A salad dressing-like mixture of water, a bit of oil and a sugar-like molecule can safely clean ancient frescoes, according to a new nanotechnology research.
Scientists at the University of Florence, Italy, have discovered that the oil-in-water microemulsion — basically tiny droplets of oil suspended in water — can penetrate a painting’s pores and scrub away grime and acrylic resins.
The potion has proven particularly effective in cleaning frescoes that had been coated in thick layers of paraloid, an acrylic copolymer widely used by conservators in the 1960s. While the paraloid was intended to offer a protective coating for artworks, it turns out the aging of the acrylic, and reactions with calcium salts beneath the coating, produce a disastrous effect decades after the treatment.
Ah, how much of a restorer's time is spent undoing the effects of previous restorations! This recipe seems quite benign, however:
Using the microemulsions is rather simple. The researchers protect the painting with thin Japanese paper and pour the microemulsions — in the form of a paste or a gel — onto the wrapped artwork. After 10 minutes to a couple of hours, the paste or gel is removed, and with it, any grime and paraloid.
"It is a cheap, simple and environmentally friendly way to clean masterpieces. Using just one percent of oil, we basically managed to make water a very aggressive cleaning agent," Baglioni said.
From: Aztec Philosophy, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Entry written by James Maffie, Colorado State University.
The Nahuas used the expression "flower and song" to refer to artistic activity and its products. Broadly construed, "flower and song" refers to creative activity generally including composing-performing song-poems, painting-writing, playing music, featherworking, and goldsmithing. However, translating-interpreting "flower and song" in this manner is potentially misleading. For the Nahuas did not have a concept of art in the modern Western sense of "art for art's sake" i.e. in the sense that "art and works of art deserve the title by virtue of being products and activities with no other purpose than their contemplation" (Wilkinson 1998:383). Since the Nahuas did not produce objects soley for aesthetic contemplation, we might, then, rightly say that in this sense the Nahuas did not do or make art. They had no notion of a distinctly aesthetic -- as opposed to moral or epistemological -- point of view from which to judge the value (or beauty) of human creativity activity and its products. Rather, Nahua philosophers conceived aesthetics in terms of the problematic defining all philosophical speculation: helping humans maintain their balance on the slippery surface of the earth. As with all other human activities, creative activity and its products are meant to help humans maintain their balance and evaluated accordingly. Aesthetics is thus interwoven with moral and epistemological purposes. That which is aesthetically valuable (or beautiful) is also morally valuable and epistemologically valuable (and conversely). It is the well-rooted, well-balanced, true, disclosing, and pure. That which is aesthetically valueless (or ugly) is disordered, duplicitous, perverse, unbalanced, impure, and deceptive since unrooted, undisclosing, inauthentic, and false.
Nahuas aesthetics views creative activity and its products in the following terms. First, creative activity and its products are aesthetically valuable if and only if they genuinely present and truly disclose teotl. Like well-formed jade, turquoise, and quetzal plumes, they authentically unconceal balance-and-purity.
Secondly, creative activity and its products are aesthetically valuable if and only if they contribute positively to the existing store of balance-and-purity in the cosmos. Works of art accomplish this by faithfully presenting and hence actually embodying balance-and-purity, i.e. by literally being well-balanced and pure.
Third, aesthetically valuable creative activity and products must spring forth from a morally and epistemologically qualifed, "teotlized heart", and hence burgeon from and be well-rooted in teotl. The accomplished artist is necessarily morally upright and knowledgable of teotl. Fools and rogues are incapable of creating beautiful works of art.
Fourth, aesthetically valuable creative activity and its products must have the appropriate effects upon their audience. Beautiful art improves and uplifts its audience psychologically, physically, morally, and epistemologically. It promotes psychological and physical balance-and-purity, moral righteousness, and proper understanding of teotl, and consequently helps humans attain greater degrees of humaness and well-being. By contrast, ugly art promotes physical and psychological imbalance-and-impurity, immorality, depravity, misunderstanding, and ill-being.
Wilkinson, Jennifer R. (1998). "Using and Abusing African Art," in P.H. Coetzee and A.P.J. Roux (eds), The African Philosophy Reader, 1st ed. London: Routledge, pp.383-395.
I picked a fresh branch of guayacan a few days ago here in Alamos. It is currently flowering---beautiful brilliant blue flowers.
Matlali?
The Aztecs made a blue pigment from Guaiacum flowers called matlali. The Seri indians of Sonora made a blue with Guayacan resin combined with a white clay, parallelling Maya innovations in using the combination of organic and inorganic chemistry for pigment production. Maya Blue produced in this way is currently a hot topic of research due to its permanence, lightfastness and resistance to acid and alkali, as well as microbial deterioration.
I tried extracting the color from the dry flowers with ethyl alcohol and here is the result...maybe something akin to matlali:
A project dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and transmission of traditional knowledge pertaining to fresco painting.
Daan Hoekstra and Eleazar Ezquer slaking one ton of quicklime, August 2007, at the Casa de Cultura, in Álamos, Sonora.
Guide to the Muralismo al Fresco Project
I. What is Fresco Painting?
Fresco is a technique used for painting murals. Mineral pigments ground in distilled water are painted onto walls finished with lime plaster. The still-wet wall absorbs the pigments. When the wall dries, the pigments are chemically sealed inside the wall. Frescos can last thousands of years.
II. Vision
To create a permanent center for the revival of traditional fresco painting technique in Alamos, with the people of Alamos, and for the people of Alamos.
III. Mission
·To create an infrastructure for fresco painting in Alamos.
·To participate in and support the rescue of traditional knowledge pertaining to fresco painting, a tradition which played an important part in the history of Mexican art.
·To stimulate appreciation for the Mexican tradition of fresco.
·To educate the public about fresco technique, through workshops for children, young people and adults.
·To train a generation of young Alamos residents in fresco technique.
·To offer workshops in fresco technique to professional artists locally, regionally, nationally, and worldwide.
·To reanimate and strengthen the impulse of Mexican muralism.
IV. The Coordinator’s Background
Daan Hoekstra has 27 years of experience in the artworld, including 6 years of full-time study and 15 years working as a professional muralist. He learned fresco technique from Mark Balma, a student of the Italian painter Pietro Annigoni, known for his portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and John F. Kennedy. After the era of Diego Rivera, Annigoni was one of the only painters in the world painting monumental frescos in the 1960s and 1970s. Balma continued as one of the very few painters working in fresco on a monumental scale in the 1980s and 1990s. Hoekstra assisted Balma on all phases of the fresco project at St. Mary’s College, in Minnesota.
V. Prospective Sources of Support:
Muralismo al Fresco is supported by limited funding from the Municipal Cultural Development Program, which distributes funds received from the municipal, state and federal government. Additional funding must be sought from:
·Municipal government and Casa de Cultura funds
·Funding from Pueblos Magicos, UNESCO, and sister city programs
·Foundation support
·Workshop income.
·Sales of lime and pigments.
VI. Uniqueness of the Project:
Muralismo al Fresco differs from other proposals in that:
·Murals will be painted in fresco, instead of using modern techniques and materials.
·Alamos residents will design and paint the murals, instead of outsiders.
·Themes are proposed by residents of Alamos, instead of being imposed by outsiders.
·The focus is upon interior murals, instead of exterior murals which would be inappropriate for a colonial town and national historic monument.
Muralismo al Fresco differs from other public art processes in that:
·It is artist-initiated.
·It is artist-administrated.
·It is one of the very few programs in the world that teach fresco technique, and perhaps the only non-profit one.
VII. Possible Associated Projects:
Slaked pit lime, made in the old-fashioned way, is the appropriate material to use for the restoration of plaster on historic buildings. The Muralismo al Fresco project could expand to include a series of workshops about appropriate materials and the dangers of modern materials in building restoration.
Handmade paint utilizing natural mineral pigments is the appropriate material for painting historic monuments in a Pueblo Magico. The Muralismo al Fresco project could expand to include workshops focusing on pigment grinding, paint, appropriate historic materials, and the dangers modern materials pose when used on old buildings.
VIII. Assistance Required:
Volunteers are needed in the areas of grantseeking, networking and community outreach.
IX. Project Muralismo al Fresco, Accomplishments in 2007
·Built an underground lime pit, with a 5000 liter capacity, as a permanent installation at the Casa de Cultura.
·Slaked one metric ton of quicklime (CaO) with 2000 liters of distilled water.
·Purchased all tools necessary for plaster work.
·Purchased a half ton of ground limestone.
·Initiated research into local sources of lime, and traditionalpigments.
·Purchased fresco pigments and brushes from Zecchi Colori in Florence.
·Initiated search for local sources of flint and quartz for sand.
·Initiated a series of meetings consulting the community about themes and imagery for public murals. Produced bilingual report of results from 6 meetings.
·Cultivated a core group of local Mexican artists as participants.
·Built a granite pigment grinding slab, and muller.
·Produced a bilingual guide for artists.
·Proposed a sister project aimed at involving geologists in the search for local sources of lapis lazuli, azurite, malachite and hematite, and seeking their expertise in small-scale calcination.
·Commissioned the production of clay tablets for workshops.
·Demonstrated pigment grinding, plastering and the production of Bianco San Giovanni.
·Held introductory fresco painting workshop.
Magda Alcantar grinding raw sienna, November 2007
Malachite, azurite , chrysocolla and lapis lazuli from the region.
Elena Chavarria taking introductory fresco technique workshop, January 2008.
Accomplishments in 2008
Held three introductory fresco painting technique workshops.
Painted a 17 x 40 foot practice mural in acrylic, as a means to train assistants, form a team, and create muralists.
Practice Mural with Team, November-December 2008
Planned for 2009-2010
Muralismo al Fresco: Rescuing Links between Nature and Culture via the Ancient Mesoamerican Tradition of Fresco Painting.
The project will revitalize traditional knowledge pertaining to fresco painting and create a permanent center of learning in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Fresco is a technique of mural painting that has been important in the history of Mexico, but has recently fallen into disuse.
We believe all traditional knowledge is under attack in this very unique natural and cultural region, and that the resilience of one tradition will fortify the others against forces which are causing both ecological decline and cultural erosion.
Elements of the project:
Involvement of Mayo and Guarijio Indigenous Communities: fortifying traditional land use patterns
These native communities are the stewards of knowledge about the uses of plants in this incredibly biodiverse region. We will seek out their knowledge about the gathering and preparation of traditional vegetable pigments, many of which are suitable for fresco. Since pigments are expensive on the world market, developing pigments locally could fortify indigenous traditions of plant stewardship and create an alternative to newly introduced destructive land use patterns such as cattle ranching. Gathering and the use of existing plants will be promoted, rather than the introduction of destructive species.
Minimizing the Impact of Mining through Gathering: democratizing the distribution of mineral wealth
Alamos was founded centuries ago for the exploitation of gold and silver deposits nearby, and mining has been a part of its history ever since. High metal prices have recently brought many new mines to the area, and they are threatening unique protected ecosystems as well as local traditions of self-reliance. The vast mineral wealth of the area includes the presence of semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli, azurite, malachite, epidote, chrysocolla, turquoise and many other minerals that are suitable for fresco pigments. They can be found on the ground or in long-abandoned mines, and are often present in the waste of current gold, silver and copper mines. Simple gathering and use could provide a sustainable source of income for some, making local mineral wealth accessible from the bottom up.
Reinstating Small-Scale Local Lime Production for Environmental and Cultural Benefits:
Lime, an essential ingredient of fresco painting, was once produced locally. At least half a dozen abandoned high-grade lime deposits are found on the outskirts of the town. Ecologically-minded sustainable development organizations around the world promote small-scale, low-tech local lime production because it: 1) promotes local self-reliance, 2) strengthens the local economy, especially for the poor, and 3) is a more sustainable choice than cement, which requires more energy for its production and transportation.
Promotion of lime use in Alamos is especially important because indiscriminate use of cement for repairs on colonial adobe, brick and stone structures is endangering the cultural heritage of Alamos. Organizations devoted to the preservation of monuments the world over condemn the use of cement on old structures and promote the use of lime.
Fostering Pride in Mesoamerican Heritage:
The Ancient Maya painted frescos 1200 years ago in Bonampak, Chiapas. They used a permanent blue pigment, called Maya Blue, made with indigo (also native to Alamos), and a white clay called Palygorskorite (also found in Sonora). Researchers at the University of Texas El Paso say Mayan pigment technology was a kind of nanotechnology. They are copying the Mayan technology to produce a more permanent and more environmentally friendly line of modern pigments. The Seri of Sonora made a blue pigment with similar technology.
Building codes in Ancient Rome stipulated that lime must be slaked for a minimum of three years before it was used for construction. The Maya invented a process; using the bark for a tree they called holol, which reduced slaking time to two weeks. In Sonora, samo was the traditional admixture for lime. Samo is of the same genus as holol.
In other words, Mesoamerican paint and plaster technology was more advanced than European technology.
More recently, Diego Rivera used fresco to communicate the breadth and depth of the nation’s indigenous heritage.
Transmitting these ideas, and many more, via practical workshops fosters respect for indigenous heritage common to all Mexicans.
Mural Themes Create Voices:
Mural themes can offer an expressive outlet for local indigenous communities that have little voice or visibility. Themes may also express biocultural values and traditions.
Economic Benefits:
Project workshops have already drawn participants from afar, creating a local economic benefit.
Proven by a formula repeated across the United States and Canada, murals attract tourism, and sustainable tourism could be the savior of Alamos’ natural and cultural heritage.
Historically-Correct and Environmentally Sound Paint:
Fresco activity in Alamos will have the added benefit of introducing Alamenses to low-tech, pre-modern methods and materials for making nontoxic, nonpolluting paints that are more appropriate for use in historic colonial buildings.
Examination of old paint layers in Alamos shows that a technique very similar to fresco was used in the past. The paint layer is very integrated with the plaster layer.
Currently, the last remnants of authentic old plaster and paint on the colonial buildings of Alamos are being covered with modern plastic paint, which destroys the historic integrity of the surface, produces pollution in its manufacture and use, and is shipped in from far away. Fresco can introduce the alternatives, and demonstrate how easy and cost effective they are. Modern paint does not allow old walls to breathe. Lime based paint does.
Fresco has lasted for thousands of years on several continents, making it a unique model of sustainability.
The Ultimate Goal:
We dream of murals painted in fresco in Alamos’ City Hall. The colors are painted with plants and minerals collected in Alamos, produced through traditional indigenous methods. The colors saturate lime produced in Alamos, and express the spirit of place, the collective hopes and dreams of the people of Alamos, the stewards of incomparable natural and cultural heritage. We dream that it spreads.
Project Muralismo al Fresco, Accomplishments in 2007
1) Built an underground lime pit, with a 5000 liter capacity, as a permanent installation at the Casa de Cultura.
2) Slaked one metric ton of quicklime (CaO) with 2000 liters of distilled water.
3) Purchased all tools necessary for plaster work.
4) Purchased a half ton of ground limestone.
5) Initiated research into local sources of lime, and traditional pigments.
6) Purchased fresco pigments and brushes from Zecchi Colori in Florence .
7) Initiated search for local sources of flint and quartz for sand.
8) Initiated a series of meetings consulting the community about themes and imagery for public murals. Produced bilingual report of results from 6 meetings.
9) Cultivated a core group of local Mexican artists as participants.
10) Built a granite grinding slab, and muller.
11) Produced a bilingual guide for artists.
12) Secured minimal funding for 2008.
13) Proposed a sister project aimed at involving geologists in the search for local sources of azurite, malachite and hematite, and seeking their expertise in small-scale calcination.
14) Commissioned the production of clay tablets for workshops.
15) Demonstrations of pigment grinding, plastering and the production of Bianco San Giovanni.
16) First fresco workshop held in December.
Planned for 2008:
1) Introductory fresco technique workshops.
2) Weekly mural design meetings for the artists of Alamos.
3) Networking, partnereships, fundraising, and press coverage.
Cartoon for Teresa Urrea healing the Sick (6/19/2007)
Teresa Urrea Healing the Sick
This is a full size cartoon for a painting I'd like to do of Teresa Urrea healing the sick. Somewhere there must be a sponsor, or somebody who would like to commission the painting.
One of my current projects is a charcoal cartoon for a life sized painting of Teresa Urrea healing the sick. Known as the Santa of Cabora, this mystic and healer is also credited with instigating the Mexican Revolution.
Casa De Cultura, Alamos
Information about the “Muralismo al Fresco” Project
Fresco painting is a technique used to paint murals. Mineral pigments ground in distilled water are painted onto fresh lime plaster. The plaster absorbs the pigments. When dry, the pigments are sealed chemically inside the wall. Fresco murals can last hundreds, even thousands, of years.
There are extant examples of frescos painted in Ancient Egypt (c. 1200 BC) and Ancient Greece (c. 500 BC), among many other ancient civilizations. In Mexico, one can see Mayan frescos painted 1300 years ago in Bonampak. Rivera and Orozco, among others, used the technique in the 20th century.
“Muralismo al Fresco” is a 3 year project, with limited support from the State Government of Sonora, the Instituto Sonorense de Cultura, CONACULTA, the Alamos Municipal Government and the Municipal Cultural Development Program of Sonora.
The objective for the first year, 2007, is to build an infrastructure for painting fresco in Alamos. The lime used for fresco painting needs to slake (soak) for at least one year before it is useable, so fresco technique workshops will not begin until 2008.
In 2007, we will: 1) Build a pit to slake quicklime, 2) Slake the lime, and 3) Buy pigments, tools, and, materials.
Objectives for 2008 are: 1) Start fresco technique workshops, and 2) Form a team for painting fresco.
Objectives for 2009 are: 1) Continue workshops, and 2) Paint murals in public buildings in Alamos.
Realization of goals depends on available funding.
We will try to include everybody from Alamos that wants to participate. Beginning in June 2007, we will start having regular meetings about possible mural themes for public buildings in Alamos. Everybody who wants to give their input is invited to participate. Anybody whose idea is approved for a public building in Alamos has a right to participate in the execution of that idea, and sign any mural that might result from the process. One need not be an artist to attend meetings about mural themes. The meetings will be spread over six months to accommodate those who are out of town part of the year.
After 5-10 meetings on mural theme, we will start a series of meetings/workshops focusing on mural design for Alamos public buildings. The meetings/workshops will be open to all artists from Alamos (minimum 1 year residency) 12 years of age and older, who want to participate. We will make efforts to invite the best artists in Alamos, and include young people and beginners too. Artists with more experience will be available to help youngsters and beginners. We will suggest collaborative teams. Finally, we will exhibit collaborative and individual designs, and with the help of the Municipal Cultural Council, and the Casa de Cultura, we will search for a fair and inclusive way to choose the best designs for public murals in Alamos.
It may not look beautiful to you, but it is beautiful to me. These circular structures are found at four corners of an old stone building that was originally a fort in the 1700s, and was used as a jail throughout most of the 20th century.
The building is now the site of the Casa de Cultura Maria Felix, a center of art and music in the colonial town of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. In preparation for a fresco painting program, one and a half tons of lime will be slaked in 2007, so that the lime will be ready for buon fresco technique workshops in 2008. In 2009 murals will be painted in public buildings of Alamos.
How do murals fit into the editorial focus on collectors/collecting? Serious collectors will most often want to know about objects/products ready to be purchased, while mural painting is a service that must be commissioned. This could extend into a general discussion of the commission process. Collectors commisioning work vs. purchasing work already made. It could include experiences of patrons and artists in the very tricky process of collaboration on a project. Most often the viewpoints differ dramatically. The most successful projects require a meeting of the minds
The theme of reconcilliation of apparent opposites never ends. Here it is again:
"Ortega saw as fundamental to an approach to Goya the reconciliation of apparent 'opposites' presented by the artist's works: an impeccable mastery of technique, and sudden displays of almost disdainful negligence; a quality of grace, and at times of grossness; an adherence to tradition and the norms of the time, and inexplicable bursts of unbridled fantasy; The Goya of The Crockery Seller, and the Goya of the 'Black Paintings.'"
--Philip Troutman, in his introduction to Ortega y Gasset: Velasquez, Goya and the Dehumanization of Art.
Everybody can learn to draw. As recently as the 19th century, all educated Americans and Europeans had some ability in drawing. Drawing was a hobby for millions, but this active pursuit that refines visual perception was replaced by a passive activity that dulls it---television.
The problem is that when human capacities are replaced by machines, we become less human and less capable.
Below is a letter, taken from Zbigniew Herbert's prose piece "Letter," in which Jan Vermeer writes to his friend Anton van Leeuwenhoek, beautifully touching upon seemingly eternal themes about the relationship, and sometimes antagonism, between art and science. I've never seen a better definition of what emotions and convictions motivate naturalist painters:
"Undoubtedly you will be surprised I am writing rather than simply dropping by your laboratory before dusk, as so often happens. But I think I do not have enough courage, I do not know how to tell you to your face what you will read in a moment.
"I would prefer not to write this letter. I hesitated for a long time, because I really did not want to expose our long friendship to danger. Finally I made up my mind to do it. There are, after all, things more important than what unites us, more important than Leeuwenhoek, more important than Vermeer.
"A few days ago you showed me a drop of water under your new microscope. I always thought it was pure like glass, while in reality strange creatures swirl in it like in Bosch's transparent hell. During this demonstration you watched my consternation intently, and I think with satisfaction. Between us there was silence. Then you said very slowly and deliberately: 'Such is water, my dear, such and not otherwise.'
"I understood what you wanted to say by that: that we artists record appearances, the life of shadows and the deceptive surface of the world; we do not have the courage or ability to reach the essence of things. We are craftsmen so to speak who work in the matter of illusion, while you and those like you are the masters of truth.
"As you know my father owned the tavern 'Mechelen' at the market place. An old sailor often came there who had wandered all over the world, from Indochina to Brazil and from Madagascar to the Arctic Ocean. I remember him well. He was always quite tipsy but told splendid stories, and everyone gladly listened to him. He was the attraction of the place, like a big colorful picture or exotic animal. One of his favorite stories was about the Chinese emperor Shi Huang-ti.
"This emperor ordered his country to be surrounded by a thick wall, to shut himself off from everything that was different. He burned all books so he would not have to listen to the admonishing voice of the past; he forbade cultivation of any of the arts under penalty of death. (Their complete uselessness was blatantly clear when they were compared to such important tasks of state as building a fortress, or cutting off rebels' heads). Thus poets, painters, and musicians hid in the mountains and remote monasteries; they led the life of exiles tracked by a pack of informers. On the squares, piles of paintings were burned, fans, statues, ornate fabrics, objects of luxury and all things that could be considered pretty. Men, women and children all wore the same ash-colored clothes. The emperor declared war even on flowers; he ordered their fields to be buried under stones. A special decree announced that at sunset everyone was to be at home, the windows tightly covered with black curtains because (you know yourself) what incredible pictures can be painted by the wind, clouds, and the light of sunset.
"The emperor valued only science. He showered scientists with honors and gold. Every day astronomers would bring news of the discovery of a new or imaginary star. In servile fashion it was given the name of the emperor, and soon the entire firmament teemed with luminous points of Shi Huang-ti I, Shi Huang-ti II, Shi Huang-ti III and so on. Mathematicians labored to invent new numerical systems, complicated equations and unimaginable geometrical figures, knowing only too well their labors were sterile, of no use to anyone. Naturalists promised they would develop a tree whose crown was embedded in the ground and whose roots reached the sky, also a wheat grain as large as a fist.
"At last the emperor wished for immortality. Physicians performed cruel experiments on men and animals to discover the secret of the eternal heart, the eternal liver, eternal lungs.
"As it often happens with men of action, the emperor desired to change the face of the earth and sky so his name would be inscribed forever in the memory of future generations. He did not understand that the life of an ordinary peasant, shoemaker, or a grocer was far more worthy of respect and admiration, while he himself was becoming a bloodless letter, a symbol among countless symbols of madness and violence monotonously repeating themselves.
"After all the crimes, all the devastation he caused in human minds and souls, his own death was cruelly banal: he choked on a single grape. To remove him from the surface of the earth nature did not exert herself to produce a hurricane or deluge.
"Probably you will ask: why do I tell you all of this, and what is the connection between the story of the foreign ruler and your drop of water? I will most likely answer you not very clearly or coherently, hoping you will understand the words of a man who is full of forebodings and anxiety.
"I am afraid that you and others like you are setting out on a dangerous journey which might bring humanity not only advantages but also great, irreparable harm. Haven't you noticed that the more the means and tools of observation are perfected, the more distant and elusive become the goals? With each new discovery a new abyss opens. We are more and more lonely in the mysterious void of the universe.
"I know that you want to lead men out of the labyrinths of superstition and chance, that you want to give them certain, clear knowledge which according to you is the only defense against fear and anxiety. But will it really bring us relief if we substitute the word necessity for the word Providence?
"Most likely you will reproach me that our art does not solve any of the enigmas of nature. Our task is not to solve enigmas, but to be aware of them, to bow our heads before them and also to prepare the eyes for never-ending delight and wonder. If you absolutely require discoveries, however, I will tell you that I am proud to have succeeded in combining a certain particularly intensive cobalt with a luminous, lemon-like yellow, as well as recording the reflection of southern light which strikes through thick glass onto a gray wall.
"The tools we use are indeed primitive: a stick with a bunch of bristles attached to the end, a rectangular board, pigments and oils. These have not changed for centuries, like the human body and nature. If I understand my task, it is to reconcile man with surrounding reality. This is why I and my guild brothers repeat an infinite number of times the sky and clouds, the portraits of men and cities, all these odds and ends of the cosmos because only there do we feel safe and happy.
"Our paths part. I know I will not convince you, and that you will not abandon polishing lenses or erecting your tower of Babel. But allow us as well to continue our archaic procedure, to tell the world words of reconciliation and to speak of joy from recovered harmony, of the eternal desire for reciprocated love."
Interview in Portal Alamos, February 2006, posted: (4/22/2006)
An Interview Published in the Bilingual Newspaper, Portal Alamos:
Portal Alamos: Where are you from? Where did you study? Who inspired you to be an artist?
Daan Hoekstra: I was born in Ohio and grew up in Upstate New York. My aunt was a professional artist and exposure to her was what first put the idea of being an artist in my mind. She encouraged me and I started drawing when I was 7 years old, learning from her advice.
In 1980 I went to the University of Dallas to study art, on an academic scholarship. I specialized in printmaking--etching and lithography. The university had a campus in Rome, Italy, where I studied the history of art and architecture. I had the opportunity to travel and see some of the important art museums in Europe: The Vatican, the Uffizi, the Prado and the Louvre.
I was enthralled with the experience and wanted to learn to paint like the old masters. I left the university and went to New Mexico to study with my uncle, a painter also. I kept searching--looking for the best painters--those few who could paint like the masters. Finally, I found Richard Lack. It was very difficult to enter his atelier. He never had more than 16 students at once. Hundreds applied, but there was only space for 4 new students each year. I got in, in 1984, and studied with Lack until 1987: human figure, drawing, oil painting...traditional art technique.
Now I can see that big things came out of a small studio. I'm proud of the accomplishments of my colleagues (other students of Lack). Daniel Graves founded the Florence (Italy) Academy of Art, which has made quite a splash in the artworld. Bruno Surdo started the School of Representational Art in Chicago. Lack's atelier gave birth to at least 10 new schools, including my little teaching studio in Navojoa.
Portal Alamos: What are you doing these days?
Daan Hoekstra: I just finished almost six months of work for Hacienda de Los Santos, here in Alamos, painting murals. I'm preparing for a group exhibit--figure drawing and painting. It will travel to Morelia, Irapuato and Guanajuato. I'm still teaching in Navojoa.
Portal Alamos: What is the theme of the murals?
Daan Hoekstra: The landscapes, the architecture and the people of Alamos, for a new event center.
Portal Alamos: How did you start doing murals?
Daan Hoekstra: I worked with my collegue Mark Balma. He studied with the Italian painter Pietro Annigoni. Annigoni was a legend--one of the only painters in the world dong monumental fresco murals after Diego Rivera, roughly from 1955-1985. Annigoni was known for his portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and John F. Kennedy. When Annigoni's health started going downhill, Balma was one of a very few painters in the world doing large scale fresco work, from 1985- 2000, roughly.
Portal Alamos: What kind of work did you do for Balma?
Daan Hoekstra: Grinding pigments, preparing the lime, mixing plaster, plastering, and working on the preparatory drawings.
Portal Alamos: And then you started your own mural business?
Daan Hoekstra: Yes.
Portal Alamos: Why did you come to Alamos?
Daan Hoekstra: I came here to work on murals and decorative painting at Casa de Ladrillo, a hacienda here.I worked on the project for a year.
Portal Alamos: Why did you decide to stay?
Daan Hoekstra: Lot's of reasons....
There are a lot of themes here...the natural environment, and the colonial architecture. It can truly be thought of as magical. For example, a few weeks ago, I met a woman who scaled the seven highest peaks in the world. Every year, a meeting is held here...some of the most important economists in the world. The surprise is that you can meet one of them while having a coffee, and go to the other extreme, and get to know people who live without water or electricity. I've learned a lot from the humble people. Here you can know the extremes and the whole range of humanity. It is rich material for thought.
One thing that's important — I use 19th century technique in my work. That is to say — I use ideas from the 19th century in order to create art. My goal is to use an old technique to express current ideas. The technique requires a lot of patience, observation and tranquility. So it isn't compatible with the frenetic pace of modern life. I found the tranquility in Alamos. Life is slower here and it is helping the quality of my work. I still see donkeys in the streets. I live without a phone.
There is a famous painter in Queretaro, a surrealist from Spain, named Santiago Carbonell. When asked why he came to Queretaro he answered, "To isolate myself." The creative act requires solitude at times. I'd guess he also wanted to isolate himself from the madness of the artworld.
In the US the artworld has two paths, and that's it. There is the world of commercial galleries. The market dictates, so the artist doesn't have control. The other world is that of the avant garde, which is supported by museums, universities and the government. In that world fashion dictates, so the artist doesn't have control.
Here it seems more open. That is to say — there are more possibilities, more freedom.
The first time I came to Mexico, I went to DF. I felt the city contained everything good and everything bad, humanity in it's entirety, without masks. An artist needs to see life unmasked, without lies. Here in Mexico, people don't hide from death, but they don't hide from life either. In the States, everything is hidden. The bad wears a mask and the good doesn't have room to breathe, trapped inside of so many categories, so much uniformity of thought.
I saw all this and it gave me hope. In spite of the problems, what is good is very apparent here.
I see more stars in the sky here. There is more music in my life, more love. What is more important? Life and art need the same nourishment.
Now I live in a country that has never exported violence. I like it.
Portal Alamos: Have you exhibited much?
Daan Hoekstra: I started exhibiting in 1979 and won an honorable mention in a national contest--the Scholastic Art Awards. Since then, I've done 1 or 2 or 3 group exhibitions each year, until 1999, when I had my first solo exhibition. I was focused on murals. Exhibiting easel paintings wasn't a priority.
In Mexico, I started to exhibit more. From 2001 to 2006, I've done 5 solo exhibitions, and something like 15-20 group exhibitions.
Portal Alamos: Where do you exhibit now?
Daan Hoekstra: Here, in the galleries of Alamos, and in Atenea Gallery in San Miguel de Allende.
Portal Alamos: What's next for you?
Daan Hoekstra: I'm planning to start a series of fresco painting workshops with a friend. I'll probably have some more mural work. I'm anxious to get back to the studio and focus on my personal creative work. I'm dreaming of a week at the beach.
Ancient Arcana for Naturalist Painters (4/13/2006)
Just how old is the idea that creation involves the reconcilliation of apparent opposites?
"The Pythagoreans, whose sentiment Plato often adopts, therefore define music as a perfect union of contrary things: unity in multiplicity, accord in discord. For music does not only coordinate rhythm and modulation, but puts order into the whole system; its end is to unite and coordinate, and God is also the orderer of discordant things, and His greatest work is to concilliate among themselves, by the laws of music and medicine, things which are hostile to one another."
— Theon of Smyrna, 1st century AD, Exposition 5, quoted in The Lindisfarne Letter 14, Homage to Pythagoras.
"Zeus, when about to create, changed himself into Love: for in composing the order of the world out of the contraries, he brought it to concord and friendship, and in all things he set the seed of identity and the unity that pervades everything."
— Pherecydes of Syros, 6th century BC, thought to be the teacher of Pythagoras, quoted by C. Bamford, introduction of Nature Word, by R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz.
"Art is Nature passed through the alembic of Man" — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The arts are the salt of the earth; as salt relates to food, the arts relate to technology." ---Goethe
"Science demands that phenomena be observed with the unemotional accuracy of a weighing machine, while artistic accuracy demands that things be observed by a sentient individual recording the sensations produced in him by the phenomenon of life." — Harold Speed
"The Great Manuscript of Design which everywhere we descry, on the wings of birds, on the shells of eggs, in clouds, in snow, in crystal, in rock formations, in frozen water, within and upon mountains, in plants, in beasts, in men, in the light of day..." — Novalis
"Knowledge is not by deduction, but Immediate by perception of sense at once." — William Blake
"In every object there is inexhaustible meaning: the eye sees in it what the eye brings means of seeing." — Goethe
"The masterpieces of man were brought forth in obedience to the same laws as the masterpieces of Nature." ---Goethe
"Art imitates nature, but only in the way that nature works."---Aristotle
"Colors are the deeds of light, her deeds and sufferings."---Goethe
"What do you think of the world? You, the prism, measure the light of the world; it burns through your mind to throw a different spectroscopic reading onto white paper than anyone else anywhere can throw. Let the world burn through you." — Ray Bradbury, The Zen of Writing
"Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things."---Edgar Degas
"We must draw our standards form the natural world, admitting there is something in the order of being that evidently exceeds all our competence" — Vaclav Havel
"The scientist's religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection."---Albert Einstein
"After fifteen minutes nobody looks at a rainbow." ---Goethe
"Inspiration is in seeing a part of the whole with the part of the whole in you."---Kahlil Gibran
"The continuation of modernity threatens the very survival of life on our planet" — David Ray Griffin, Center for a Postmodern World
"The ancients have stolen all our best ideas." — Mark Twain
"Art arises when the secret vison of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes."---Kahlil Gibran
"Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago."--Goethe
"Every artist who aims truly to represent the ideas and emotions which come to him when he is in the presence of nature, is in the process of his own spiritual development and is a benefactor of his race." — George Inness
"Few men have imagination enough for reality"---Goethe
"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."--Oscar Wilde
"Nature is my God. The Old Masters are my Guide." — Odd Nerdrum
"He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living hand to mouth." — Goethe
First blog entry, re: the frustration of website constuction (4/10/2006)
Mayo Deer Dancer
Man....this website construction is frustrating. It makes me want to....scream. Uploaded some interesting images today, like this one, of the Mayo Deer Dance.
