How Many Inspirations Can a Little Painting Have?
Inspired Eggplants, 2015, oil on panel, 14" x 11"
My answer is many, many inspirations. And they may come from a variety of places and times. For the little painting posted here, I can claim and write something about at least two conscious sources of ideas and encouragement (God knows what happens unconsciously). The first is a 13th century Chinese painting by Mu Ch'i, a Zen practitioner; and the second, a 19th century wall fragment painted by Goya, at his home in Spain.
Six Persimmons. MuCh'i, 13th century, ink on paper
This ink painting is a classic work of Chinese art. Some critics even consider it to be the greatest painting ever painted. I don't know about that big claim, but I do know that I have been intrigued ever since I saw a reproduction of it (as the cover for Peter Swann's Chinese Painting). Like enticing song lyrics, it often bursts and persists in my mind. I love the placement and weight of the persimmons at the bottom of the scroll, the seeming vastness of the space above them, and the simplicity and clarity with which the persimmons are drawn. It is not surprising that this nearly 700 hundred year old piece made its way into my work (especially for that eggplant on the far right of my painting).
Littlestone, on the heritage Trust website (theheritagetrust.wordpress.com), describes Mu Ch'i's work as the painting for which a man lost his life. Here is the story. A fire broke out in the Ryoko-in Temple where the painting was kept and the temple burned down. The painting escaped destruction through the sacrifice of one of the temple's monks. The monk braved the flames and ran into the temple. He slit open his stomach, placed the painting in the cavity he had made in his body, and ran out bringing the painting to safety. Stains on the right side of the painting (that one can see in some reproductions) are said to come from this "act of selfless devotion." Who could forget this painting?
This painting, The Dog, was done by Goya between the years 1819-1823. He painted it directly in oils on the plaster walls of his home, one of a series now known as The Black Paintings. It was later transferred to canvas. Like the Mu Ch'i, it is a much celebrated work. The Spanish painter, Antonio Saura, called it the "world's most beautiful painting." In his last visit to the Prado museum, Joan Miro asked to see two paintings, this one and Las Meninas by Velazquez. Manuela Mena, curator at the Prado said "There is not a single contemporary painter in the world that does not pray in front of The Dog." Well!
As in the case of the Chinese painting, I am drawn to the division into two clear sections, with a darker, heavier section at the bottom. Again, there is the simplicity of forms. Also, who could resist the suggestion of gold in the upper section and the yearning in the face of that little dog as the precious being looks upward? I don't think my eggplants are yearning but I do hope they show some charm.
Inspired Pears, 2015, oil on panel, 14" x 11"
So many sources of inspiration cannot be contained in one little painting. As I was writing this blog post, yet another painting happened in my studio. Who knows what might come next?
