Creative Obsession
Leonardo Da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned”, a phrase that in many ways sums up what art means to me. Art is not only a physical manifestation of your personal world view or your feelings and emotions but also an obsessive act. It’s that undeniable urge to bring forth something and making sure, at least in your eyes, it’s perfect. That’s why I believe the best artists are those that never give up and give in to their obsession and in turn creating true works of art.
Earlier in the year I was fortunate enough to attend the Van Gough exhibit in Paris at the Musee d'Orsay and was really surprised at how moving I found his work. I was never really a fan of Van Gough’s work but during my attendance I learned to love his work and had a new found respect for him as an artist. Photographs never really do artwork justice and even though I was familiar with his technique I never really ‘looked’ at his paintings. It’s only when I saw them in real life that I noticed his ‘obsessive’ way of painting. His most famous works are painted using a form of pointillism a method that can sometimes take a long time or feel tedious and repetitive, it’s a method that in my opinion can only be truly explored when you have an obsessive personality. Although I believe this “obsessive method” of painting to be a byproduct of his mental illness I will not take anything away from his genius by implying he painted the way he did because of his mental illness. If anything his mental illness probably held him back from achieving even more greatness. What I will say is that his mental problems probably did affect what he painted.
During my travels to France and Italy I also saw some off Da Vinci’s work. I consider Da Vinci to be the greatest artist of all time. I really liked the fact that he didn’t limit himself to a single medium but chose to be a student of various subjects and mediums. He tend to do extensive research on everything he did, he was an autodidact and was, in my opinion, obsessive about learning new things. Like I already said I’m a huge fan of Da Vinci’s and if you chose to read some of my future blogs he is sure to come up again.
These are but two artists who I truly admire. I won’t compare myself to them and I don’t think any artist should ever compare them self to another artist, we are all unique and have our own way of doing things. I will in fact admit to possessing some of the traits that made them great. I tend to be obsessive about my work, unable to think about anything else until a project is done and like Da Vinci I like to work in many different styles and mediums, as well as learning new skills. Whether it’s learning how to fix a vintage record player or learning how to sculpt using wire I’m always ready to find a new way of expressing myself. When viewing my gallery it will immediately evident that I don’t have any set style, I tend to get bored easily and I like to stay ‘creatively busy’. I hope you like my work and we here at The Mind Is Right hope to inspire all!!!
I’ll leave you with a quote from Nikola Tesla
“I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success . . . Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.”
Franscois Potgieter
Founder, Artist, The Mind Is Right