mature artist style – what’s important to artists in 2009
As baby boomers age, one aspect of getting older becomes a more relevant and interesting subject – is artistic creativity affected by age.
Corot - 1826 & 1869
Compared with younger artists, older artists
- have less energy yet they concentrate better
– have greater self esteem
– are less critical
– are more knowledgeable of, more mature in their artwork
– are less career oriented and
– are as creative and experimental as younger artists
(reference cited below)
If you’re an artist over 50, recent research indicates you should celebrate these strengths you might not have realized you were accumulating. In Aging, Creativity and Art, a Positive Perspective on Late – Life Development, 2003, Martin S. Lindaur explores the relationship between aging and creativity in artists. Lindaur cites recent research showing the quality of work by artists 70 years old remains steady and actually increases well into their 70′s compared to their earlier work. Quality for many artists closing in on 80 and even above is perceived to increase. Lindaur also concludes that quantity of artwork by older artists increases and peaks in their 60′s. (Lindaur’s summary of the significant differences between younger and older artists is shown above this paragraph.)
Rembrandt - 1640 and 1669
Many of the age 70 plus artists studied in the research showed no sign of sitting back and resting in any comfortable niche or nook they may have rightfully earned.
In The Creative Age, Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life, 2001, Gene Cohen cites Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Donatello as examples of Old Masters who maintained their artistic mastery into old old age. More modern artists Georgia O’Keefe, Picasso, Corot, Chigall and Goya never stopped striving and experimenting. Experimenting is the key.
Michelangelo - 1499 and 1550
Why this is relevant to all artists and to fabric artists, the focus of this blog?
The economic situation is critical right now. With far more artistic supply than demand, artists worry about holding their own, losing ground, going out of business. Decreases in sales, personal financial worries, lack of budget for advertising, expenses involved in showings or tours, publication costs, publicity, expensive supplies and utilities, webmasters, nothing is easy.
Now is not the time to allow anxiety and foreboding to creep in and harm your spirit or dampen your creativity. Don’t let your artistic center, vision and inspiration be a casualties of these times. For older artists, especially those following the dream of pursuing a second calling later in life, getting older is getting better according to Lindaur and Cohen.
Take a look at the work of Judy Choate, the Sedona Arizona artist who took up her brush and acrylic paints in 2008 at the age of 62. Judy had taken a few drawing and water color classes at community colleges and from local art teacher Sierra McKenna. But it was Sedona art gallery owner James Ratliff who suggested that she work big and switch to acrylic. Working bigger with a different medium exposed Judy to altogether new opportunities for expressing her thoughts and artistic intuition. Judy has found a different energy not only in her painting but also for deciding where she wants to go next.
Focus on where you want to be next year. Good advice for artists of any age striving to navigate the whitewater rapids of 2009. Think big.
A variety of articles on the subject of aging and creativity,