Earth Hour and Abstraction

Earth Hour Candles

Did you celebrate or observe Earth Hour? We did, and many people in our
neighbourhood did too. It's a great idea. We got out all of our
candles and had our supper as we always to by candle light, with a whole
lot more candles.

The kitchen by candlelight

After supper I was sitting at the kitchen table drawing,
(because you don't move 15 candles all over the house,
and the kitchen was our base). I was trying to draw a cardinal,
because I'm thinking about whether or not to put birds in my
painting, and it hit me. You know what? This is the light Vermeer
worked in. Candlelight. You're going to say, 'no he only worked
in daylight,' but you can tell that some of the paintings
from that period were lit with dim light.

Then I thought that if the light levels were frustrating
it would make sense to be trying for accuracy, to document
every line, every leaf and dot every i. Maybe the luxury
of electricity led to the birth of abstraction. I know
that abstract art also developed as a reaction to an industrial
age -- and voilà. There you have it. Electricity = industry =
lots of light = readily available paint colours = abstract
art. Maybe that's an illogical leap, but it seems to make sense.
Of course I've totally sidestepped the development of the camera,
and all that. Vermeer may have already been on to the
essence of the camera. I'm just talking about light.

A cardinal drawn by candlelight
marker on bond paper

My drawing tonight is a tiny inept line drawing of a bird,
done by candlelight in Earth Hour. More painting
tomorrow with the klieg lights on. Just kidding -- with
the art lights on.

Have a loving-the-earth-to-abstraction day.