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y those who would take the time to discover them, and
cast them once again in the open light upon the sands of
our cherished memories. Modern art, too, must answer the
challenge that, in a hundred years, the works themselves
are no different from each other; only the names of the
artists and their explanations of meaning change from one
year to the next, and that without the artists’ explanation of
theme and intent, the work is incomprehensible and merely
a form without a true frame of reference for the observer.
Digital photography invites endless manipulation and tends
to breed, some say, quality of composition, mastery of
light and shadow, and attention to detail out of the process
(although the argument can be made that using film itself
creates an artificial image that is a modification of reality).
The traditionalist takes the lessons of the old masters and
adopts them as method, needing no other direction, and
works within those guidelines indefinitely. The modernist
seeks definitions within their own individuality and aspires
to evolve their method according to their own direction.
Champney, again, offers a clear insight into the conflict—
quoting a letter written by the American painter Washington
Allston (b.1779, d. 1843) to one of his students, “The old
masters are our masters, not to imitate but to get means to
enable us to see for ourselves, and impress upon canvas
our own thoughts and ideas. Individuality in art is what must
be sought for. We must not imitate, but look for the means
and skill others have used before us and adapt the methods
to our own development.” The answer, then, would seem
to lie in a synthesis of history and individuality—allowing
elements of both to combine and create work that may take
either a traditional or a modern form but that is relevant to
the audience and yet is uplifting for the artist. One must
not descend into mere imitation—constant improvement
in technique and in rendering the subject matter does not
automatically preclude the spirit of creativity and spontaneity;
an awareness of the history of the medium does not imply a
self-imposed prohibition of evolution or vision. Old masters
are no less important to modern art than they are to older
forms. Art is neither all-inclusive nor all-exclusive—not all
that is said to be art is, and no one style or work can stake
its claim above all others; those who would have it one way
at the expense of all others have only their own interests
at heart.
Together I’m Over Here Can’t Help Smiling
Lynda Pogue
Texture & colorist
Encaustic & Collage 18 x 24 Acrylic 20 x 20 Acrylic 36 x 36
For all true dinosaurs, alas, the inevitable doom awaits.
Any artist only has so much time, and the same circling
buzzards that dog the days of the traditionalist cast their
shadows on those of the modernist as well; whether one
is left standing by the rush to the future or one wakes one
day only to find that another is now the next great new thing
that you were only yesterday. Time leaves behind all but
the most remarkable works of man. So much the better,
for if we are to be remembered at all as creative artists
let it be due to our skill and effort, to our persistence, and
to our understanding of the debt we owe to the masters
upon whose shoulders we stand. If that could be, then
no amount of time spent dragging antiquated equipment
and sensibilities through the dank wilderness would seem
wasted, even for the most hard-headed old dinosaur.
Lynda Pogue is an award-winning artist.
Her paintings are in private collections, corporations,
galleries across North & South America,
South Africa, Europe, and China.
I’m in love with the immediacy
of both encaustic (wax)and water-based media.
They both force me to “be in the moment” like nothing else
Lynda Pogue Studio
Represented by Agora Gallery, NYC
and Covent Garden Fine Art, Canada
Contact Info:
Website: lyndapogue.com
Email: lyndapogue@sympatico.ca