Robert Genn's Twice Weekly Letter
Insight and inspiration for your artistic career.

Dear Artist,

In his recent book, America Alone, Mark Steyn makes frequent mention of "deferred adulthood." While mainly taking place in Europe, this is where young people in their twenties and thirties are choosing to stay in their folks' homes and sidestep responsibilities, including marriage and childbearing. They live on the welfare of parents or state, indulge themselves in frivolous, self-gratifying activities, seldom negotiate life improvements, and essentially sleep in. While Steyn is looking at the political ramifications of the phenomenon, it holds implications for the creative life.

The situation may not be helped by people like me who are always trying to get folks to access their inner child and see the world and their work "baby-eyes new." Many Western art schools promote the same sorts of concepts. It's our times. "It takes a lifetime to become a child," said Picasso.

Last weekend, twenty-five senior members of the Federation of Canadian Artists juried new applicants to various levels of status. The slides rolled by, and the original work of each artist was paraded before us. We privately marked our ballots "in" or "out." The work ranged from goofy to gorgeous, conservative and stodgy to fiercely modern. While many jurors were eager to see new visions triumph, when the ballots were counted mostly the work with old-fashioned technical superiority was honoured. While jurors may crave freshness, the frequent appearance of glibness and childlike, immature concepts as well as technical laziness didn't cut it like it used to.

Call us jurors a bunch of fogeys, but we are indeed arbiters of what gets shown in galleries. Partly because of sleeping in, civilization may be going to hell in a conservative hand-basket. There's a pile of younger, smarter people who seem to have dropped out of the creative race. We'd love to see them trying, but they're busy with other priorities. We wouldn't like to see a time when only older, establishment painters get all the action. Graying societies are declining societies--they lack the chutzpah for re-growth and rebirth. The game is totally worth playing. As Steyn pessimistically says, "Otherwise, it's the end of the world as we know it."

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "We know what we are, but know not what we may be." (William Shakespeare)

Esoterica: Jurors are not allowed to gasp, moan, groan or enthuse while jurying. Secretly, I often wish we could. Many of these aspiring artists need to know that the greater world is more important than our fusty chambers. New stuff needs to be energetically run up the flag pole to see if anyone salutes. Young people need to know that they must always be putting themselves forward, that it's worthwhile getting up. "We do not always get what we deserve, but we often get what we negotiate." (Gary Karrass)

If you would like to read more information related to the above letter please visit the Deferred adulthood clickback


* SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES* : www.PaintersKeys.com