How does an artist know when a work of art is finished? Is it possible to tell? Is it even a desirable thing to totally complete a piece? Is it true that a work can "speak" to the artist and tell her that it is at a point when further fiddling and "improving" will destroy what has been so painstakingly created? In my experience, I have found that there is a point at which I sense that I should not go any further. If I am quiet and listen to it, things sometimes work out nicely. When I ignore that gut feeling, I inevitably screw something up. Not all accidents are happy ones for an artist and when the crash is brought on by his desire to "fix" something or add something to "round out" a piece the results are most often a trainwreck. Beautiful highlights and shading become muddy. Colours become blurred. Hard lines soft and vice versa. Actually, the entire feeling created by the work in its initial "finished" state can be lost forever to meddling. You may say that it's entirely up to the artist to take a piece as far as she possibly can. We are often taught this, and encouraged to never be satisfied until absolutely every nook and cranny of an artwork is filled to capacity. I was lucky enough to have an instructor who believed in the less-is-more approach and that negative space was just as important as the positive additions. So, how does one decide? What is too much? What is too little? What criteria can or should be used to discern the completeness of a work? I think that the more simple and straightforward approach is often the best from the viewer's standpoint. This does not mean that there can be no depth to a work or deeper meanings, thoughts, approaches, what-have-you. But to be clear and concise engages the viewer and invites him in to the deeper world. What is clear and concise? How do we know? Can we? Do we work until we are tired of a piece and then call it finished? Do we ask someone else, "Does this look finished to you?" Well, that's the topic. So let's go at it. I know that I could use some help with this question. I'm guilty of both destroying a piece, and backing off before there is anything of substance there at all. Where's the balance? --- rbs
Hello. I guess that this is the first, of hopefully many, posts for discussion. I thought that I would start off with a wide topic and with the help of you guys, whittle it down as much as possible. So, with trepidation but a song in my heart, here we go.
How does an artist know when a work of art is finished? Is it possible to tell? Is it even a desirable thing to totally complete a piece? Is it true that a work can "speak" to the artist and tell her that it is at a point when further fiddling and "improving" will destroy what has been so painstakingly created? In my experience, I have found that there is a point at which I sense that I should not go any further. If I am quiet and listen to it, things sometimes work out nicely. When I ignore that gut feeling, I inevitably screw something up. Not all accidents are happy ones for an artist and when the crash is brought on by his desire to "fix" something or add something to "round out" a piece the results are most often a trainwreck. Beautiful highlights and shading become muddy. Colours become blurred. Hard lines soft and vice versa. Actually, the entire feeling created by the work in its initial "finished" state can be lost forever to meddling. You may say that it's entirely up to the artist to take a piece as far as she possibly can. We are often taught this, and encouraged to never be satisfied until absolutely every nook and cranny of an artwork is filled to capacity. I was lucky enough to have an instructor who believed in the less-is-more approach and that negative space was just as important as the positive additions. So, how does one decide? What is too much? What is too little? What criteria can or should be used to discern the completeness of a work? I think that the more simple and straightforward approach is often the best from the viewer's standpoint. This does not mean that there can be no depth to a work or deeper meanings, thoughts, approaches, what-have-you. But to be clear and concise engages the viewer and invites him in to the deeper world. What is clear and concise? How do we know? Can we? Do we work until we are tired of a piece and then call it finished? Do we ask someone else, "Does this look finished to you?" Well, that's the topic. So let's go at it. I know that I could use some help with this question. I'm guilty of both destroying a piece, and backing off before there is anything of substance there at all. Where's the balance? --- rbs
2 Comments
Great topic Robert, and yes it is a broad one. This is like the question What is Art, there are is no wrong answer. The answer to your question depends on the artist and the mood they a re in while finishing a piece. I've overworked plenty of pieces because I want perfection. and I've not gone far enough with others, because I didn't want to mess it up. Some days I have the confidence to keep going and other days I have none, but almost everything I've created I could find something I would like to add or fix. So for me and my work it's never complete, I just accept a stopping point I can live with or it stops being fun.
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Lisa
6/29/2010 11:16:29 pm
FInally getting around to answering this, but am as baffled as ever. I like to think there is a perfect finish to every painting, a destiny that was set in motion from the first mark... but we all know that'snot true! I find a piece has gone too far when it becomes "static" whatever that means... Maybe when there is nothing left for the viewer to do mentally/visually. There should always be something to "work on" visually or it is less interesting. In nature there are constant shifts and problems to solve, art should be that way too, to keep it involving.
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