Art Role Models
2d
Dan Blodgett
"One of the best ways to elevate your character immediately is to find worthy role models to emulate... There is nothing false in this. We all carry the seeds of greatness within us, but need an image as a point of focus in order that they may sprout." -Epictetus
Who are some of y'all's role models in art? No wrong answers, just looking for some names to broaden my horizons. Drew Struzan is my favorite atm, which is no secret haha. But John Singer Sargent might be a close second.
Also... Frank Frazetta? Completely overrated. Come fight me about it, haha.
"Role model" seems to imply an admiration in the person beyond the art, neh? I'm not sure any of the artists whose work I admire are actually individuals that I admire. Nirvana is fun, but from what I know, Kurt sucks as a role model. It would seem the same with Rothko and many others. I once said self loathing is not a prerequisite for self improvement. Despite our culture's preoccupation with tortured souls, I firmly believe that it's not a prereq for good art, either. This is not an easy question for me... Especially being that I don't care so much about the people behind the art. The Last Samurai is a favorite film of mine. But Tom Cruise... I mean, come on dude!
Or maybe I'm thinking too far into your question and you mean something more like what the Draftsmen have termed "Art Parent"?
Haha, uhh... semantics... No, I wasn't going that deep in the OP, haha. This is like "The Giver" where the mom is always telling Jonas to use precision in his language, haha. My bad, I guess... oops... I mean, my mistake.
Precisely? I guess it is a question on the art parent thing. I didn't mean the person as a role model. Who would want to emulate an artist, haha? I meant whose art do people strive to emulate?
Of course, we've already had this conversation as an introduction. So if you want to get philosophical, that's cool. I love philosophy! Actually, it might be an even more interesting question... What artist do you strive to not only emulate their work but their life, too? That is hard indeed.
Actually, Drew Struzan doesn't seem to be a bad one to fit that version of the question, either. No one says anything bad about him, always saying he was the kindest, most generous person they knew, and the way he was always a consummate professional, even when the demands of his job put him through hardship (overnight deadlines, fickle studios, poor pay, etc.) seems like a good thing to model yourself on.
"Self-loathing is not a prerequisite for self-improvement." I like that. I think there is a general confusion between self-awareness and self-loathing. Comes to mind what Tyler Durden says on the subject: "Self-improvement is masturbation. Now, self-destruction...?" Haha. Hope the mods don't mind that quote, haha!
