“New” Old “Revisited” and Subjectified Works
by Russ Cushman
Years ago a friend of mine visited my home, ready to purchase some art. He was in love with one large painting, of buffalo in a western landscape. "I'll buy it from you," he said, "if you will remove the buffalo...."
I needed the money bad...and I did what he asked. He bought it. Then he was divorced and fell on hard times, and the painting was put in storage. He passed away later, and now I understand the painting is rotting in a barn. What artists must do sometimes to meet the public where they are (mentally or emotionally) is almost shameful. Great Art cannot be created by committee.... But art patrons are not the worst in this kind of arm-twisting.
For many years, my galleries, those places which featured and marketed my art, asked for "pure landscapes." Subjects, I was told, were sometimes off-putting to buyers...and made the selling of the art work more difficult, especially for designers and decorators, who were often involved in the transactions. One gallery, and my best one, would not take anything smaller than 24 x 36, and nothing with animals or people in it. They did not even want bridges, buildings, gates...nothing but pure landcape.
Needless to say, I had to make a living...and pure landscape was far easier to paint...so I filled the pigeon hole until the galleries all went under. When the music stopped, I had several large canvases ready to deliver to my main gallery when suddenly it was all over. Other galleries were winding down as well, and none wanted the huge canvases anymore...eventually none wanted any canvases.
It took me awhile...to see these works as... unfinished. They had been conceived as pure landscapes...and worked well as such. What subjects might be worthy in such a complete statement? Here are some solutions to that strange series of events... subjective art...sans subjects... then SUBJECTIFIED! Hopefully they have been improved...but don't worry, I'm not painting anything out!
enough