Past and Present
A good friend once wondered if I was too much of an engineer to be great artist. What he was referencing was my background and experience in precision manufacturing. I processed my art like I processed “parts” in the factory…to a tolerance…symmetrical…even measurable. This friend made a life in fine art and craft restorations, and he showed me, often, how foolish we had become in our quest for precision and measurability when compared to the masters from the past.
We might find it hard to argue the necessity of constancy and repeatability in our current world of mass produced sameness…but the arts have never much reveled in the rhythm of the machine. Instead, its freedom exist best when the brain is allowed to find its expression through the hands. William Rush sought expression over symmetry in his sculptures; and Stradivari, sound over perfectly matching volutes when building violins. But each was a master of their craft.
When I went back to school to study history…I studied history much like an engineer. I wanted to understand the preciseness of how history is researched, contemplated and written about. And through this I hoped to learn to resist the lassitude of seeing history through the lens of our times….and instead…using our times, to better write a story of those times.
Restorations are not an all or nothing activity. Restorations are a nuanced use of skill, knowledge, and expressions of craft and art.
