February
2001
The
Wittig Report - on the
interface between Life and Art
Welcome to the Wittig
Report. On the one hand there is ‘Art,’ and on the other hand, there is ‘Life,’
and somewhere in the middle, they meet.
January has come and
gone, and I still have not picked up a brush. I have, however, had my hands full
with two of the simplest tools of the trade: A piece (read several pieces) of
vine charcoal, and a graphite pencil… and a kneaded rubber eraser. I am always
amazed by just how long one of these erasers works. Drawing in black and white
removes the variable of colour, leaving one to focus on value, light to dark. It
allows one to focus more directly on composition, and whatever matters might
underlie it. It’s a good way to start the year.
Draw
and paint with both hands; they may have different things to
say.
“Someone told me that January 1, 2001 was the actual beginning of the new millennium. I will take every chance I can get, to begin again. I began the New Year with a pencil. The group of eleven drawings I did in January was started for the following reasons, as nearly as I can remember:
First, it was too cold in the basement (read workshop) to paint. I don't use the word 'studio' because it rings false to me. It is an 'art' word, and I came to the field of fine arts in my 40's, after many years of being a woodworker and furniture finisher. 'Art' words seem extraordinarily contrived, especially when applied to me. Hence, I prefer to do my work in the 'basement' or my 'workshop,' except of course, in very frigid weather, when it is too cold in the basement to want to stay there for any extended period of time….”
To view the entire article, and view
the drawings, click here: http://www.robertwittig.com/paper18.html
To view the drawings alone, separate from the essay,
click here: http://www.robertwittig.com/2001jan.html
Calogero Vinciguerra was born in Noto, Italy in the 1969, autodidatta.
“The first impression, that you could have looking at my " works on paper " is like to be in front of photos, but they are true sketches. My way of drawing is very closed to the hyper-realism art current. The language and the technique is fundamental for the realization of the sketch, which the artist helps itself for express his world. The colors are two: the white and the black, the light and the obscurity.”
To visit Calogero’s website, and
view his work, click here: http://utenti.tripod.it/vc/english/index-2.htm
“This, in my opinion, is the work that art is capable of addressing in the
present century; helping to reconcile our emotions and intellect. This may not
be the last step in the maze of human development, but it is certainly the next
step. Technology has taken us as far as it can, until we become more emotionally
mature at the level of species.
The real value of fine art never lied in its 'cash value.' The real value of art has always been, that it can touch and heal us in a place that we cannot even see, or properly describe, in the world of consciousness and intellect.”
To read the entire article, click here: http://www.robertwittig.com/paper17.html
____________________________________________________________________________
Noble
“I'm a self taught artist, born
in September 1963. Ultimately, I feel that learning is the most exciting
thing I can do. My formal background is in Electrical Engineering, which
has been a benefit in understanding the complexities of light and form as I now
move from the high tech world of computers and engineering to the "low tech"
world of classical art.
I love to draw people. There
is an infinite range of expression possible with the human figure and
face. When I travel, I usually don't take many pictures, but you can
always find me with a sketchbook. It is so much more rewarding to connect
with a place by sketching it.”
To visit Noble’s
website and view his work, click here: http://artofnoble.com/
___________________________________________________________________
J.D.
Hillberry
"Like most artists, I have a need to
communicate pictorially rather than with words. Although I try to push the
limits of realism in a black and white medium, simply imitating reality isn't my
primary goal. I use the technical skills I have developed to tell a story or
evoke an emotion. I feel I've successfully communicated with someone when they
identify with the essence of a particular piece, and it brings about new
thoughts or feelings."
To visit J.D.’s site and view his
work, click here: http://www.jdhillberry.com/
_____________________________________________________________________________
Questions, comments,
submissions
I’d be glad to hear
from you. If you have any questions, comments, rebuttals, ideas for future
articles, or submissions of your own, contact me at wittigreport@robertwittig.com
and I will reply promptly, and include your response in an upcoming issue, where
appropriate.
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click the ‘Home’ link at the bottom of any article you have accessed. Thanks. -wittig