Some Of Us Are Doer’s, Some Of Us Are Durer’s

I believe it was Thomas Paine, the great american statesman who said, “I am a far better religionist than a religious person“.

Quite a poetic disclaimer.

It is no different than saying, I could be a politician as long as I did not have to be political; or, I could be a clown as long as I did not have to wear make-up; or, as for myself, I could be an artist as long as I did not have to be artistic.

Dear God, I love art. Yet, I do not have an artistic bone in my body. I might understand the golden section, perspective, foreshortening, disciplines, movements and its beauty, but I will never be able to allow my hands to follow what my eyes see. Like music, I might be able to read the notes, but I will never be able to play the music.

I often marvel at the absolute precision of the engraving by Albrecht Durer of Adam and Eve (1504) with its marvelous mixture of realism and symbolism.

Then, I often give myself indigestion when I think about drawing it myself. In fact, you might consider taking something for your stomach before you look.

Anyway, some of us are meant to be enthusiasts and some of us are meant to be artists. I will always be of the former.

I am a doer by passion and I will never be a Durer by artistic acumen; and, I am content with my position in my appreciation.