From Expressionism to Impressionism

Eric: The workings of the artistic mind are often hard to understand (hence the jokes). Being a career artist for 25 years, I still have a difficult time comprehending the capriciousness of my artistic journey.

My mentor, Irving Shapiro, found his muse in photography and encouraged his students to use this artistic tool. (Photography has been of valuable assistance to the fine arts since its inception and has played a major role in expanding artistic expression. However, sound judgment of art is based on the painting itself, not the process.) I felt very comfortable with this teaching, as the use of photography allowed me the mobility of capturing multiple motifs. More importantly, I was able to bring the image to my studio and, along with the photo references, construct my own sense of design, unencumbered by the vagaries of plein-air (outdoor painting).

Several times I had some degree of success with plein air, yet found it not satisfying: I felt I was wrestling too much with my subject, almost like it was too commanding of my attention. I couldn’t see the attraction in “copying” the values and color harmonies in front of me – why not, I would ask, create my own conceptual sense of colors and shapes in the studio? Additionally, much as I enjoyed viewing the plein-air French Impressionistic paintings and found much inspiration from them, when I picked up the brush my mind wanted to go in a different direction. Little did I know I was storing up Impressionistic techniques to use at a later date. So, for many years working, one would say I leaned towards Expressionism. This process of interpretation progressed well for years and I received notable recognition as I anticipated this being my careers’ calling. However, a challenge loomed in front of me that I was truly unprepared for: my artistic mind shifted dramatically.

Looking back, the change in my artistic thinking started unnoticed by me some time ago. I found, at times, I was becoming increasingly emotionally drained from using photographic references, as if the excitement of the challenge was slipping away. By introducing new techniques and papers, I was able to find inspiration to sustain me for several more years. Yet I found the original excitement still waning and not as fulfilling as in the earlier years. Anyone in an artistic vocation can appreciate the frustration of going through this transition. I didn’t realize that I was changing, that my mountain had been climbed and it was time for a new one. Simply put, photo references to augment my own conceptual designs were wearing me out. What to do? Out of desperation I tried plein air painting again, and to my amazement, I was ready for it. All along, without realizing it, my artistic growth had been inexorably marching towards Impressionism. Whereas Expressionism demands artistic judgment from within, Impressionism demands from without – a keen observation of the natural effects of light. I find this refreshing as new visual information fills up the creative well within me. Plein air painting, whether in acrylic or watercolor, demands quick judgment and decisiveness to capture fleeting effects of sunlight. Lucky for me, this same decisiveness had been a goal in my studio paintings, so the transition to plein air came quite naturally (I find my brush handling techniques used in watercolor are ideal for acrylics – more on that later).

So here I am, in a place I never expected to be: an Impressionist fascinated with the effects of light. Photographic references, at least for now, have been set on the back burner as I tackle the great outdoors.