The Painting Process

Interesting Analogy here from Mr. Picasso in the following quote:

"I paint a window just as I look out of a window. If a window looks wrong in a picture open, I draw the curtain and shut it, just as I would in my own room. One must act in painting as in life, directly."

- Pablo R. Picasso

When I am working on a painting or drawing, I look at the work and a lot of times know exactly what I don't like about it, what I need to work on and what I want to add or change about it. Just like the man says, the painting is the window and I adjust it as I see fit. I Adjust it to what is comfortable in 'my room'; putting my sense of style on it, drawing from intuition and intent; it's not a completely conscious thing. Just creating and adjusting to what 'feels' right. That's a fairly vague explanation of my creative process, but that's what the work is for; to express what words cannot.

Pablo Picasso on Drawing

It's been well over a half-century since Picasso's work took over the art world and helped change it forever. You would think in the time since then that abstract art has a whole would be more integrated into modern culture than it is now. But I think the opposite has happened. The separation from the audience and the art is even further now. Non-representational work especially, is still met with immediate dismissal half the time if not more, from otherwise seemingly intelligent people. This quote from Picasso illustrates this point:

"The critics say I draw like a child. When I was a child I drew like Raphael. It took me my whole life to draw like a child."

-Pablo Picasso