KieferArt
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Why is there art at all? If you try to picture early man painting the scene of a beast being slain by his tribal leader, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that the artist was brown nosing, raising his station in the pecking order. Over the centuries, despite groundbreaking innovations in art products and strides toward cultural sophistication, things really haven't changed that much. The tribal leader is now the proud owner of an original pictograph, his greatness forever etched onto his own cave wall, exhaulted to immortality, admired by subservients and envied by all other tribal leaders. Of course, when that leader is ousted by Ivan the Awful, the artist will be thrown to the wolves, but that's another story. Artists may attempt to placate gallery owners or exhibition judges by incorporating "contemporary" color schemes or currently acceptable techniques, but mostly we exist in a fog of hope that the intent of our work will be received in the spirit with which it was created. For instance, this painting, titled "On the Rocks", has been well received, but I'm not sure why. The subject is a dear friend of mine who had taken a break from our hike on the North Shore. When I saw her (btw, most people think it's a guy) looking so comfortable and peaceful crammed into a fissure in the boulders, I knew I'd have to paint it. We had been sipping a bottle of wine, which was "on the rock" next to her. Not capable of resisting a pun, I dove for it. The vertical bottle messed with the composition, so I replaced it with a flask which, to this day, has not been noticed by anyone. The fact that she (or he, if you prefer) is literally positioned "on the rocks" was enough to justify the title for most people who were too distracted to look any closer. There's the rub. THE INTENT vs. THE INTAKE. We hope, we try, but ultimately, once it's out of our hands, it belongs to you. |