Petrus Spronk
Some notes which I presented as the judge of his year’s 2024 Annual Rotary Art Exhibition.
Paint for the love of it and forget about any prize winning because it has nothing whatsoever to do with art.
If you ever wanted to paint, visit the 2024 Daylesford Rotary Art Exhibition, go home inspired, pick up a brush, dip it into the paint and allow it to dance over your canvas, the dance of life, the only dance there is.
Then, something different which you may not know – there is no artwork in this exhibition. But I will return to this thought a little later. Let me instead tell you that you don’t have to know anything about art to enjoy this show. The works are so varied that I feel there is something for everyone to be inspired by. However, the more you have studied, and participated, in “art” activities, the richer the experience of viewing art is likely to be.
Knowing the language is also helpful because it earns you a way into art’s domain. Let me now tell you what I overheard a few moments ago. Because THAT is not the language of art, although many, if not most, use it as such. Standing in front of a painting, person one to person two: “I don’t like this”. To which person two replied: “I just love it”. At that moment two shutters fell across both of their eyes. Judgements were expressed. And, as with all judgements, there is something final about them. And as a result it was the end of any possibility of learning about the work. The point when viewing art is to communicate with the work. No one gives a shit whether you like it or not.
We are here to celebrate the the annual Rotary Art Exhibition and it is important that we keep these events alive to remind both the artists and you, the audience, of the importance of art in our daily lives. Consider this, and then imagine the alternative –a life without art and poetry. I mean the art and poetry of everything. Imagine therefore doing without the art of sculpture, the art of architecture, the art of dance, but also the art of cooking and the art of gardening, etc. Without the art, without the spirit, all these activities would be dead. This means, they would not inspire, they would not excite, they would not enrich. Art, like science, is important because it inspires both exploration and greatness in all fields of human endeavour.
The artists, for whom I speak, plays, and through their play with ideas and materials, occasionally comes up with a revelation, a beautiful idea, an exquisite object, an inspiring dance, a great building and intriguing story or a moving poem.
The artist and the poet explore and share the possibilities of magic in an otherwise ordinary world. They show, in one way or another, that there is always another way. The artist and the poet are needed in our community because they teach us the importance of play in the process of learning. They remind us of something as simple, but relevant, as our childhood, when there was much magic, much play and much learning. The magic found in experiencing things for the very first time.
This is what artist and poets do – they awaken in us a sense of wonder, which is the driver of a creative life. They take us on a journey, a special journey in a world where we are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.
Any art material has at its core the potential for magic, and the job of the artist is to expose that magic, whether it is in the creation of a garden, an interior, a loaf of bread, or the objects of today’s consideration, and the artist’s soul work, art making.
And now the final notes for the artists, and here the non-artist is also welcome to listen in. We have come to the sticky question of why I think there are no artworks in this room.
Simple really. First of all I made that statement to get your attention, and secondly, because it is true. But let me explain. The magic of any artwork, and here I do not mean the physical objects, but the actual art work, which is the mental and physical activity of the artist in his or her studio. That is the art work. That is where it is at, wherever that studio manifest. In the studio, which in turn is everywhere, the artist practices his or her skills. So, if the artist walks into the forest and starts making an artwork then that is where the studio is. And what we have here, in the exhibition, are not artworks, but to be precise, they are the results of the artwork. I am sure the artists know what I mean.
Not wanting to become a bore, I’ll finish my deliberations and declare the exhibition colourful.
Thank you for your attention
Petrus Spronk is a local author and artist who contributes a monthly column to The Wombat Post.
