painting currently on the studio wall and in early stages
What is an art manifesto?
Recently I was chatting with three art friends – we meet every few weeks online and are based in the U.S, Canada and the U.K. and our topic was ‘art manifestos’. Before our meetings we usually have a subject lined up that we would like to discuss so I felt I needed to do a little research first before attempting to write my own manifesto.
I discovered that an art manifesto is a public declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of an artist or artistic movement. Typically they refer to a system which, in the eye of the artist(s), needs reform – they are often a protest of the times.
The first art manifesto of the 20th century was introduced with the Futurists in Italy in 1909, followed by the Cubists, Vorticists, Dadaists and the Surrealists: the period up to World War II created what are still the best known manifestos.
Subject matter is typically the need for revolution, freedom of speech (how relevant is THAT today …. yes indeed!) and the intention comes from the idea that art is a political tool.
I like this one and am going to think about it further:
Artist Charles Thomson promoted the Crude Art Manifesto 1978.
This was posted by him in Maidstone Art College when he was a student. 21 years later he co-wrote the Stuckist manifestos with Billy Childish. Thomson was also a member of the punk-based band The Medway Poets. The manifesto rejects “department store” art and “elitist” gallery art, as well as sophistication and skill which are “easily obtainable … and are used both industrially and artistically to conceal a poverty of content.” The priority is stated to be “the exploration and expression of the human spirit”.
Childish and Thomson have issued several manifestos. The first one was The Stuckists, consisting of 20 points starting with “Stuckism is a quest for authenticity“.Remodernism, the other well-known manifesto of the movement, is a criticism of postmodernism; you can read it here …. something to wrap your head around in a moment of clarity!!
An inspiring example….
I do like this (sort of manifesto) from Richard Diebenkorn, which is clearer in terms of an intention set for a painting session. It’s called ‘Notes to myself on beginning a painting’ – it would be a useful thing to place on a studio wall:
My creative manifesto
So OK, I decided to create my own manifesto. It isn’t set in stone, I can change it and write new manifestos; I don’t want a manifesto to become a prison!! I wrote it in about half an hour because I thought the time restriction would be a way of finding my most immediate and therefore pressing values.
Here it is:
An Art Manifesto – Clare Wassermann September 2023
There is no space for the divided self, the divided people, the divided planet.
We must adopt a friendliness to the idea of the unity of all to understand that we are an ecological system of each other and to ever come to peace.
My heArt entangles with your heArt.
My heArt heals yours if I will only let it, if you will only allow.
Your heArt can heal mine.
My Art can be a painting or a form made from my hands and mind, and might evoke something in you, or something beyond you, which you might want to explore with your heart and mind.
My symbols will not be yours but they could live in you for a while whilst you entertain them and breathe some of your breath into them.
You could be willing to see if your thoughts become less turbulent and settle in some place restful but inspiring, to a still point from where action could benefit you, someone else or other beings.
My art may generate new and helpful myths for the future and work upon the re-enchantment of human beings and human doings.
I am a process.
I discover my Self by making art.
I work on my Self through making art.
I save my Self from my self through making art.
My process affects others.
I am.
I renounce expectations
I leave (hyper) capitalism to others
I nurture the growth of my soul and those of others through curiosity, stillness and the wisdom of those who have been to useful places on their journeys.
I create with the intention of disrupting the status quo, of challenging the dominant narratives that keep us trapped in old ways of thinking and being. My art is a call to action, an invitation to join me in exploring new possibilities for ourselves and our world. It is my hope that we can create a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all, meanwhile acknowledging the beauty we can behold in creation.
I create
because
I Am
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Could I take this further?
In writing this I realised that really this is my manifesto for life. I am going to try to live up to that.
I also realised that by the very act of writing I hold myself to linear thought in a way that I can’t when just musing in my head. I can write to think – it may seem obvious to you, but I am going to work on this more and see what comes out. I also know that I paint to think – a BIG part of my life. This realisation has been important in the impetus to create this Substack as a place for longer form writing
How about you?
So how about you?
Could you try writing a manifesto?
If it’s an art one – does it also reflect your life?
If a manifesto is too difficult a concept, then maybe just try a list of prompts for a month and put them in your sketchbook, on your fridge or on your Instagram, Facebook or somewhere to hold yourself accountable in some way.
How about this from Frederick Terral at Right Brain Terrain?
another place for a seasonal prompt:
I love to follow the seasons in art making, symbolism, ritual and to mark them with some kind of creative act. Here’s a wonderful artist’s review tool from one of my artist friends mentioned at the top of the post, Jacqueline Calladine (her Substack is here)Let me know what you think in a comment:Leave a comment
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Clare Wassermann Art 