Thoughts about the state of art.

This last week I was privileged to attend the Portrait Society of America’s annual convention.  For the first time in my life I was able to meet many of what I believe to be the best living painters in the country.  And so, in the wee hours of the morning, I find myself reflecting on what that experience has meant to me as a painter.
The paintings I saw were brilliant in their execution, the sensitivity to value, color, and form, impeccable.  Some paintings went beyond this awe inspiring technique and tapped into the richness that for me is painting at its finest.  I watched Rose Frantzen do three demos over the course of the week.  Each time, as she spoke about her struggles with paint, insecurities about her approach, or the love of the process, her portraits tumbled onto the canvas and inevitably, revealed more about the sitters humanity than they did about the structure of their faces.  This is what moved me, and this is what I enjoyed most.
It was this same humanity and connection to something honest, that I felt was missing in much of the work I saw.  Alexey Steele repeatedly spoke to the question of “why?”, why do we paint what we paint?  And for many artists today, I worry that that that question is not being asked.  Perhaps the “realist revolution” astutely reflects the disconnected condition of so much of our society.  As artists, the techniques we employ are simply the tools we use to build our paintings, sculptures, etc.  Beyond the chosen technique is the substance of the painting.  And much of the time, that substance, that intention, seems to be lacking.  Are we painting studies, or are we going to paint paintings?  If I have a soul, so should my painting.  When intention and technique meet, the results are obvious and the paintings speak for themselves.  If there is a disconnect somewhere in that process, we have yet another painting of an uncomfortable model sitting on a bit of drapery, or a perfectly rendered collection of thrift store items on a table.  Even a camera gets uncomfortable in a situation like that.
There was some discussion about the fact that as contemporary artists we no longer have a language for the critical discussion of art.  I’m not sure that I fully agree with this premise.  The language has certainly changed.  Lavender and pine cones carry very little allegorical weight these days.  Does this mean that as artists we have lost the ability to communicate with our audience?  I hope not.
The talent I witnessed at the PSoA was undeniable.  I returned home with new brushes, new colors, and a renewed love for the craft of painting.  I’ve been drawing furiously.  Many of my paintings look back at me sadly knowing that they will no longer make the cut in my studio.  My paintings will improve technically this is a given.  Now, the goal is to make it mean something.