My band, the Hazel Hill String Band, played a concert last night. During the course of the performance I messed up the opening riff and several other riffs as well. Nevertheless EVERYbody seemed to have a good time. We got tons of compliments. By the end of the evening we even sold several disks. Mistakes notwithstanding.
I asked my friend Robert Fuchs, an international level composer and pianist, if concert pianists make mistakes. He said, “Even Horowitz makes mistakes”. He went on, “A professional knows how to HIDE his mistakes.”
Picasso used to use plate imperfections or other “mistakes” as the point from which to draw beautiful portraits (I saw one like this at the Israel Museum a while back).
In HighTech they say, “It’s not a bug, it’s a FEATURE.”
The Best Laid Plans…
It’s my observation that despite planning, the unplanned happens. I’m by no means disparaging planning, which in many was is the sum and substance of the process of Art. But I think it’s useful to use those “mistakes”.
This could be an “Emperor’s New Clothes” situation, however. In my first art class in High School we had an interim critique of sorts. Each student had to describe the project he was working on. One cheerful fellow said as he held up a block of wood that he was carving, “It’s going to be a ballerina, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s going to be abstract.”
I doubt Horowitz or Picasso ever said this kind of thing. But using mistakes is another matter. Sometimes I stop in the middle and take a fresh look and I see things happening that I hadn’t planned. This has been very useful at times. I used to tell my clients and students, “If you build the system right, all the little things turn out right as well.” This is very important in Etching where process is so very important.
Taking What the Process is Giving
In etching it’s recognizing the developments throughout the process that inform the discussion. I read in Vasari once of an artist who was technically correct in every detail, but his work was dead. Whereas Reubens might have drawn figures with disproportionate limbs but his work flowed with LIFE! (I think this was the subject of a poem by Browning or somesuch, but I’m not sure…it’s been a while). I’ve had this happen to me on occasion, and it is so much fun. Things happen that are fortunately beyond my control. Like getting stuff for FREE!
Anyway, letting the “mistakes” live. I think that’s a Very Good Idea.
nice insights.
Comment by Robert Arches — November 25, 2009 @ 6:59 pm
Why, Thank you, Robert.
That’s a pretty nice insight as well.
Comment by Joshua — November 25, 2009 @ 9:10 pm