Can You Think Of Reasons That Good Artists Must Be Somewhat Narrow-Minded?

I think a lot of creativity is based on focusing well.
There are a lot of options in the world, if you try to go wide, you won't have the ability to go deep.
If we think about how this applies to good artists, I think good artists are good at narrowing down the range of things they think about, whether it be medium, style, subject matter, etc., to a small range so they can think deeply and originally about those things.

 

I think yes you have to narrow your field of interest if you are going to be good at something. Picasso being one of the exceptions who changed style regularly, most artists have to stick at one style for a while to gain recognition for what they do. Think of Morandi who ceaselessly painted those vessels the same way for years.

Also,although modern art has a degree of intellectualism, I think a certain blunt-headedness is useful if you want to be a painter. If one is fully engaged in painting, sculpting or drawing one doesn't want to be bogged down with words and conflicting thoughts in the head. One wants the kind of whole-minded, single pointed consciousness of psycho-motor activity that helps facilitate the act.

The abstract expressionist were generally anti-intellectual, and this movement was one of the most important in 20th century art.

Post-modernism though was more cerebral, more a kind of exploration of philosophy than art in my opinion.

I don't know where we are now.

 

Maybe it's a function of the times in which we live. Go back 500 years and you have an artist like Leonardo Da Vinci, who certainly didn't need to narrow things down at all - the reverse in fact.

Nowhere.

 

Da Vinci was a genius and prolific draughtsman, but actually painted relatively little. On his deathbed be reportedly said he'd wish he painted more.

 

That's true - but on the other hand tell me what painting is more widely known than the Mona Lisa?

 

Yes, but not everyone adores that painting unreservedly. Lucian Freud, for example couldn't stand it and much preferred Titian, and I agree.

 

Personally, I too prefer other renaissance artists to Leonardo. I was only citing him as an artist who avoided any narrow kind of focus.

I couldn't really care less for the opinions of Lucien Freud. I doubt in 500 years his name will be remembered other than as a relative of Sigmund.

 

Even smart people (who often have an ego) often don't like to really be challenged or take the time to really examine the veracity of their beliefs & the reasons why they believe what they believe etc.

Life experience & honestly taking the time to really educate yourself about certain things is the only real way to fix this.

Life for many people is like a perpetual, intellectual echo chamber.

 

Is your avatar a painting of yours? That is pretty cool.
I try not to be too cerebral when painting....unless it is an exercise of painting something someone wants of their animal or something like that, then it is more focused in reality...and one has to be cerebral. Painting with feeling...hopefully, alows veiwers to feel what you felt.