Russian Visual Arts Project

TITLE: 'Conversation about Painting' (1)

AUTHOR: Boris Anrep

The three main subjects of a painter's education are: 1) the craft of painting, i.e., the study of the materials and methods of painting, and the ability to use these to their full extent, 2) the study of nature and the ability to grasp its originality, and, finally, 3) the study of the artistic treasures of all ages and nations and the ability to absorb and use art's priceless legacy for good. Such an education, combined with the general edification of the soul and crowned with a devotion to the Highest - which keeps us from treating lightly the task of drawing God and people closer together - gives the painter the ability to experience great joys and justifies the painter's enthusiasm in the face of countless human sufferings by showing that his works hold - in comparison with others - a great opportunity to alleviate the sorrows of the world and lift up souls.

The painter's entire life serves as the foundation on which he builds the house of his spirit, the home of his soul, and his paintings serve not as decoration for its corners, but instead function as wonder-working icons. The human visage shapes the visage of the painter; therefore, woe to he who is indifferent to his own spiritual perfection! The superficial and the vain, the petty, the satiated, the pampered or those in need of stimulating poisons produce paintings resembling themselves, their secrets having been revealed. Perhaps the greatest education in painting might awaken their hearts; but then again it might only gild their ulcers in gold. But those people who bear within themselves goodness and the higher passions will find in the study of painting their own servants, helpers and teachers, who will help them rise high (if they aim toward the Highest) and make it easier for them to accomplish something great (if they aim toward the Greatest).

Let's turn now to a discussion of some painterly theories...Various people know various things, but nowhere is it possible to obtain a whole, complete education. The time has passed when masters gave to their apprentices the soul of their art along with science. Modern state and local schools have not been able to amass enough knowledge to do this. Masters have been replaced by "teachers," who do not typically accept students into their own studios, or sometimes have ceased to do their own work upon obtaining teaching positions. In any case, these teachers have only a superficial impact on the paintings of their students and they do not hold any sort of moral influence over them. In these schools, the idea that the most successful mastery of trades or arts comes only through imitation is implemented only partially, trivially.

However, this method of instruction is valid - it leads to triumph and to the highest thought. The current striving for originality is so strong and the judgments passed on works that seem to resemble those of other artists are so disdainful that those who do not possess a natural originality are forced to torment themselves to create it or to enroll in one of the newest "schools" established in Paris in response to demand. Judging by their widely-broadcast announcements, these schools are offering instruction in how to be original...

Any talk of having a student perpetuate the "visual personality" of his teacher now seems shameful. An honorable teacher would first stop the pupil who intended to imitate him, for, after all, the student's task is to discover himself, not imitate his teacher! It must be remembered that the early works of the great masters of old were often difficult to distinguish from the work of their teachers; their distinct personalities appeared only later. Initially, an artist would either be overshadowed by his teacher's personality or be considered in the light of his teacher's fame, but he would never lose any of his own worth in the process … How wonderful it would be to demolish all the schools, as they currently exist, and to demote artists to the rank of artisans, who would accept commissions and instruction from craftsmen! Only then would we be able to recreate real centers of art education, only then could we reestablish a succession of knowledge and guiding principles. We cannot forget that art, one of the most profound realms of the human spirit, can only be passed from one generation to the next through close interaction and the continual influence of one personality on another. It can only flourish when a student holds great respect and admiration for the artistic personality of his teacher, and when the teacher recognizes in his student a spiritual heir, who will continue his work and preserve the living essence of his spirit.

In our day, it takes more work and time to build a standard urban middle class home than an artist's "spiritual home": rarely does a painting take more than a month to create; in fact, many artists dash off paintings in a day or two. Rarely does it take a year to make a painting! Typically, only those bereft of talent possess such steadfast diligence! Why has the idea of painting changed - the idea of crafting a rigorous work of art built to last for eternity, with all the knowledge of its unique architecture? Modern painters of spiritual moods, transitory experiences and impressions view the depiction of their own feelings as the sole and sufficient subject of their work. They look at their own painting as the most fitting witness to their personal experience; it is absolutely unrestrained, undiluted by anything extraneous, and, thus, the most immediate representation of their own spiritual perceptions. Here, of course, is a profound truth, and the merits of our time are to be found in an intense realization of it. Does not all true art bear witness to it? Painting deprived of this mask of sincerity is referred to as "banal," but it would be more appropriate to call it "lifeless painting," although scores of people in the past have practiced this sort of art and continue to do so without any thought! Of course. But I must clarify that the truth I've acknowledged above is an inadequate one. Intricately constructed thoughts, based on carefully reasoned laws designed to guide painting toward absolute perfection, that are expressed in correspondingly complex paintings, which are morally bound to the artist's conscience, will be immeasurably more important witnesses to the enlightened artistic spirit, armed with all of its inherent strengths.

Painting that fails to try to build its own expansive structures will remain a mere haven for poverty. The wretched hut of the wandering spirit may be built carelessly, but it is impossible to create a palace or a temple for the growing Spirit, without vast prior considerations, without architectural science, without the foresight of reason, without the help of large equipment. We still don't have everything we need, but time will take care of it. And for now it's still true that any house painter knows more about how to use paint to accomplish a task than many famous artists, because while the house painter paints attentively, heeding the demands of his humble science, the artist composes extemporaneously, surrendering himself to the whims of creative intuition.

The strengths of paint and the brush are not utilized. Where is the remarkable purity, clarity, the mysterious iridescence and transparency of the paint itself? Where is the amazing play of the brush, which "works" the canvas surface: here, forging it in a way similar to metal, there, transforming it into an entrancing carving created as if by a skilled master, and there, without revealing all the work that went into it, giving the impression that the painting was created by a breeze from the breath of a genius? Modern artists study the qualities of the canvas surface so inadequately! It goes without saying that the forged surface, lovingly developed, or the surface created with such tender strokes of the brush that it seems untouched by human hands, is a necessary quality of a meaningful painting. It gives us the sensation that every inch of the canvas been worked over, considered, that it has not slipped the artist's attention, that it has not been created solely at the dictates of his enlightened consciousness without a finger being raised. Moreover, when studying how master artists of painting's golden age applied paint to their canvases, it becomes apparent that the very movement of the brush is closely connected with the artistic impression given by the depicted subject. Here, color drips from the brush in little mounds so that light is reflected in all directions; there, the brush calms the surface to the extent that not one speck of paint reflects the sun's rays (this is especially the case in the areas of shadow, i.e., a calm surface enhances the impression of shadow, - for everything in shadow is tranquil); here, the short traces of the brush intersect one another in all directions, and there, they follow the curves of the depicted subject; here, they bear witness to the fact that initial work on the painting has been completed only with great effort and patience and then is brilliantly and happily brought to life with paint lightly applied; there, the paint elegantly pours onto the canvas, so that even upon careful examination, the work of the brush is barely visible. How tenderly one color embraces another, even though one might be almost dark, and another the color of a radiant body; the edges disappear into the air, thanks only to the masterful movement of the brush... How heavy and unbearable are the rags and shreds of paint in modern pictures! And the dull swill hardly covers the nakedness of the canvas! And those long identical streaks from the top down or from left to right, which not a single decent house painter would tolerate! And lumps of thickly-applied paint, which one wants to peel off the canvas, because they have already begun to flake! In many other, more exemplary paintings, the most subtle delights of light, shade and color can be explained by the extraordinarily precise movements of the brush that create the canvas surface and by various other skills of the trade.

The preceding comments are aimed most specifically at oil painting; this type of painting has recently gained considerable prominence and is arguably in greatest need of improvement. But the treatment of the canvas surface and the ability to make the most of its expressive potential in rendering the painting's subject are relevant and vital for all types of painting. Taking into account the end goal of art, the canvas surface must invite the viewer into a spiritual world, must open the doors of this world for him. The surface itself must give the painting the quality of a valuable object, pleasant even to the touch - similar to the appeal of enamel, cast metal, crystal and glass, brocade, velvet, woven or embroidered fabric, and other well-crafted material.

Nature, which supplies so many varied means for the creation of paintings, always provides all of the necessary letters the painter needs to create words, and even, at times, points out the word itself to him - nature, so enchanting and endlessly visual, which grants one the ability to speak in a voice that trembles with life, because nature is so essential to the voice, is often misused or underutilized by modern art. In modern art, nature is viewed either as a target in and of itself, which the marksman carefully hits with his arrows, declaring his success with great satisfaction - "Bullseye!" "And another!" - or as an incidental, often unnecessary, often burdensome, rather uninteresting fellow traveler of painting. Where are the marvelous human faces, expressive symbols of ineffable thoughts? Where are the faces that reveal more than dollish emptiness, faces that are imbued with the life of the spirit and the significance reserved for a work of art? Such faces do not exist in instantaneous snapshots of nature, whose goal is only to reproduce a chance display of nature's powers. Neither can they be found where people occupy themselves with the preparation of elegant painterly dishes, where for the sake of a subtle aroma or spice, they have cut themselves off from genuine nature and life's true scent, and chosen to speak in a hermetic, lifeless language that consists of tired, cliched words and phrases. Only a word that is connected with its origins, i.e. with artistic ingenuousness, is alive.

Nature must be the painter's beloved, one he will never abandon, because she "wards off" death. We are not talking about the often meaningless, schoolboy renderings of models that lead us to despair, for it's impossible to reproduce nature in all its variability, and this is not the aim of art; rather, we are talking about how the soul stocks up vivid images, correspondences, outlines; how the mind will remember them and give them painterly form; how the painter must be sensitive to all the possibilities of nature and, as a result of maintaining a constant connection with it, remain strong and fresh. The desired result of intimate cohabitation with nature is a flexible and expressive drawing style that moves the artist beyond the limits of insipid generalizations; finding the solution to his problems in nature's departures from schemas imposed upon it, the painter discovers in nature an unquenchable spring of delights. What's necessary for art is not to reproduce nature in all of its fullness, but to understand and delight in the part of nature that is kindred to the spirit. Everything in art should be as lucid as an irrefutable thought; as bold and sweet-sounding to the ear as forthright love; as imperious and consequential as a tsar's decree; as mysterious as a prophecy fulfilled; as bracing as an unanswered prayer; as tender, as graceful, as sublime, as formidable, as eternal, as wise as… - oh, Lord! It's all so inexpressible, but plain to see: the soul will find fitting correspondences.

Past works of art do not mark the final stage of painting, but a large number of wonderful old paintings hold much that is important and relevant to our times: the manifestation of profound knowledge of craft and the profession founded upon it; an enormous understanding of the structure of the picture; progressive thinking about painting and how to improve it; and awareness of the vital role of painting in the development of the human spirit. And these paintings of old possess the best spiritual qualities that, with all their power, win us over entirely! The more a man loves his home, the more he desires to decorate it in noble fashion. The more spiritual wealth a painter includes in his painting, the more he should take pains to decorate his spiritual home in a corresponding manner, so that he will always lovingly contemplate it.

In this sense, there is much that is useful in past art: because all that is slovenly, rushed, poorly considered, and careless is distant from it. It's not our task here to identify and choose the pearls from this invaluable legacy and to recall their beauty. The accumulated richness of painting grants everyone the ability to find and choose their own gods, to obey their dictates, and to follow them as their own best leaders, who have been freely chosen based on the appeal of their perfections at a time when the seeking mind is in need of leadership. But, even so, art works of the golden age do not comprise the final stage of painting's development. In our impassioned and perspicacious time, many entirely new, beguiling, and unexpected vistas have been discovered; however, now, many artists are so devoted to some sort of trivial area of specialization that few are thinking about the fact that all the virtues of painting - virtues received, incidentally, both from knowledge of the past and the blending of new discoveries with principled guidelines - can be found concentrated in his own art. There are also certain artists who are firmly convinced of the spontaneity of art. And somewhere there persists a superstitious worship of the tyranny of creative self-will and a boundless fear of educating that will by striving towards craft and perfection. Now is precisely the time to sum up all the new significance of art, to call, by all means possible at the present time, young artists to the service of the Supreme, the Absolute, the Great and the Holy. Knowledge of the means of painting, as was indicated at the beginning of this article, may be divided into three parts: knowledge of the craft of painting,
knowledge of nature (i.e., what can and needs to be drawn from it)
knowledge of the treasures of art.

These three types of knowledge are defined in three different kinds of painting in our day; each has its own vital importance in painting's development.

Painting that advances knowledge of craft is rooted in England. Painting that has most developed a striving to understand nature has blossomed in France. Painting, whose delights and distinctive qualities derive mostly from knowledge and use of past art, has flourished in Russia.

With the aim of furthering the development of knowledge of the means of painting, I am proposing to offer, subsequently, a series of reports and commentaries, the substance of which has emerged in the course of my own close contact with each of the three kinds of art mentioned above. Of course, this does not give me any right to hope for painting's immediate improvement, but, perhaps, my discussions will inspire an exchange of opinions on how to perfect painting; also, perhaps, a series of discussions on numerous questions concerning the science of painting will arise. I would like for these discussions to have a regular presence in the periodical press in order to greatly advance the cause of painting's development.

It's impossible and foolish to say that the scientific illumination of questions concerning painting is unnecessary, useless and harmful. In the course of creative work, we are all governed by large numbers of ideas that guide our choice of paint, the direction of lines, the composition of parts, etc., etc. Many of the ideas that govern us are either chanced upon in conversation, unconscious imitations of other works of art, or the result of countless other circumstances that have left traces in our soul and serve as guideposts that point out the path of our creative art. An artist cannot shut himself off to such solicited and unsolicited influences. That would be impossible and rightly so. In actuality, an artist must aim to create many well-founded, useful ideas and positions that are worthy of attention due to their thoughtful expression and sound reasoning. It's no catastrophe if, upon closer examination, many of the suggested scientific efforts prove unfounded. Let the battle for truth begin! It doesn't matter on whose side victory finally appears. This struggle will be waged and strengthened by a passion, beneficial to the spirit devoted to art.

Apollon, 9 (1912): 18-24.