments:
"Less is more..." has been credited to Buckminster Fuller. I don't know if this is accurate, though it's a good story, no?
I thought it was Mies van der Rohe, but I thought I'd Google the statement to see what pops up and I got this interesting site: www.abstractconcreteworks.com/essays/lessismore/ls_s_mor.html
Browning's meaning is different, but it brings up the fascinating question: which is more important, creativity or craftmanship?
Creativity or craftmanship, eh? I can relate to that one in MY experience with art...where I was doing photography. I couldn't follow-through with an idea and get it to look right. But my film, light, exposure, and darkroom work was meticulous. What was up with that?
Ron, you were only 18 years old at the time. That's what was up with that.
In the dictionary, "Create" requires the energy of imagination. In this way, creativity happens in the head, leaving the craftsperson's ability (or not) to determine the outcome in the physical world.
Bad idea or no idea ---> bad project
Suppose you imagine a great house, but if you can't nail straight it'll look crappy when you build it. Or you can build a perfect rectangular house that will withstand whatever God throws at it, though it looks boring and you'll never see it in a magazine. Hopefully an artist has both. Me? I have a dayjob.
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