Definition: Sprezzatura…A
certain nonchalance that makes art appear to be without thought or effort.
E.
H. Gombrich’s book Art & Illusion
is a definitive study in the psychology of pictorial representation. The book has
sat on my shelf for years but only recently have I given it the in-depth
attention that it deserves. In particular the book delves into my obsession of
suggestion rather than definition.
I
quote:
It is an art in which the
painter’s skill in suggesting must be matched by the public’s skill in taking
hints. The literal-minded Philistine is excluded from this closed circle. He
does not understand the magic of “sprezzatura” because he has not learned to
use his own imagination to project. He lacks the appropriate mental set to recognize
in the loose brushstrokes of a ‘careless work’ the images intended by the
artist; least of all is he able to appreciate the secret skill and cunning
which hide behind this lack of finish.
One of my paintings of Jessica from two years ago
illustrates the point. It took seventy-three years of thought and effort for it
to appear to be without thought or effort.
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