Edgar Degas– The Millinery Shop
Painting is easy when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do.
—Edgar Degas
I have always loved this quote from the great Edgar Degas. It has meaning on a couple of different levels for me. First, it speaks to the sheer difficulty of the process of creating a painting. If you look at it as a purely mechanical process– step 1, step 2, step 3 and you’re done— it does seem exceedingly simple.
But art is not purely craft. There is an intangible element that gives it meaning for both the maker and those who take it in after it is made. Tapping into that intangible is the difficult part. Some days it is near impossible and makes the job very difficult, even though it might seem easy and effortless on its surface.
Been there, done that. In fact, sometimes having more skills and tools available sometimes hinders creativity as the artist begins to rely on the tried and true, which sets a limit on their further exploration.
The second meaning I get from Degas’ quote is how others view this job. I know folks who can only view art as a hobby and if you’re working as an artist, you’re just fooling around with doodles and such. They often don’t see it as work at all. They don’t understand that it is much more than having a particular ability. They don’t see the great effort that is required to have a career as an artist.
The long hours alone. The sacrifices you make to be able to have enough time.
The often sheer frustration that comes in creating work. The days and weeks and months spent feeling blocked and uninspired, times in which you question your own ability and value as an artist.
The many hours spent doing unseen and boring things like photographing, prepping, matting, framing and varnishing that are required to make the work presentable.
The agony of having to constantly self-promote in order to keep your name visible in the public eye. For most artists wanting to support themselves in the current business of art, they must serve as their own primary advocate.
The pain of having your work–- your creation and your voice— ignored, outright rejected or under-valued, not to mention the self-doubt that comes along with these things.
I am sure there are a bunch of other crappy things that are just slipping my mind at the moment.
This isn’t meant to be a whine fest. Every business has its own challenges, and I am sure anyone who has ever been self-employed can see their own situation in most of these things. For example, every restauranteur knows that great food is not enough to make a restaurant successful.
I understand and accept these pitfalls and they don’t detract from my view of this career at all. I just want people to understand that an artist’s life is not unlike their own with most of the same challenges and problems. It may sometimes seem easy, even romantic, but that is just the view from far outside.
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That being said, I wouldn’t trade this job for any other. Thanks for allowing me to think that.
This post was from back in 2018. I apologize for it not being more about Degas’ work. I tried to make that clear in the title for the reposting. To make up for it, here are some more my favorites from Edgar Degas:
Redtree Times 