Excellent find Bob, you are on to something here. Uniquely feminine vision. I had never heard of her. My GF was especially taken by her work. She really felt her sensitivity in depicting children.
Thanks. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price wrote: > > Curtis, > > I like this thread, thank you for that; I'm also pleased you and Emily liked > the book. > > One of my favorite Impressionists is Berthe Morisot; Professor Richard > Brettell said of her: > > "Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) was the first woman artist > in the history of French art to have a career comparable to the best of her > male colleagues. She was also the first to be accepted completely as a > colleague by a diverse group of male artists, including Manet, Degas and > Renoir. Her acceptance was a radical notion, and it contributed to the idea > that the Impressionists were modern. In many ways, she was more central to the > idea of Impressionist painting than many of her male colleagues. Yet her > social > position in the haute bourgeoisie and her gender shaped her oeuvre > powerfully." > > What first attracted me to Morisot's art was her depiction > of children in her work, I believe she had few peers in that regard, she was a > loving mother, and it showed in a number of her paintings; I believe she used > children as subjects for a number of reasons, but one of them was to make a > statement about color symbolically, because of her insight that their > innocence > reveals color emotionally to children in a way that becomes less available to > us as we age, and she was reaching for that innocence. The best description > I've read about her use of color was: > > "...her colors looked like crushed jewels or flower petals." > > My favorite painting of hers is "Child among Hollyhocks" > which for me feels like the childhood so many would liked to have had. > This link will take you to a technical report about the > painting; it may be a bit too analytical for some, I found it stimulating (on > both sides of my brain;-). > > > http://tinyurl.com/a2dg5sy > > > http://www.museenkoeln.de/ausstellungen/wrm_0802_impressionismus/abb/gross/27_e.pdf > > > > ________________________________ > From: curtisdeltablues > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 8:25:56 AM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: When I stopped believing my own > lieâââ¬Ã¦ > > > > This is very cool Bob, thanks for posting this.  I spent some time this > morning digging in, and it even discusses the lack of artistic education for > young people!  Some things never change. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bob Price  wrote: > > > > This link will take you to the book:à> > > > "The Grammar of Painting and Engraving"à> > > > -Written in the 19th century by Charles Blanc, > > > > > > whose theoriesà(particularly on color) were studied closely by Van > > Gogh, Gaugin and Seurat: > > > > http://archive.org/stream/grammarofpaintin00blaniala#page/n0/mode/2up > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: seventhray27 > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 4:16:57 PM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: When I stopped believing my own > > lieâââ¬Ã¦ > > > > > > > > Very nice.àPaid off for you. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: > > > > > > Excellent post, Curtis - I grew up an admirer of comics - ie, the art, > > > and wanted to draw - couldn't even draw a stick figure hardly - > > > discovered Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, bought it, worked with > > > it - about 3 or 4 months later the enclosed attachment came forth - it > > > was the last thing I drew back in 1996. > > > > > > For whatever its worth, when I would spend an hour or so drawing > > > according to the techniques she set forth, I would always go into that > > > silent mind place she talks about (I forget her name for it) when I would > > > come out of the drawing session and went back to verbal left brain > > > functioning I would experience GC and UC big time for a couple hours at > > > least - the more often I drew the more intense and obvious the GC/UC > > > experiences became - dunno why I quit. > > > > > > > > > The light was not great when I snapped the pic of my drawing and yep I > > > was a big Star Trek fan > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > From: curtisdeltablues > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 2:40 PM > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: When I stopped believing my own > > > lieâââ¬Ã¦ > > > > > > > > > Ãâà> > > It makes me wonder how much of education is just giving kids with a > > > natural inclination a track to run on rather than educating everyone up > > > to a certain level of competence in everything. What is interesting to me > > > is how persistent these self limiting ideas about ourselves are. > > > > > > Some of it may have to do with our cultural focus on people who are > > > amazing at certain things. It makes it all seem far from our reach. We > > > need more exposure to the "road from sucking" at things maybe. A focus on > > > the process rather than the outcome. But letting a kid go through the > > > whole educational system without ever giving him or her a chance with > > > some decent instruction seems like a set up to me now. I had no idea what > > > I didn't know but needed to in order to draw. > > > > > > I have another book I am going into after this one that is really > > > inspiring artistically that made me think of your life in Europe. Lessons > > > in Classical Drawing:Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier by > > > Juliette Aristides (Great artist name, huh?!) It goes more deeply into > > > the kind of perceptions necessary to appreciate and create fine art, but > > > she is still geared to beginners. She uses many classic examples and it > > > is inspiring me in a more ethereal way. Check out this intro video for > > > her system: > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tYbd9DnuyA > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote: > > > > > > > > Excellent rap. I, too, missed the essential parts of > > > > education that can teach one how to draw, or that one > > > > can. The fact that I can use words to create art (or > > > > as close to it as I want to get) is directly due to > > > > a few teachers who conveyed their sense of word-magic > > > > to me, and taught me how to use them. I agree with you > > > > that a large part (up to 80%, the remaining 20% being > > > > what we call "talent") in almost any artform reflects > > > > what people were taught, not what they are. > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I know, a little "Man Bites Dog" headline, huh? But since you are > > > > > here anywayâââ¬Ã¦ > > > > > > > > > > I was lying to some little kids again. I mean not lying, lying but > > > > > tossing some bullshit that all of a sudden I began to smell. I was in > > > > > a Title One school (poorest kids in their county) teaching them to > > > > > write a blues song to help them understand the difference between > > > > > character traits and feelings, which for a first grader is at the top > > > > > of their cognitive limits. (Feelings change in the story, but > > > > > character traits persist to define how a character will behave in the > > > > > story. Hopefully character traits can also change through education, > > > > > or we are all kinda screwed, but you see the simple difference > > > > > right?) > > > > > > > > > > I was drawing a picture web of ideas using characters from their > > > > > story about a fox and a mouse and was drawing a really, really shitty > > > > > fox. I mean worse than cave man on cave wall shitty. (No offense to > > > > > our ancestors meant some of them drew better than I did.) I told the > > > > > kids that as a musician I tend to pay more attention to my ears so I > > > > > practice music but not drawing. All this is sort of true, but what > > > > > was a stinking lie was the implication that somehow this preference > > > > > defined my character trait as a musician guy who can't draw. It sent > > > > > me into introspection on my long drive home. > > > > > > > > > > WTF? Why was I shitty at drawing and was it really based on my > > > > > sensory preference? Or was it something that had just been overlooked > > > > > in my education, cast aside as something adults don't need to know > > > > > how to do? What other area of knowledge is it acceptable for adults > > > > > to perform at a first grade level? (Oh sorry that is a two digit > > > > > number and I don't do math that high!) > > > > > > > > > > As I reflected on my art classes I remember being taught how to use > > > > > certain mediums, but never having anyone show me how to draw. It > > > > > seemed to be accepted that some kids were "talented" (I am beginning > > > > > to hate that word as a total cop-out in art.) and they could do this > > > > > magical thing called drawing. And then there was me, a special Ed > > > > > artist to this day. Was this just a limit I needed to accept, or had > > > > > my educational system failed me? > > > > > > > > > > I needed to know, so I went to the library and took out a big stack > > > > > of how-to-draw books including one on drawing animal cartoons. In a > > > > > few moments I knew I had been selling myself and others a bill of > > > > > goods about me being able to draw as a limit. With some simple > > > > > instructions I could draw a very passible fox for my class the next > > > > > day, as well as a very cute but simple mouse. I had just never been > > > > > shown how to draw one, and some of it was counter-intuitive. So I > > > > > still sucked at drawing in general but in the specific I could pull > > > > > off a fox and a mouse. And it was still magical how they went from a > > > > > real picture of these animals to the stylized few lines that defined > > > > > them, so I had even more questions now. How did the guy (or doll, I'm > > > > > still in my Film Noir phase) first discover how to SEE what lines > > > > > mattered most? > > > > > > > > > > Relevant side discussion: If you come up to me after my blues show > > > > > and tell me you like my music, I will thank you and then ask if you > > > > > play an instrument. If you tell me you have no musical talent but > > > > > would love to play guitar I will tell you that anyone can learn to > > > > > play simple chords on a guitar and have a blast playing most of your > > > > > favorite music. My practiced spiel includes the fact that I have > > > > > taught many people to play guitar who never thought they could, and > > > > > it is a simple matter of having someone show you where to put your > > > > > fingers (Youtube) and then putting your fingers on strings for 15 > > > > > minutes every day till you groove it in. Some go away inspired, some > > > > > go away dubious, and some just go away. But some actually do what I > > > > > suggest and write me glowing thank-you emails. So for music I believe > > > > > that talent is overrated as far as personal satisfaction is > > > > > concerned. We may never have the raw talent of Jimi Hendrix, but he > > > > > was a legendary > > > practicer too, so it is still up in the air concerning this > > > Natureâââ¬"Nurture balance. > > > > > > > > > > But I had never applied my own theory to myself with drawing till now. > > > > > > > > > > Back to the main story: > > > > > > > > > > We have all probably owned this book, I know I did, but never worked > > > > > through it: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. > > > > > I got the latest edition from Amazon and let her guide me. Within two > > > > > chapters I was drawing so far above what I thought I could ever do. I > > > > > realized that this is a huge gap in education, and an amazing > > > > > opportunity to understand altered states of brain functioning. (more > > > > > on that later.) Now don't get me wrong, I am a beginner and am still > > > > > on the "suck" continuum in my final products. But now I see where I > > > > > need to go, I see the path before me. It will take time, but the time > > > > > spent is so enjoyable I am sorry I didn't discover this before. > > > > > > > > > > In a nutshell, what my girl Betty (Now THAT is a noir-chick name!) > > > > > turned me on to were some critical concepts about how people SEE in > > > > > order to draw accurately. It turns out that most of us draw through > > > > > the filter of our conceptions because we don't know how to tell our > > > > > hyper-verbal brain functions to chill the F out while we try to > > > > > actually SEE something that may not make conceptual sense, but > > > > > happens to be the way things look from that angle. If we see a cube > > > > > we KNOW that each side is equal, but if you draw it that way it will > > > > > suck because it does not appear that way to our eyes. When drawing > > > > > faces we really go into hyper-drive with our conceptions because we > > > > > are so focused on getting information from people's faces. (We > > > > > naturally suck at eye placement because it is actually in the exact > > > > > middle of our faces and we all think it is about one third down from > > > > > our hairline, and we all place ears too far forward on a profile as > > > > > well as lopping off > > > most of the top of people's heads in sketches. Our intuition betrays us.) > > > > > > > > > > So brilliant Betty had me draw from a picture that was upside down so > > > > > I only saw shapes, or draw the spaces and shapes around and inside a > > > > > chair instead of the thing itself, to let my perception have a chance > > > > > to shift into less concept laden seeing. And the results have been a > > > > > revelation. I actually drew a cool chair this way, as well as the > > > > > corner of my room. (I even got the counter-intuitive perspective > > > > > lines right-ish.) > > > > > > > > > > One of the coolest parts of the book was a quote from Van Gogh > > > > > pissing and moaning about how hard it was to draw as he was teaching > > > > > himself, and even some examples of what he drew when HE sucked! (Yes, > > > > > Van Gogh sucked at first just like some of us do, even though he may > > > > > have been able to take that ball and run with it much further than I > > > > > can once he got going.) > > > > > > > > > > Which brings up my current perspective on art. We have been betrayed > > > > > by our educational system if we can't bang out chords on guitar or > > > > > piano to delight ourselves if we want to, or draw an accurate > > > > > representative likeness of something we see. Those are the basics, > > > > > and it is within everyone's ability to master that. What makes art > > > > > become ART is what we do with that foundation. How can we use those > > > > > chords to move someone's emotions, or represent not just the surface > > > > > of how a person looks, but how they feel to us on a deeper level in a > > > > > picture. (Think Picasso's brilliant insight drawing single eyed women > > > > > because that is how their eyes fuse into one when we are leaning in > > > > > for a kiss.) > > > > > > > > > > So now drawing through my art book lessons (I have a stack) is a part > > > > > of every day, and I relish the state of non-verbal thinking that it > > > > > shifts me into. It is truly a meditative, restorative state that I > > > > > crave. It is different from the flow state I am in when I play music, > > > > > but I can't articulate how yet. It has some similarities in the time > > > > > distortion and expansion of awareness feelings, but It is definitely > > > > > running different brain software. How it fits into the model of how > > > > > we alter our minds through meditation is anyone's guess. > > > > > So I hope Marek is lurking, but I will send him this if he isn't. I > > > > > would love to hear his take on this since he is so developed both as > > > > > a visual artist as well as a verbally expressive thinker. > > > > > > > > > > Anyone who is a visual artist or anyone who wants to share > > > > > experiences about their relationship with art are most welcome. This > > > > > has so many profound implications about how we approach education for > > > > > me, especially concerning non-verbal intelligence,but I have bent > > > > > your eyes (ears?) long enough. > > > > > > > > > > Thanks for being a place to send such a piece. I'll hang out for any > > > > > responses. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >  Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã > > > > >  >
