Art Book Club: Hawthrone On Painting
Hawthrone On Painting
by Charles Webster Hawthorne
★★★★★
Image from Wikipedia By Charles Webster Hawthorne - http://pictify.com/97735/charles-webster-hawthorne-lady-in-red, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23434725
The first time I read this book I was at an artist residency put on by the Jerusalem Studio School. I was a very novice painter at the time, a few years out from art school, and suffering greatly in a lack of technical understanding. Reading this book made all the things I had heard from teachers of the past actually absorb into my painting practice.
One of the first quotes of the book I love is something I think about often in my work. “Beauty in art is the delicious notes of color one against the other.” This book is consistently talking about how we mustn’t paint things, but their tonal values instead. That sentiment comes not from the face in the portrait, but in the way spots of color come together. I feel this deeply describes abstract art as well.
“The vision of the artist is the vision to see and the ability to tell the world something that it unconsciously thinks about nature. Everyone knows what a man looks like, or a tree or a house, but it is our job to tell the world something about these things that it has not known before, some impression that we alone have received. Art is a personal commentary on nature- the more humble, the greater the personality of the artist, the finer the work. ”
By Unidentified photographer Charles Hawthorne teaching a class - http://photography.si.edu/SearchImage.aspx?id=5440, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5155327
It’s been 7 years since I last read this book and it hits differently now that I have more miles of canvas behind me. Rereading it feels like nostalgia and the urgency to learn is like a fire in my hands. This book talks to the student artist in the best way, the advice is clear and no-nonsense. Here’s some of my favorite advice from the book that I often consider during my art practice:
Make more starts. This means not spending too long on one painting trying to get it right for hours. Do smaller, quicker paintings with big brushes. If it doesnt feel right after 20 min, move on.
Stop drawing. If you get the colors right, the shapes of what you are painting will emerge quickly.
Be humble. Ask for critiques often and implement those changes. Paint like a student, always searching for more learning.
Hawthorne on Painting is a gem of a book for any painter. This book is designed to be opened at any page and get some immediate advice on your work. It’s great for the landscape artist, portrait painter, and abstract maker. Highly recommend this book! Five stars.
p.s. During this reread I found an exercise that I’m eager to try: getting still life objects and painting them outside. I’ll update this post when I do it!
Next book and watching the Art Book Club live:
Want to listen to The Art Book Club (#theabc) live on Twitch? Come by on Second Sundays at 3pm Pacific! I usually have a few guest artists chatting with me on the stream who have read the book with me :D See you there~
Takedown: Art and Power in the Digital Age
We will be discussing this book for the July #theabc meeting!