A FEW NOTES ON PERSPECTIVE.
For an artist, a tree in a meadow can be viewed from the sunny side, the side in shadow, from ground level, or from above. It can be viewed one leaf at a time, one limb, from the whole tree or in a forest. It can be a fallen tree, a leafless tree, a giant or a sapling – viewed from a long distance or up close. It can be painted in any imaginable color in autumn, fresh pea green in spring – healthy, or diseased and with broken limbs. It can bear fruit, flowers, nuts, or Spanish Moss in the south.
To be an artist, we are taught three important types of perspective: LINEAR – how lines merge at the horizon, AERIAL – determined by atmosphere such as a foggy day, and COLOR – the juxtaposition and strength of color to give depth to the composition. It all depends on the artist’s viewpoint, knowledge, training, and application for a successful painting. This is not only true in art but in life itself. We can view life from more than one perspective.
Let me share with you a story I read on social media. A man looked at the owner of a Corvette, and said, “I wonder how many people could have been fed with the money your sports car cost?” The reply was: “I’m not sure. It fed a lot of families in Bowling Green, Kentucky who built it. It fed the people who made the tires. It fed people who made all the components that went into it. It fed the people in the copper mines who mined the copper for the wires. It fed the people at Caterpillar who make the trucks that haul the copper ore. It fed the trucking people who hauled it from the plant to the dealer, and the people working at the dealership and their families.”
This explanation is unending. His purpose was to explain the difference between capitalism and its opposite. “When you purchase something, you put money in people’s pocket and give them dignity for their skills. When you give someone something for nothing, you rob them of their dignity and self-worth. Capitalism is freely giving money in exchange for something of value. Socialism is having the government take your money against your will and giving it to someone else for doing nothing.”
I realize this is a controversial or “touchy” topic for many people, but I like his perspective on the subject. It reminds me that we are all different as individuals, with different traits – good and bad – occupations that hopefully suit our best personalities and abilities. I am also reminded of the old cliche, “No man is an island.” Although different and individual, we must not forget the multitudes around us that weave the tapestry that holds us all together, and makes possible our journey in life. Without wealth we would not have our wonderful charitable organizations, our beautiful museums, galleries, etc. Without donations freely given, many would not survive.
So, how is your perspective? Is it stoic, rigid, uncompromising, or is it openminded to different views, possibilities, or opportunities?
Thank you for reading, and now, I will start another painting – not a copy of what someone else has done, but from my own perspective.
Until next time…
Marie