It occurs to me that art might be premeditated. Or is it?
Millions of considerations and decisions are made before and during creation.
While we have an idea of where we might be going with a piece, do we really know?
Often I see the piece in my mind before I even begin to build it, I have an idea of what I want it to look like, but things always happen in the process.
Happy accidents we call them.
Francis Bacon said: “In my case all painting… is an accident. I foresee it and yet I hardly ever carry it out as I foresee it. It transforms itself by the actual paint. I don’t in fact know very often what the paint will do, and it does many things which are very much better than I could make it do.” [1]
In my case it’s the wax, not the pigment but the idea is the same.
There have been times when I thought I would lose a piece because of a problem with the wax or with the bronze pour and instead what ultimately happened was amazing!
Bacon also said: “All painting is an accident. But it’s also not an accident, because one must select what part of the accident one chooses to preserve.” [2]
The process of making those millions of decisions is what makes the artist.
So who is really creating?
I’ve always sustained that it was the universe creating through me.
However, if Bacon was right then I do bare some degree of responsibility for the ultimate outcome.
The next issue to consider is the way that work of art will affect the viewer.
Will it trigger a reaction?
Will the viewer gasp, cry, or even commit a crime?
Or will the viewer remain indifferent to it.
How much influence on a person can a work of art have?
Can it inspire them to brake the law?
If so, are we, as artists, ultimately responsible for the outcome?
The U.S. Supreme Court, In the case of Brandenburg v. Ohio, held that “expression advocating violent or otherwise illegal behavior only loses First Amendment protection if the expression is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless behavior, and is likely to result in such action.” [3]
This means that the artist is absolved of any such responsibility as long as the required elements of intent, imminence and probability are not met. [4]
1. http://www.egs.edu/library/francis-bacon-artist/quotes/
2. http://www.egs.edu/library/francis-bacon-artist/quotes/
3. http://archive-us.com/us/e/e1music.us/2013-12-30_3434605_72/
4. http://archive-us.com/us/e/e1music.us/2013-12-30_3434605_72/
By Blake & Boky