I found it interesting that our guest speaker (Elizabeth) told us that curators aren't particularly interested in artist statements. I believe she said to keep the statements short and sweet. I am glad she said this, and that the impression created by the work is what really counts. I think that this is how it should be. This confirms my suspicion that the art department policy of having grads write thesis statements is a waste of time. In fact, I think it is counterproductive, because it forces you to rationalize what you are doing; when in fact, making art is not a rational process. The artist statement is always an afterthought, because if one were to start with a coherent statement, they wouldn't be able to create art. They would be illustrating a set of concepts, in some didactic or prosaic way. Unfortunately, the intuitive model, which really almost everyone follows, is frowned upon by some of the faculty here. It is my feeling that any truly successful artist is fundamentally intuitive in their creative process.
-JP
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2 comments:
very well put jim. i like to toture myself tyring to write about my work but in the end i think you are right, no one outside of this university is going to base their judgement of your work on your statement (or lack thereof).
Right on Big Fuzzy. By the way I knew that had to be you. Somehow that name suits you. But YES, I totally agree. The statement is trivial for an artist. I honestly think that an outsider would be able to create a more cohesive and unifying statement about my work than I ever could. At this point I have written about 10 and I hate them all.
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