Painting workshops Tuscany Italy

An image from Instagram. Above Marcel Duchamp at the Walker Art Center. Photo by Eric Sutherland.

Marcel Duchamp and social labelling

Just watched a fascinating YouTube video-clip of Marcel Duchamp being interviewed in 1968 by BBC journalist Joan Bakewell. It was indeed a true pleasure to listen to the one who paved the way for pop art, conceptual art and many forms of contemporary art.

Toward the end of the interview, Duchamp discusses about his vision of art as a means of expression accessible to everyone. He says that conventional norms defining what an artist is, have led to the creation of an artificial and very limited group. But, since one of the etymological definitions of art is “to do” and everyone does things, he concludes that everyone is an artist, but simply does not sell any works. Then he links this idea to Dada’s famous declaration “art is dead” in the sense that instead of  being the privilege of a few who comply with pre-established criteria, art is universal; it is a human element present in everyone’s life, so that every person is in fact an artist. Unfortunately, society encourages specialization and categorization, so that we all end up with arbitrary identity labels that limit our potential as human beings. How many times we hear people claiming that they have no creative abilities, simply because they have fallen in discriminatory traps imposed by the social order. Though, during our painting workshops in Tuscany and Provence we have met medical doctors, engineers, government officers, CEOs, etc. who have discovered the joy of art making and have been able to make it part of their daily lives.

Interestingly, the idea of everyone’s capacity to produce art is certainly being promoted through social media tools via sophisticated photo and video apps. With the use of selfies, social media users can create new identities and play different roles, capturing moments of performance art pieces. How easy it is today to become a film-maker with so many video apps. As for the so popular food images that flood social networks, they make us think of ready-mades (food and prepared dishes) converted into photos of sculptures and installations.  Undoubtedly, Duchamp’s influence is still very alive through the use of smartphones and tablets.

Next March in New York City, we will have the opportunity to see two major retrospectives of artists deeply rooted into Duchamp. First, at the MoMa, Marcel Broothaers (Belgian, 1924-1976) and among others, his most ambitious project, Museum of Modern Art, Department of Eagles, a conceptual museum created between 1968 and 1971. Second, at the Guggenheim, three decades of collaboration between the Swiss artists Peter Fischli (b. 1952) and David Weiss (1946–2012) who rethought the concept of the readymade through hyper-real simulated objects. For more information on New York Art Trip 2016 (March 10-13), please visit our website at: https://walkthearts.com/_art_tours/art_tour_new_york.shtml

 

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Who are we?

We all make art! It is part of culture. It is deeply rooted in human nature as a way of communicating with others. We all need to tell our stories because it is stories that link us all. We are all one, one creative mind! Though, all unique and equipped with unique ways of expressing ourselves. We live in constant search of that unique liberating voice. At Walk the Arts we aim to facilitate our art makers to explore new territories. Our painting classes and art history trips on three continents are meant to be rounded art experiences among small groups of like-minded adults. We offer an environment that fosters creativity. As we always say, art as religion is just a matter of faith. This blog is about living fully the experience of art, about finding our single artistic path, about the joy of art-making. We believe that making art accessible to all will lead to a betterment of our society.

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“Re-situating” myself

 

Alone in your studio, guided by your intuition, stop, sit down, with your notes in hand, your mindmap on the wall, to gather a feel for the next avenues. I suggest you take a few days to write down a first draft of an artistic statement. It will put some order into your thoughts so as to better clarify them. Be warned, however, that this will not be your final statement, as others will follow.
Set parameters: no more than 500 words, write a seductive title, an incipit (very first line) that hooks; write in the active form. Watch out for repetition and tautology! The more honest you are with yourself, the easier it will be to write this text. The more you hesitate to let go with your art, the harder it will be.

Gray a Philosophical “Color”

 

“Over the past 40 years, I’ve seen students in the process of transitioning from saturated colors to grayed ones, a sign of serious questioning about painting. As a beginner, we shy away from mixing colors, and the more we progress in our creative practice, the more daring we become. That’s life! When we’re children, we only see saturated colors, and as we get older, gray takes over. Adults realize that gray is everywhere. “The color of truth is gray” wrote the French author André Gide.”

We can face Artificial Intelligence

 

How many times were we tempted to fall into the trap of mainly teaching painting techniques now all available on the Net? Just type “How to paint an Italian Landscape” and … two million plus videos jump onto your computer screen.

A First History of NFTs

 

“I think the reason […] I’ve chosen the career that I have is because artists are always the seers or the truth tellers. They show us the way forward”. Nora Burnett Abrams, The Story of NFTs, Artists, Technology, and Democracy. P. 53

The World of NFTs!

 

I had to know if NFT art is and will be a fad or not. In Canada’s national capital (Ottawa) art world, I kept hearing that it is not going to last, it’s all smoke and mirrors, ya-ya-ya, etc. So, I entered the Palazzo Strozzi with an open mind. I saw the works, I read everything on the walls, and I came out of the exhibition thinking “It is here to stay.” From that moment, on la Via de’ Tomabuoni, I felt compelled as an art historian and art educator to embrace this new reality. Didn’t we do it for Pop Art and Conceptual Art in the late ’50s and ‘60s?

My painting workshop in Tuscany

 

Already a month since my return from a fun-filled art-learning experience in Tuscany, Italy! The workshop went far beyond what I even imagined, or hoped it would be. The roughly eight hours per day for most days of art instruction gave me a new perspective on my art: where I was and where I wanted to be, the past and the future. But, together as a group, we were living in the present.

“Perseverance” is the key to all successful artists

 

Perseverance is the key to all successful artists.

I always ask my painting students to memorize … “Until then, we will not rest or falter. Hand in hand with others thirsting for a better life, no matter how long it takes, regardless of support or persecution, we will joyfully respond to a savage need for liberation”.

Studio Italia, a painting vacation with…

 

If our art workshops focused mostly on painting techniques, then why traveling to Italy and spending money when you could stay at home and learn everything you need through the Internet for free?

Art and Neurosciences

 

When a subject becomes familiar, the brain activity shuts down like when viewing a lovely chickadee painting…

Can we talk about the neuroscience of art? This is the question that French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux addresses in his beautiful book The Beauty in the Brain or La Beauté dans le Cerveau (Odile Jacob, 2016). Prof. Changeux describes how the human brain behaves when making or contemplating a work of art. To make a long story short, he argues that the neural bases of aesthetic pleasure are the product of the link between cognitive and emotional brain functions, in other words, the harmony between reason and emotion. Moreover, he gives some tips on how artists can maximize the impact of their works on their audience.

Evolving in art is just a matter of faith; only believe!

 

We refrain from teaching painting techniques easily found on the Net. We prefer taking the necessary time (36 hours) to fully involve the participant in reflecting on her or his art — including all levels, all media […]
Rest assured that having attended one of our online classes, you will be more confident in taming the landscape in your own way while on a plein-air painting workshop.

Let Go! The Artist’s Way of Cooking


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Ten years ago, here in Tuscany, we decided to write a recipe book but with so many good cookbooks in the market, we needed to propose a new idea. We had to find a modus operandi close to who we are and what we do as visual artists. The answer was in front of us and painting gave it to us: art and color!

Travelling with meaning : a painting workshop in Italy

 

More and more travellers from the developed world are looking for meaningful travels. We are aiming for journeys that allow us to learn something new, to deepen our culture, to enhance our lives. Purpose, inspiration and self-discovery are now vital elements in our traveling choices. Probably, this is why our quality painting workshops offered since 1997, have become more and more popular.

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