The Silence of the Paper: Embodiment of ‘Artistic Personality’ in the Process of Art-making.

by Natalie Dekel.

How artists embody their distinct personality, emotions and experiences, in the process of making an art work? The literature in art does not sufficiently discuss this point, where the literature often refers to the final product from which views about the artist are deduced, or it discusses the views of artists on their work as an afterthought. Either way, the actual process of making art in which an artist ‘recreates’ his identity, as I would define it, and embodies part of himself through the process, are not often discussed.

For my MPhil research I have been documenting my personal insights and experiences during the process of creating art works (paintings, drawings and animation films), and have also engaged in interviewing artists about their creative processes. By separating the art-making process into its elements of line and colour, this article explores the meanings and the implications of each.

I will demonstrate how line acts as a personification and evolution of the artists’ thoughts, and how colour builds up emotional layers. Continue… (opens a PDF file).

3 August 2010.
Natalie Dekel.