Two paint tubes, two brushes | 15 x 20 cm | oil on canvas | ©2011 Julie Galante | available on Etsy
Last night I dreamed I was interviewing for something art-related. The interviewer (a stern older man) asked me what artists influenced me. I struggled to answer this, tossing out the first names of artists that came to my head, even though they weren’t amongst my favorites, and in some cases I couldn’t picture their work at all. At one point I kept saying “Peter Fischli and David Weiss” over and over, even though I knew it was the wrong answer. Then I finally stumbled onto a better answer: Giorgio de Chirico. I started describing his work and what parts appealed to me. (Oh yeah, and this was all in German, and I didn’t know the German word for “mannequin” but the interviewer corrected me, but now I forget what he told me the word was. I wonder if it was the right one.)
The interviewers seemed pleased with my answer, and told me it was good that I had stopped telling them what I thought they wanted to hear. I thought that was odd, given that my earlier attempts to name my influential artists were bad not because I wanted to tell them what they wanted to hear, but rather because I couldn’t think of anyone else.
At least I wasn’t naked.
So, does my subconscious think the art world wants me to be more like Fischli and Weiss, when really I want to be more like De Chirico? Yeah, that sounds about right.
Artists: What artists do you list amongst your influences? And do you have weird stressful art world dreams, or am I the only one?
Visiting from Creative Everyday ~ hope you will come visit my blogs listed there ( Share the Creative Journey and A Creative Harbor) ~ I love the arts and artists and right now am drawing from the Spirit within me to create ~ thanx ~ Carol
That is a stressful art dream! I’ve had stressful ones too, where I’m suppose to be a paid pro at it and can’t do more than a scribble like a 2 year old. Talk about pressure! Told me what I thought I should be and what I felt I really was. Thankfully I know I’m not quite that bad, I’m new at it so I need to give myself permission to not be “great” at this point.
Lovely painting…I like how the tubes look really squished like they are in real life, and how you used all sorts of colours in the paint brushes.
Thanks, B. Glad to hear I’m not alone. 🙂 I thought I had left stress dreams behind when I quit my finance job.
what an interesting dream….is it something about snobbism in art?…right answers and wrong answers in art? pas possible!
i love this painting.
one of my favorite artists is in oakland. she went to the school i went to.
http://www.squeakcarnwath.com/
Oh, the snobbism. What would the world look like without art snobbism?
Thanks for the link, JoAnne. I love checking out new artists (especially now that all the ones I’ve heard of are dropping dead).
I wish I could say I know each of the artists you mentioned, but I am clueless. I do like the artwork at the top of this post, though.
Jo
I definitely have stress dreams at times, but not necessarily art related. Some of my favorite artists are my step-grandmother (very bright and vibrant colors), Hugo Simberg and Keith Herring, among others. Different I know, but each one speaks to me in a different way.
(ICLW)