Acknowledging Your Own Strokes

Far too often the emerging artist is told his strokes lack ability, either to small, too big, flimsy, repetitive, ect. However, those who are judging the strokes of an artist, on such a critical level, only to end up saying how the stroke should be are betraying their student. If there is anything De Kooning has thought us, it’s that a stroke has to be measured by its own measure. Unfortunately, it’s the current conformatist minds set to try and emulate the powerful brush strokes of what we consider the great artist. The calamity at hand is a stroke that will always fall short, no matter how similar it may look. For the sole reason that the strokes of Van Gogh, De Kooning, Pollock, Rothko, Auerbach, Bacon…..posses the unique spirit of those artist. Even if you want to get on technically scientific side, one could argue it’s hard to match the grip, arm weight, swing, arm length of the previously mention artist.

            The telos should not be to match or copy great strokes, but to accept the inherent stroke you posses whether it be weak or strong. For spirit is not something that can be thought, if yours is weak keep cultivating it and it will grow like a flower. When that happens your brush stroke will become immensely powerful. Let’s take Van Gogh for example, when he was starting to get involved in art, from what we see it’s easy to say the man had a rough time. I say, because his strong spirit was at odds with the conventional brush techniques he was urged to learn. It was not until he was true to himself that he was able to expel a stroke that would convulse in great emotional agony. He needed strong texture strokes that would make the sky cry, so he reached deep inside of himself and pulled them out. 

At the same time it’s important to note his strokes are small in size, however just as potent in power if nothing else to De Kooning’s strokes. It is said De Kooning was a chain smoker, whether the moral aspects of smoking are right or wrong are of no relevance to the work, indeed it’s the characteristics involved in the action of smoking that’s important. His large strokes are the visual incarnation of running a cigarette across an ash tray, but on a canvas.

            I was going to end it with an analysis of how Francis Bacon creates, in his paintings the same intensity as the first stroke you make when painting a wall, however true thoughts do not always understand themselves.

            Only those who are beyond cold will not able to see spirit, therefore will call Frank Auerbach’s method grotesque. What Auerbach does in his process of painting, scraping, and repainting not only takes courage but will power to find the strokes that are just right in energy. One may say, many artist approach painting this way, but I would claim only Auerbach has made it his own. Most likely Auerbach realizes that his individual strokes alone do not posses great spiritual resonance. Very ingeniously he adds small strokes of spirit relentlessly on top of each other until they fully develop into a magnificent ominous force.