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Title: Have you ever heard of. . . ?
Author:
Content: Willis Nelson (poor guy has been buried by Willie): "The major problem of today's artist is to create a timely reality, to manifest the "new poetry" that scientific discovery has added to the visual and non-visual worlds. Whether he manipulates form from an existing reality and uses it metaphorically or attempts a disassociation from illusion of forms that do exist is not the important problem. To present his way of feeling and thinking and to confirm his individuality in each new work within the realm of the atmosphere of his time is to me the important problem.What influences affect the artist's work do not matter as long as the work expresses the "language of the day." I have been influenced by the poetic finesse and atmospheric subtleties of Chinese landscape painting. A unity of Oriental poetic depth with a more vigorous and dynamic Western impact. Nature is the theme. . . to be aware of the movement of prairie grass set in motion by a gentle breeze or gale-like forces. The forms I seek are those that will best express the life cycle and moods of nature, life, growth, death, decay, and multi-varied forms that nature provides. I do not want to paint the tree's exterior, its bark, or leaves. This is "ready made" beauty, too obvious and even "trite" with its ever-abundant presence. I would rather turn over a rotting log to see were the elements have been at work unseen, such as the beauty of fungus growing over vermiculated and discolored wood.  Point of Separation (seen above) was painted with the sensation of the idea being as important as the pictorial effects by which the idea was elaborated. They were merged to create an organic statement about life without becoming too literal. A piece of nature seen both specific and generalized. Microscopic nature, blown up to visual apprehension. A process of nature, a division on a non-visual level. It could be a division by decay. The separation of ideas or a bit of nature split asunder by explosive powers. The destruction that the naked eye misses when the Bomb goes off." - (Prize Winning Oil Paintings, and Why They Won the Prize by Margaret Harold, 1960) (Doesn't this book by Margaret sound interesting too?) Authorlink:
Authoremail:
Published: 11/3/09
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