Comments on: How much influence is too much?

By: Steve Durbin

Steve Durbin — Mon, 28 May 2007 13:27:06 +0000

For more on Paul Butzi’s perspective, you may be interested in a description he wrote of his artistic process, emphasizing direct grappling with, in this case, the reality he finds on a beach. As a result of spending time and photographing there, he has “gotten a better, deeper understanding because the process of photography made me *need* to understand it.”

Although Paul rejects some aspects of contemporary culture, he does enable his understanding to become part of the wider culture when the photographs are shown. Like Piet Mondrian and Wynn Bullock, whom he cites (as influences on his thinking, not necesarily his art), what he wants is “for you to feel that flash of recognition when you looked at their art, and the only way to do that was to work toward understanding and getting that understanding to show in the art.”

From my perspective, I’m very glad to have seen Paul’s photographs, which make me long for the coast I’m far from at present. When I get there again and have a chance to photograph, I am sure that Paul’s images, along with many others, will have some degree of influence on me. Hopefully for the better!

By: Angela

Angela — Fri, 25 May 2007 08:39:19 +0000

My best works comes from isolation… when I have people on top of me like university and people critizing, all I have left is the feeling that I cannot paint and I am loosing my time…

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 23 May 2007 18:20:37 +0000

Whenever people start talking about influence and the anxiety of influence, I always see it more as an issue of cultural taboos, depending on your culture and your era. Back in the days of Shakespeare, taking/stealing from the oldies wasn’t a problem. Romanticism and the cult of the individual made a fetish of individual style and originality that still lingers. Postmodernism allowed for a co-opting of cultural jetsam, but still with the overriding ideal of originality in how that jetsam was pulled together (e.g., it’s not a soup can, it’s a Warhol). Personally, I think that you can’t have enough influences and outside imput richocheting around your cranium, setting off the sparks of creativity. People who claim to have no influences always are deluding themselves to some degree, because working in any medium necessitates following the techniques of those who worked in that medium before, or at least going in the opposite direction of those predecessors, which still counts as “influence” in my book. When I did more creative writing than I do now, I always fought with my influences and got blocked by trying “not to be something” so hard that I failed to be anything. Learning to embrace your influences (like any part of your past, for that matter) is much more liberating.

–Bob (ArtBlogByBob.blogspot.com)

By: Jay Hoffman

Jay Hoffman — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:57:31 +0000

Bought a digital camera lately. Nice machine – except for one problem: every time I line up a shot and press the button, an ad comes up on the view screen. Yesterday I was going for a once-in-a-lifetime shot of two squirrels and a fire extinguisher when I had to endure a ten second spot about home mortgages. Needless to say, it ended up no sale and a missed opportunity.

For me it’s not mass media as such – some of the best talent and ideas is being poured into it – it’s the relentless drive to corner and subdue the target human. I applaud Mr.Butzi who appears to be one who pushes back. But isolation cannot substitute for inoculation: the one who can face the music might be the better dancer for it. Cut up your credit cards and enjoy the free entertainment.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Tue, 22 May 2007 23:14:54 +0000

Doug,
I did not even read Paul’s post yet, so I was just referring to your ideas about influence, just to clarify. I also have nto a lot of research into your profession, so did not know you are a commercial artist. I would be interested in your conflicts and compromises, and also if there are any benefits to paying attention to pop culture. Even if it means rejecting it whole heartedly (maybe you could not reject it as adamantly without knowing anything about it). You may feel that much more strongly about contra dancers after a day of hearing about American Idol!

By: Doug Plummer

Doug Plummer — Tue, 22 May 2007 18:03:13 +0000

What I don’t want to happen here is a contest between Paul’s and my worldview. He operates on a deep level in his artistic process, and eloquently expresses the important and distracting elements of his process in a way few can and most need to hear. I greatly admire his sensibility.

I’m surprised that no one has yet commented on my status as a commercial artist. It is practically a job requirement that I pay attention to popular culture (with all my work at colleges, I have to stay up on the story arc in Grays Anatomy). There are inevitable compromises and conflicts that one must resolve in that position, about which I’ll write another time.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:55:13 +0000

June,
“So we choose — pop culture, ipods, peonies, naked men, sand dunes. I don’t think that we can avoid “influences” but we can choose which ones we will allow into our consciousnesses.”

Nicely said. I agree. To avoid influences is like swimming against a torrential flood. it is a matter of what you choose to expose yourself to – the uncomfortable influences are soemtiems the strongest.

Doug,
In every beginning drawing, design, painting class I show lots of art to explain concepts, stimulate ideas, start arguments, whatever. I always have at least one student who does not want to look at other artists at all, but wants to do his or her “own thing.” Somehow express themselves with complete originality. I am very skeptical of this, because we are so influenced by our surroundings, even if our surroundings are fields and mountains. Even if the choices we make are to surround ourselves with as little “cultural trappings” as possible. that choice unto itself shows a profound influence of culture on ourselves.

So if students choose not to look at other artists, their default influences are everyday life, pop culture, tv, other classes, etc. Not that any of that is bad, but my point is to expand those influences, get them out of what they know (their notion of “pure original” expression) and get them to try on other ideas for size. I am less worried about them copying or “stealing” ideas than I am about them pretending they are self reliant and can somehow emit originality, free from influence. The copying and emulating other artists will work itself out with their own process and the integrity of their pursuit. If they end up copying their while lives, they lose out, but the way to avoid that is not to NOT expose them to potential influences, but to expose them to as many as possible! As someone who has had some very strong mentors, I had to pick and shoose what I took on as my own and what I discarded. That process is soemthing we do everyday in my opinion, whether consciously or not.