Latest posts by michael wilson (see all)
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Universal themes in abstract art are at best, a difficult subject to truly comment on. Realistic, thematic art is the more common medium for describing universal truths. Abstract art comments on universal truths on a very different playing field. Surprisingly I find that expressing those truths and those feelings are more directly felt in the medium of abstract painting. Pure color for example can be manipulated to elicit strong feelings among people of all age and all race. Rothko is an example of an artist who completely minimized design so that color could predominantly transfer the intended feeling.
When the song was written To Dream The Impossible Dream we immediately feel the universality of that particular song. It is impossible to not feel a universal sense – as if my dream is comparable to yours, that in each of us we carry our own personal dream and this in affect draws us universally together. It is characteristic of excellent music to lift one from relative unconsciousness to an awareness of everything that binds humanity. Common spiritualitys become apparent. There is that same beating of the heart. By becoming surly, by closing oneself in spiritually to what is good, to what is universal we naturally are drawn to those preaching isolationism. It suits our temperament because we are already closed off.
Painters will sometimes discover while painting the mundane, the common and those natural forms all around us, a special resonance. Through study and attention they can begin to find a universal thread which enlivens their work. It is precisely this kind of discovery that leads a painter to pursue Universality as a goal: yet that is where the slippery slope begins to develop. It does not seem to be attainable by a straight line, by a pre-established theme. It varies in this way from an inspiring song which places the universality in the context of word images and we know that word images hold incredible power. The abstract painting seems to manifest only by direct experience – that is by an immediate response, as the painting develops. There apparently is something about the mind, the hand and the attenuation that operates between them. Add the muse or spiritual experience or what ever you want to call it and you have a fairly rare stew needed to create anything truly Universal. It is a wonderful thing when it does appear. When it does and when it becomes apparent on the abstract landscape it behooves the artist then to respond sincerely, carefully and yes, selectively. The muse may be a force, a universal force but tends to create images beyond our capacities. It is the artists responsibility then to selectively choose those images which he or she can manage effectively. We say an artist is great when he is able to realize this – the harnessing of those impressions in line with the ability to translate. After all, what is the purpose of this realization if nothing can be made of it – not even a line of response, not even a simple drawing of interpretation?
This is perhaps why artists rarely engage in things non-universal in scope. They have realized the futility in trying to raise form to a better, higher level – that is without a very comprehensive view of humanitarian universality. Besides, so much effort is required to truly improve the craft of painting there rarely is time to engage intelligently on matters political. Curiously if we live honestly and if we respond sincerely to our emotions then we cannot help but be moved by those human elements that hunger for universal acceptance. We are reminded of the Biblical story – the Good Samaritan. How powerful is that simple story that Christ told ? Yet in many ways that simple story describes most poignantly God’s view of us. The universal part comes in that we all fit within the grandeur of that grace – that is every person of every race. By degrees we are all slowly coming to this understanding. An artist certainly must understand this for any true and positive effects. There is a certain sensitivity required here, again a humanitarian and universal response to the world. This falls short of course to a true purpose or understanding. Strategically we know that painting anything with a universally dynamic image seems to always manifest beyond pre-conceived images. The painting develops from one segment to another and until one area is defined there are no road maps for the next. This is the difficulty. This is the challenge. Becoming more and more conscious, more aware is so very much needed. Tolle came along at the right time for me – when I was ready. When I truly wanted to know. I concur with him that in every reasonable respect we have only the moment before us. Responding to that moment (this moment) honestly, accurately and sensitively is how we mature as artists. After all, down through the ages we have relied on the artist to give us that sense of Human Universality – those all-important images that freeze for us our sense of compassion. The abstract painting however requires an entirely new form of expression. An entire shift in sensibilities is needed to creatively express that desired universality. There are so many avenues of interpretation – fortunately that can be at our disposal. Van Gogh might have had a premonition of his early death and so, was in a hurry. He was in a hurry to comprehend those deeply human and universal characteristics which define our civilization. He detected that over-arching spiritual quality that envelops all of nature and all of mankind. That is why in the great galleries men and women huddle before his paintings in awe. Compared to say, Michelangelo or even against El Greco he was a clumsy draftsman. His paintings however came alive by the spirit he captured in his paintings. Every race of man is moved by his crude attempts to manifest a sense of Universal art. We then are able to ignore his incapacities by embracing and understanding those simple and direct responses given up by his brush.
Van Gogh of course dealt primarily with natural images yet he saw within those very natural elements that surrounded him – simple cafes, crows in the field, a tired man cutting wheat, a particular heart cry of humanity. He embraced these as his own. But understanding and awareness of the human and universal spirit need not be melodramatic to be authentic. In fact we almost revere humor in our lives. We find ourselves delighted at the simple wisdom of Charlie Brown, the dry humor of Snoopy and the cunning of say, Will Rogers. When we are poked fun at, we become more sympathetic but also more vulnerable. It is not an easy task to create a truly humorous cartoon – one that speaks to the universal condition and one that someone of any race might understand and smile at. It is however a rare artist who can find humor in his or her discoveries. We see little humor in Van Gogh’s work but many years later in abstract artists such as Kandinsky we do find, if not humor, a distinct joy of creation, joy of life and this amidst the backdrop of the second world war. Through color and design now void of any reference to natural form, abstract art transports us to a more visceral awareness of the human condition – especially in the manner in which we respond. Abstract art as history progresses provides an entirely new and positive dynamic for expression. Life seems to be more complex. Abstract art has the capacity to reflect that complexity and convert it into a more linear expression. This again must refer to an artists capacity – what he able to do, the level of his technical skill. Regardless, as Hemingway would say, ‘if it is authentic, if it is truly spoken then it is good art.’