21/3/2020 How to Turn Fear Into Strength as an Artist | Canvas by New Masters Academy

How To Turn Fear Into Strength As An

Artist
Posted On March 20, 2020

As COVID-19 evolves and we find ourselves facing an unprecedented moment in

time, we all have to learn to look within.
As a painter, tattooer, adjunct professor, and art journalist, the pandemic has me
thinking about the significance of art and creativity amidst all my fears. Tattoo shops
are closed for business in my area. The university I teach at has resorted to remote
teaching until the fall semester of 2020. Things changed so quickly, but one thing
never does: I am an artist.

After I calmed myself and stopped obsessing over every new bit of news, I started
contemplating my art book selection. Reading about what art, beauty, sublimity, and
tragedy mean for the greatest thinkers of our known history is incredibly strengthening.

“Arthur Schopenhauer” 1859 by

Johann Schäfer. Photograph,
Frankfurt am Main University
Library. (Public Domain).

As part of my studies, I have to read the writings of a German philosopher named

Arthur Schopenhauer. My understanding is that Schopenhauer has a pessimistic view
of existence and that our desire to self-preserve produces our sufferings. However, art,
he claims, becomes a way for us to think about the eternal. It provides solace from the
suffering caused by our desires. He thinks art is one of the only things that can give us
momentary relief from our pain.

In history, painted altarpieces often served as comforting images for people suffering
from illness. The Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald is an exceptionally
beautiful example of a devotional work of art that served this purpose. It was the
central object on display for a hospital created by the Brothers of St. Anthony. St.
Anthony was the patron saint of those suffering from skin diseases. Those sufferers in
the hospital could see the suffering of St. Anthony on the altarpiece and know that
they were not alone in their pain.

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“Isenheim Altarpiece (Second Position)” 1512-1516 by Matthias Grünewald. Oil on

Panel, 105.9 × 120.8 inches. Unterlinden Museum, France. (Public Domain)

Other examples made for the purpose of spiritual contemplation through images are
the incredible altarpiece by Peter Paul Rubens’s “Christ Appointing Saint Roch as
Patron Saint of Plague Victims,” and Anthony Van Dyck’s “Saint Rosalie Interceding
for the Plague-stricken of Palermo.” The patron saint depicted in an image was
believed to act on behalf of his or her believers. This is an instance in which a work of
art served as a catalyst for one’s spiritual beliefs in a time of hardship.

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“Christ Appointing Saint Roch as Patron Saint of Plague Victims,” circa 1623–
1626, by Peter Paul Rubens. Oil on canvas. St. Martin’s Church in Aalst,
Belgium. (Public Domain)

Looking at beautiful art images always calms me down and gives me peace, even if
they’re not necessarily devotional. Though the coronavirus limits my access to view art
in person, I can still view art in books or on electronic devices like my laptop or phone.
I personally love artists like William Bouguereau and Jean Leon Gerome for their
compositions and their ability to depict the human spirit in expression and painting
techniques. The subtle purples and yellows in Bouguereau’s flesh tones always excite
the artist in me, and the crisp forms and sparkling color of Gerome inspire me.

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“The Slave Market.” 1871 by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Oil on Canvas, 29 1/2 x 23 1/2
inches. Cincinnati Art Museum.

Traditional art, done with exceptional mastery works in an uplifting way as we admire
the greatness and beauty. The Daily Mail reported on a study that recorded longer
looking times for traditional art as opposed to contemporary art in museums.

I will be using some of my free time over the next several weeks to take my time and
really look closely at traditional art that I enjoy, to zoom in and ask, “how did the artist
accomplish this form or these colors?” To zoom out and ask, “why did the artist
compose the elements this way?”

Doing more than looking at art and getting into the creative process yourself is the
best you can do during times of solitude. According to an article entitled “The Healing
Power of Art,” published by Harvard Medical School, “Studies have shown that
expressing themselves through art can help people with depression, anxiety, or
cancer. And doing so has been linked to improved memory, reasoning, and resilience
in healthy older people. Recent research suggests that to stave off cognitive decline,
doing creative activities may be more effective than merely appreciating creative
works.”

Looking at art is only part of the process for me. I love making art. Something in me
stirs when I put pencil to paper or brush to canvas. So during this period of potential

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isolation, I ask myself what creative activities can I do?

The sketchbook is an essential item for any artist. 20th-century illustrator, Howard
Pyle, for instance, would do fifty sketches for a single illustration and stated, “If the first
sketch looks like the one I want to do, to make sure—I always make the other forty-
nine anyway.” Sketching is essential for exploring and developing ideas. New Masters
Academy has several courses on sketchbooks and sketching, including
“Watercolor/Gouache Sketchbooks” with Steve Huston and “ Sketching on Location”
with Glenn Vilppu.

Preliminary sketches for The Coming of Lancaster” 1908 by Howard Pyle.

There is also the power of writing in a notebook, diary, or journal. Leonardo Da

Vinci kept notebooks and wrote an average of three pages a day from the age of 26 to
the age of 67. He pursued mastery and fame with the ideas in his notebooks and
stated: “I intend to leave a memory of myself in the mind of others.”

Another of Leonardo’s quotes sits heavy with me. On his deathbed, Leonardo said, “I
have offended God and mankind because my work didn’t reach the quality it should
have.” This is a solemn reminder to use my time wisely and work with sincerity and
authenticity toward the realization of my artistic pursuits. The art I create is not only
about me or for me but is also for the people around me. In all honesty, why else make
art if not to share it?

Eugene Delacroix also held a journal in which he discussed aspects of his daily life
along with artistic musings. On beauty, he states, “Of which beauty will you speak?
There are many: there are a thousand: there is one for every look, for every spirit,
adapted to each taste, to each particular constitution.” This is a perfect opportunity to
explore what I understand beauty to be in my own personal journal. Maybe, if I’m
honest and open enough with myself, I’ll find that my understanding of beauty isn’t as
absolute as I may have once thought.

This crisis makes us feel more isolated from one another, but we are in this together.
Though I can’t determine how this pandemic will affect me physically, I can choose
how I will react to it spiritually and emotionally. I will continue to read, study, make and
share art with a positive attitude.

I will read the philosophical inquiries into the nature of beauty and its effects on
subjectivity; I will consider the power of viewing art from both technical and spiritual
standpoints; I will draw out ideas for later work in a sketchbook, and write ideas and
poetry in a notebook or journal. Schopenhauer is on to something when he suggests
that art provides a way for us to transcend our sufferings.

GEROME , HOWARD PYLE , M AT T H I A S GRÜNEWALD , PETER PA U L R U B E N S SHARE

AUTHOR

Eric Bess

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21/3/2020 How to Turn Fear Into Strength as an Artist | Canvas by New Masters Academy
Eric Bess is an art professor at Wittenberg University, a Phd
candidate in art theory at the Institute For Doctoral Studies In the
Visual Arts (IDSVA), a professional oil painter and a tattoo
apprentice.

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