|
then
paul cezanne
gordon onslow ford
frederick franck
eva hesse
agnes martin
marion milner
claude monet
giorgio morandi
kimon nicolaides
pablo picasso
namgyal rinpoche
john
ruskin
francisco de zurbaran
|
|
artisans
meditative process made visible
How does one define meditative process or practice? In the context of
this website, meditative artisanship (drawing, painting, crafting,
sculpting ...) is taken to mean working in way that stills the mind and
disappears the self. The artisan-identity melts and is one with a
creative rhythm referred to as 'flow'.
For some, this occurs almost automatically when they begin work - in
this case it would seem that they are creating from an already-still
mind.
zen calligraphy would be a good example.
For other artisans
however, intention and application are required, hence the term
'practice'.
For some artisans their work/practice becomes obsessive and
addictive - with or without negative implications. (yayoi kusama, for
example.)
For others 'flow' is quickly recognized as one's natural state
- the "way things are meant to be," to quote
rollo may.
Meditative process and engagement with 'flow' is a common experience
among artisans, although they might not refer to the experience
in those terms. And many artists who practice meditation proceed to
create 'visionary' or 'mystical' artworks - making images rather than
paintings. In the context of this site these artists are not included.
The reason for this is
simple: true meditation is a journey which leaves the self, its
thoughts, ideas and opinions behind. The ego-self doesn't
like this at first, and when anthropomorphic images arise in the
imagination, it very quickly recognizes them and is comforted. The next
step is an incredibly subtle projection of one's identity into the image.
This is where the meditative artisan's practice departs quite radically from that of the
visionary artist - they don't settle for the infinite array of images
the brain is capable of generating. They wait for the end of thought.
They wait for the silent mind. It takes a certain complex combination of
personal experience and disposition - coupled with curiosity and courage
- to enter into this no-thing-ness and await the clarity of action that
inevitably emerges. Action, not idea or design.
This is not to say that all meditative art will be non-figurative or
entirely abstract. (Still Life can open a window onto the infinite:
see
amanda robins.) What it does imply is that there will be no
accompanying narrative. The meditative artist doesn't have things to
say. He or she simply has things to make.
see also:
slow art
~
In the context of nondual or meditative art I use the term 'artisan'
rather than 'artist' because this type of work typically requires a
great investment of time and patience. Makers of meditative usually art craft
their works with impeccable care.
"... in the pure craft the great artist leaves no trace of his personality
whatsoever, you just have the craft."
Namgyal Rinpoche
Historical artisans such as Cezanne, Monet and Picasso are listed
here because they challenged and irrevocably changed the way we see, as well
as the hallowed traditions of 'fine art'.
To avoid excesses of subjectivity in my selection of more contemporary artisans I have
decided to limit the list to those whose work fits the criteria above,
who have spoken about their work as
meditative practice/process or in non-dual terms, or whose work has been critiqued from
this perspective. I have found it a challenge to track down such
artisans - contributions would be very welcome!
~
|
|
now
breathscribe
vija celmins
chuck close
simon cooper
luke elwes
naum
gabo
anne
judell
mosh
kashi
eva cockova
james hugonin
yayoi kusama
edwina leapman
john daido loori
fritz rauh
jude rae
amanda robins
ida shoichi
miriam louisa simons
richard stodart
kazuaki tanahashi
nadja van ghelue
alison watt
jerry wennstrom
|