28 Oct. 2019 Thoughts on art and painting

We live in the era of information, internet shapes the world around us, technology is advancing exponentially day by day, in this period of time and under these circumstances what role a painter can have?

A painter in the 21st century has two diametric opposite items in the studio, a brush and a laptop. Albeit painters may use the benefits of technology for acquiring information or references for their work still the bare activity of painting is a primitive and driven by instinct.

There are sometimes that I find myself thinking about the purpose of a painter, or rather an artist in general, in contemporary society. Most of us spend a fair amount of our time looking on a screen, sharing or acquire information with a significantly fast pace. Digital and technological advancements have been adjusted almost in any aspect of living. I believe the ease in which we have access information has bad impact on the way we live, firstly we get a superficial approach on a enormous variety of matters and disciplines without eventually knowing nothing in a profound and thorough level. Secondly the ease access on information creates a sluggish attitude of people hence they tend to attain more easily disgusted content on the internet. It is much more pleasant and relaxing to watch a reality show on television or a series on Netflix after a long day at work.

I am not blaming necessarily technology for the attitude that people have developed are during the last 20 years. But the problem derives from the exponential rate on which technology forces its way into our lives and in addition in the way we use it.

That’s why I thing painting is more implicitly necessary than ever before. When the audience attain an art piece whether it is a book, a painting, a movie or an installation they need to devote time in it. Art in our time reminds us the value of just enjoying the moment, it calls the audience to reflect on something to acquire an opinion by exposing themselves in a alternative perspective. For instance a painting demands from the viewer to have mental alertness, in order to embrace the thoughts and feelings evoked by staring on it. Passiveness of the viewer is the last nail on the confine of art, and regrettably most people nowadays prefer to sink themselves in a moving image on their smart phone’s screen. Personally I think that most of us are afraid of realizing how superficially and senselessly we live our lives and often without even knowing ourselves. If just for a moment an individual has the clarity of mind and the consciousness to realize what a painting tries to manifest then he /she will either be scared, because the artwork turns the attention of the viewer towards an existential question that he/she avoided before or the viewer might feel the cathartic revelation art provides.

The immersive power of an artwork is an oasis in the era of information, it turns the main focus from consuming to creating, and at the same time stands as an manifestation that we as humans have the intrinsic need to craft and create. Plus art is the only unpurposeful necessity, because it hasn’t a specific goal, it does not give any answers or absolute certainties. Especially painting and drawing

Art is just there to pollinate the creative spirit of the individual, to create a discourse about an theme, to evoke emotions and most importantly to remind that you should just enjoy the momentum. Artists are practitioner-philosophers and art is the closest philosophy has ever been to practice.