Exploring Art Matter & Methods Across Time
Artists’ Practice is a virtual storage vault full of biographical details, quasi-historical tales, lore, and true art history mysteries.
Welcome to Artists’ Practice, a virtual storage vault for art history. Instead of being filled with old paintings, frames, and generations of furniture, Artists’ Practice is filled with old stories and pictures of artworks that survived the test of time. Here are a few details about the art-making practices of some famous artists; their breakthrough techniques, and use of unusual art materials used during the last 10,000 years. Why are a few artworks so compelling that people decided to keep them even after they’d gone out of style?
For contemporary artists, patrons, collectors, and art appreciators, Artists’ Practice explores how art-making methods and art materials have been used to make artworks able to transcend time. Ultimately, an artwork survives long enough to belong to art history because somebody loved and protected it through style changes and culture wars.
Art has Three Purposes
According to ancient Greek philosopher Plato, art has three purposes: to commemorate an event; to memorialize a person; and to decorate. The decorative arts were probably invented first to cover fabric stains on special or ritual clothes. Embroidery evolved from the need to stitch up rips and tears and the desire to make things beautiful. Artisans were able to make what looked old look in style again, at least temporarily. After serving their purpose, the decorative arts are usually worn out and rarely stored.
You will find Artists’ Practice organized into three sections:
Caves to Cathedrals
Caves to Cathedrals traces the origins of wall painting to the Aurignacian masters who painted in sacred places when the purpose of art was to remember. Archeology and ancient history that can provide context for where and why artworks were stored or hidden, sometimes for centuries.
Art of the Matter
Art of the Matter which explores the common as well as unique materials available to artists and artisans working in the art-making industries. Roman hydraulic plasters, Egyptian blue pigments, Phoenician dyes, and oak gall inks were used from ancient times until 1960.
Methods of the Masters
Methods of the Mastersexamines the art-making techniques and practices, including information on Botticelli’s use of alabaster as an additive in his paints; why the Medieval patrons were obsessed with golden grounds; and the rise of the dye industry to color silk.
What is so compelling about an Artwork?
What is so compelling about an artwork that people want to keep it, even give it to someone they love? Maybe because artworks connect people to their memories. Seeing a souvenir from their trip to the Camino de Santiago would have renewed the memory of being among other believers in candle-lit, monumental Christian cathedrals built along the pilgrimage routes to provide sanctuary and offer hospitality to travelers.
Memories are the flesh of culture; and artworks are its bones. Artists’ Practice is about the bones. And like bones, the structure of tradition is based on a bio-chemical system of calcium carbonate (limestone) mixed with other mineral pigments. The mixes are combined with some or all of the glues, gums, oils, resins, and waxes. The same materials that bind the natural world together bind together the materials used to create historical works of art. A few wall murals and reliefs, paintings, and ceramics were made strong enough to transmit meaningful cultural wisdom for thousands of years.
Most ancient artworks were not made to move through time; they stood still as their caretakers changed. Generations of families took care of the artworks they inherited and shared the reasons why they should conserve them and pay for a storage vault. While the artists and artisans made the artworks, those who protected them contributed to art history.
About the Author
The storage vault concept for the Artists’ Practice web page comes from my accumulation of stories left over from my book project: PLASTERED, Gesso’s Storied History, an art history of painting on plaster from the caves to 1960. I am Martha Bergman, an art maker, art appreciator, art materials manufacturer, and COVID took me by surprise. I suddenly had plenty of time to review my notes from hundreds of studio visits; many trips to ancient cultural sites; and from in-depth conversations with artists and art conservators over many years.
In the 80s, I was a founder of Gamblin Artists Colors Co. Every day we made vats of color at its maximum, intensely colored oil paints. New York City was our largest market during an incredible expansion of interest in the visual arts and artists. Pearl Paint was our best customer. Gamblin paintmakers customized oil paints and painting mediums for significant contributors to the art-making professions, including Emily Mason, Nathan Oliveira, David Hockney, Joe Goode, Jim Dine, Laura Ross-Paul, James Rosenquist, Jeff Koons, Wolf Kahn, Mary Josephson, Pat Steir, and Chuck Close.
After two decades of making world-class artists’ paints, I retired to roam through American and European museums looking at great masterpieces which continue to engage viewers after hundreds of years. Artists’ Practice is focused on art-making practices popular before 1960. But artists and their collectors should know why contemporary artists can’t find the new bright digital colors in their paint boxes. So I include information on contemporary Color Science.
Thanks to Nicole Straus for suggesting a website and Faith Emerson, web designer, for making this happen.
Martha Bergman’s recent paintings inspired by Bottticelli
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