What Have You Seen?

Visual artists make much of the difference between "looking" and "seeing."  In a nutshell, "looking" is a physical act, whereas "seeing" involves the perception and the engagement of the mind.  In previous blog posts, I have discussed and quoted the works of Frederick Franke, author of The Zen of Seeing.  His ideas about seeing and its relationship to the act of drawing have greatly influence my own artistic practice as well as my teaching.  I am a big believer that I really have not seen something until I have drawn it.  Take for example the little watercolor and black walnut sketch to the left here.  It started as a simple pencil sketch of some seed pods as I was exploring the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC last month.  I have always love seed pods and feel that even the best abstract sculpture cannot compare to the subtle grace and intricacies of a seed pod in late autumn.  The more I drew, the more I discovered. The subject prompted me (dare I say led me?) to experiment with mixed media in order to try to bring out all the wonder and beauty of this tiny world on the end of a desiccated stem.  This experience brought to mind a quote from the 17th century essayist and poet Johnathan Swift:

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others."

​Drawing, for me, is the conduit of vision.  It moves me beyond looking to seeing and the more I strive to see the greater my vision.  So this autumn, I've come to ask myself and my students: What have you seen? Because that is what is shaping your vision and hopefully taking you deeper in your practice.

This fall I had the opportunity to see three very different exhibits.  The first was in Annapolis: 
American Impressionism: Treasures from the Daywood Collection at the Mitchell Gallery

American Impressionism

I think what stood out to me in this exhibit was the inclusion of works by both George Inness and Robert Henri in the same exhibit.  They both are American painters, however, Inness is typically regarded as a member of the landscape painters of the Hudson River School of the 19th century and Henri of the Ashcan School of the 20th century.  Yet, considering their works in the context of American Art as it sought to capture the light and mood of place, time and season, it makes perfect sense.  It was a pleasure to see little known gems, not juxtaposed, but as unexpected participants in the artistic dialogue of a culture.

The next exhibit I had the pleasure to see was:
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style at the Walter’s Art Museum ​

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

As a trained architect and artist for whom botanical subjects figure so prominently, Mackintosh is a feast for the eyes. I have long loved his comment from an interview in 1893 Architecture magazine that, "If we trace the artistic form of things made by man to their origin, we find direct inspiration of form, if not a direct imitation of nature."  Again, that wonderful expansion of seeing into vision.  His beautiful botanical studies from life were well represented in the exhibit (as well as the beautiful catalog) and it was a pleasure to finally have the opportunity to see those works in person.  However, if you are interested in those works specifically and cannot see the exhibit, I highly recommend the little volume Flowers: Charles Rennie Mackintosh by Pamela Robertson which is a detailed study of his flower sketches and paintings, as well as his botanical influences.

For me, the purpose of art is not merely the representation of reality from a specific point of view it is a representation of the artist's journey within a reality and the truth that is revealed through the vision discovered through the acts of seeing and making.  That being said, a "masterpiece" is a work which transcends time and culture and continues to invite us into the vision of the artist as it is represented in the work.  

The third exhibit I saw:
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia at the Freer/Sackler Gallery

Encountering the Buddha

Here I think I finally came to understand how performance artists work and a glimpse of their vision which has long eluded me.  The combination of exquisite forms that were beautifully lit, incense, and the chants of prayers created another world within the world from some many other times and places that was profoundly alive and  and moving in mind, body, and spirit.  I think I have come to understand power of engaging all the senses with time and action.

So that is what I have seen and how, I believe, at this short distance from the experiences, that seeing is developing my vision.  I invite you to consider, "What are you seeing?"