Painting and the Pursuit of Happiness
I think one of the biggest motivating factors in starting a painting is that feeling of excitement a new subject brings…it’s a moment of happiness and anticipation of what you are ready to say –and wanting to express it somehow visually, and simply.
Robert Henri, the famous artist and teacher , said that “appreciation of life is not easy”… “it takes wit , interest, and energy to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is a great activity… It is the greatest feat man has to accomplish, and spirits must flow.”
Art and painting color has a liberating quality that is truly joyous..I think that’s why artists are driven to excess sometimes, like Michaelangelo , when he rarely took the time to eat or sleep, or Vincent Van Gogh, who had more passion than any other artist I know of when it came to placing color and light on a canvas…in absolute frenzy of joy, one would think.
There is that God Spark of inspiration that pulls you ever to new heights of aptitude, so that you become more articulate with each brushstroke, and can mimimize your “words” and leave just the feeling.
That to me is what art is all about. The artist’s feeling and those that he evokes from each “discourse”.
Paintings are pictoral moods and symbols that can truly change the observers outlook, and that is a satisfaction that every artist hopes for.
For more on Robert Henri read my article here
Thanks for reading this,
Sincerely,
Gemma
