Evolving and Never Finished

Pierre Bonnard, the great neo-impressionist, internationally renowned French painter was observed sneaking paints and brushes in the inside vest pocket of his suit jacket in order to make changes to his paintings as he found them in one of the world’s great museums. Guards had to be alerted to watch for him.  Curators tried to explain to Pierre that the paintings were now a part of art history and no longer his to tamper with.  George Inness, the great American painter, would sneak into collectors’ homes to steal away his paintings in order to make changes, changes he felt urgently neccessary.  George had one client arrive at his studio and offer to buy a painting he saw there.  George sold him the painting and collected his price.  The collector asked if he might pick up the painting in a week because, he desired more secure transportation.  George obliged but, when the collector arrived the following week for the painting it was gone.  George Inness had painted over it and explained that he disliked the one the client purchased and,  this new painting was much better.   The client was not pleased.  No symphony, no play, no garden, no poem, no painting is ever finished.  Artists exhale, let go and begin another.  If they are later confronted with the poem, the garden, or the painting they make changes.  They are no longer the same person who created the original work. They have changed and, they must change their work because, they see new possibilities.  Musicians prefer to play pieces differently, to try different interpretations. Otherwise, we are just collecting tolls on a turnpike, repeating the same story.    Homer embellished, refined and altered his tale with repeated retelling and, so does bob Dylan approach old material in a new way.  Jazz musician Clark Terry said he repeats a tune in practice so he can become bored with it  and then find a new improvisation, a new direction.   Actors appreciate the great directors like Billy Wilder and Francis Ford Coppola who encourage  improvisation and abandoning the script once they have found the character.  I have three examples here of changes made to three paintings.     In the first painting, ” Leaves on Reflections” I felt the painting was too compressed with too many verticals and, too dark.  I wanted to feel more space slip between the dark shapes and, I wanted that space to feel more liquid and less static.  You can see how I applied those observations to the altered version in the second example.    In this next painting( 3rd image) I felt the image was too flat and wanted more translucence and more layers. You can observe the effect of my changes in the subsequent version (4th image). In the final painting ( 5th image) I began working with a layered image of the entry foyer to the Met Museum.   The painting wanted more motion, more light, more animation and, you can see how I am proceeding with it in the final image.  I have other plans for the painting. I am not sure what those plans are.  I will sit with the painting and see what it suggests. I’ll  let you know.