“Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I see before me, I make more arbitary use of colour to express myself more forcefully … To express the love of two lovers by the marriage of two complementary colours … To express the thought of a brow by the radiance of a light tone against a dark background. To express hope by some star. Someone’s passion by the radiance of the setting sun.” ~Vincent van Gogh
When I first started painting, I had no clue where to begin or what to do. I got myself a learning kit and attempted my first oil painting session. Needless to say, the first painting was a disaster. The colors got all mixed and messed up. Looked at the painting, I couldn’t figure out what was what. My husband quipped he could spot a mountain out there and a couple of trees out here…and congratulated me on my efforts!
Painting is an art, and some of us in the world are gifted indeed! What I soon discovered (for myself) is that there is a science behind painting, like everything else in this universe. Once you understand the science and practice the science, it doesn’t take longer for it to become an art. After all, art is nothing but science mastered with a blend of personal creativity and unique expression!
A good analogy is learning to drive a car. I remember those days when I was learning to drive. Four gears. Three mirrors. Steering wheel. Speedometer. Accelerator. Brake. Clutch. I had to remember and follow the driving steps /guidelines and the state/country traffic laws, be wary of the policeman and the maddening traffic around, watch out for those huge trucks – and it’s a miracle I even learned how to drive!
I was sure when I began that there was no way I could master the required coordination and smooth flow. I remember many embarrassing moments. The most embarrassing was when my car refused to budge at a signal because I had forgotten to change the gear. Traffic came to a standstill. Cars honked all over and people glared at me! Some kind souls offered to help … adding to my chagrin! If only there were a dark hole somewhere, I would have happily crawled into it! In retrospect, however, it seems like a whole lot of fun – guess it’s the devil in me deriving some mean satisfaction:)
The day finally comes when science of driving leads to the art of driving. You are honking at hapless learners, you are no longer bothered by the traffic or the demonic trucks, you ignore the policemen lurking around corners, you listen to tapes/CDs, you chat on the cell with one hand on the steering, you talk animatedly with your friends or argue with your spouse, you participate in phone meetings …
Ok. Let’s digress no further. Coming back to painting, even though it is an art, there’s a whole lot of science behind it. It’s a play of light, darkness or absence of light, color and forms. Contrasts and shadows. White and black. Primary colors. Secondary colors. Tertiary colors. The visible and invisible spectrums of light.
Observation and study builds the science, practice and patience brings out the art. The more I painted, the keener my observation became. I looked at the world like never before. I would admire the contours, the lighted areas, the shadows and the multitude of colors all around. How the light and shadows created the three-dimensional aspect. Flowers. Leaves. Trees. Animals. Birds. Water. Rivers. Rain. Snow. Hills. People. Faces. My husband’s face became a favorite study:)
When I looked out of the windows, I would observe the play of light and shadows during different times. Day vs night. Sunlight vs moonlight. Dawn vs dusk. Clear vs cloudy skies. New moon vs full moon nights. Changing seasons.
I was drawn deeper into nature and the beauty and perfection around. It was breathtaking and mesmerizing. I was in awe and admiration the Creator. I felt a deep respect and reverence for the Divine as I perceived the Divine all around me in myriads of manifestations – forms and formless, animate and inanimate.
And for the first time, when I looked at my own self, I looked with new eyes, the eyes of the Divine and I saw the Divine dancing in me…
Take a moment and look at the world around you…look deep and you’ll see the Divine Creator behind everything…take a look at yourself and see the same Divine dancing within you…
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Success & Self-Mastery Coach Prasanna Gunturi publishes the ‘The Energy Perpective’ weekly ezine. If you’re ready to live and lead your life energetically and successfully always and in all ways, get your free tips now at http://www.energysoulutionsallways.com/.
Hi
There was a big debate going on whether a lot of topics such a management, learning a car, learning a new skill…. is Art or Science. Well science explains the procedures and insists on following them precisely. It is scientific so the results are repetitive as long as the procedures are followed. I feel it is the Human element that makes everthing an Art. Well the Human element makes repetition and consistency a bit difficult.
Vivek
Thank you Vivek for your comment. Agree with you. There’s no absolute science or absolute art. When art is broken down into simpler steps it becomes science. And when science is followed repetitively, after a time it becomes an art. They are inseperable!
Science by itself can become mundane, killing creativity. Almost all corporates have an innovation center or encourage creativity and imagination in their employees these days – because without creativity and intuition – there’s only so far science can take us all. I love Albert Einstein’s famous quote “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” What is not common knowledge is that many of greatest scientisits, management or leadership gurus etc who have come forward with groundbreaking theories or solutions have surely used their intuition/creativity – they have certailnly tapped into the Divine Creativity or Infinite Wisdom or Collective Consciousness (as used by Carl Jung – the famous pyschologist) or Divine Mind (as used by Max Planck) etc.