Grace And Necessity Ch.1

Several of Williams' ideas within the first chapter grabbed my attention. One of them was the idea that "Beauty should not be the goal of the artist. If it is well and honestly made it will tend towards beauty." (p.14) This stood out to me because I have had experiences making artwork that I wasn't intending to make great, but I invested a lot of research and time into the pieces of art I call great and beautiful. Williams goes on to say to not let our ego's take over and become victim to what Maritain calls the magical fallacy, when artists believe their calling is to change the world according to their visions. (p.16) I have divided thoughts on this idea because on one hand, I believe that the people who think they can change the world, while making art through honest and true work, have a higher chance of actually doing so. On the other hand, I also believe most of those people have fallen victim to the magical fallacy. I believe if the artwork is truly beautifully, it will change the world, but a process, built from integrity is vital.

"Charmeur de serpent", Abdel Aziz Haounati

Another idea of Williams that was significant to me was that God blessed the ones who have wounds or have been wounded. The purpose of these wounds is to help guide and shape us into the people God has called us to be. Fortunately, as an artist, this mold from God resonates in my artwork. Throughout my artistic career, I have experienced many obstacles thrown my way and those obstacles have changed the way I view the world, therefore changing the way I view, think about, and create art. The artists who have faith in their work, I believe are the ones who succeed greatly. 

The idea that stuck with me the most, Williams wrote, "The issue is always and only about the integrity of the work. The artist first listens and looks for the pulse or rhythm that is not evident; but the she cannot do any sort of job if she refuses to work with these pulses." I agree that there are 'pulses' in the beginning of the process of making a piece, and that once you feel these pulses that is when we pull the trigger and begin creating. I also agree with the statement that the issue is always and only about the integrity of the art. Artwork lacking the integrity necessary to create a beautiful piece, stand out in a different light than the way a beautiful piece stands out. When you stop and stare at a painting for a long period of time, usually it is because that artists has invested so much time into the concept, detailing, and everything else that goes into a piece. In graphic design, a beautiful piece in my opinion, would have reasons for every detail in the artwork. Everything in the piece has a conceptual origin and reason to be there. 

References:

Williams, Rowan. "Grace And Necessity: Reflections on Art and Love"