I love Simone Piccioni and our no filtered conversations. Today was one in his studio in Kirribilli, with my friend tagging along.
Art is an interesting two way street for viewers and its creator. This conversation reiterated how viewership centres around perception. How you viewed/view your creation and how others view it. The intended ‘perception’, which of course doesn’t truly exist, may never align in a way an artist wants It too.
The hidden ‘creator’ behind art is all that is going on in the world; past and present. Whether an artist likes it or not, they use styles from other artists. We are all connected that way. In this sense, an artist has been training/practicing their whole life. For example, a 52 year old man has effectively been training their whole 52 years, conscious or unconscious for what they are outputting then and there. Similarly, so too is a 3 year old girl on her hand painting.
“Artists are just transformers,” Simone said. I digressed and recalled my friend stating “progress is discipline measured in years.” Transformation. A new and motivated artist may begin transforming their own purposeful idea into art. There is nothing wrong with this. But Simone said if you want to make a living out of this, one requires to transform their art into something for an audience. There seems to be a place for uncanny valley too, I haven’t personally understood this… And of course, every cm of work is deliberate and purposeful.
In my short life, I have skimmed past many artists. The impression that stuck with me was that most used art as a medium to express their life. The ‘good or bad’ are all expressed through art. Interestingly, the more popular art are often positioned with immediate connection to simple life. Realistic depictions of long grass fields or the sea or the sun. Yet interestingly, within these ‘simple’ art, there may/do lie deep, deep thoughts and manifestations. The beauty lies in the beholder.
Humans often talk about simple triviality. Humans often also talk about deep troubles and suffering. I’m definitely guilty of that. Yet so few can bring smiles, goosebumps of sensations and blissful joy to fellow humankind. This experience opened my eyes to the works of artists who can transform their own life experiences into something an audience can experience. Whether it be Notke’s Gothic or Bosch’s surrealism or Disney’s storybook realism or ‘naive art’, they have played profound direct and indirect influences on the world. That is no understatement.
Have courage, be brave enough to break your own heart (I recall Cheryl Strayed). Art takes you on a journey, it can be a conscious 0.5 second long or a subconscious life long journey!
“Master painters try to paint like a child again,” Simone said. 80, 90 year old painters, saying they want to become like a child again, painting for the sake of painting! What a statement that can apply to us all; the life long learning journey.
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