Title translated from Italian. Good Food, Good Wine
This painting took much longer than I anticipated. Was it worth it? Was it self-indulgent? Will it sell when most of my collectors expect wildlife art from me?
I think the questions are tied together.
One of the definitions of worth: good or important enough to justify.
Good for whom? Important for what?
I would have to say the painting was good for me. It certainly challenged me. The painting made me take my time and be deliberate with each brush stroke. Sometimes that meant being really loose with the paint to build a bin of lettuce and sometimes that meant more tighter control with lettering or wine bottles. In order to craft the concept of a more timeless store, I had to put aside reality in order to present authenticity. Plastic bins were “made” in to wooden ones, different shelves were created, a figure at the back of store and a modern scale were removed all to have the painting read as today’s market or one from the 1940's.
Was the painting self-indulgent? In the same length of time I could have completed 2 or 3 paintings.
I’d thought of doing a piece like this since 2013. Why did I wait so long? A decade ago I am not sure my skill set could have painted Buon Cibo, Buon Vino in just this way. I am glad I waited.
By pushing myself, I can transfer those techniques to my future paintings.
Will it sell? I have no idea. Is a painting only successful if it sells? I would hope not. It is hard for any artist to definitively know a painting will sell unless it is a commission (and even then there could be issues.) But, during a global pandemic, is it wise to stray from your usual genre? I don’t know. Maybe it is self-indulgent to paint whatever you want. But if one has passion for an idea, I think it is important to paint it.
2 comments:
Self-indulgent? In the artistic sense, I'd suggest that self-indulgence goes hand-in-hand with honesty and integrity, all of which are positive traits. Painting only "for the market", may be more rewarding financially, but there's an intangible personal price you pay in doing so. The subject of this painting is not something I'm drawn to, but I think it's beautifully conceived and executed. Ultimately, though, it's only you who can judge its success as a painting given that it's the manifestation of the very personal artistic vision that brought it into being.
What a thought-filled comment Peter. Thank you.
There are some artists who can paint anything (dump truck, pencil, billboard) and make it look beautiful and meaningful. I am not one of those artists.
This is not a subject I am normally drawn to either. But, in this place, at that time, the scene told a story which has stayed with me for years.
I'm glad you think I did it justice.
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