The Finish Line, Part II

"Looking toward Fish Beach, Monhegan"
(c) Charles Movalli

Today I am continuing with the theme of my last post, drawing on Charles Movalli's wonderful essay entitled "In Praise of Painterly Painters." Movalli compares two different approaches to painting, what he calls the "sudden" school and the "gradual" school. The "sudden" school of painters are so-called "painterly painters", who seek the fleeting impression rather than a detailed, finished rendition of the subject. Their work is

characterized by a sense of freedom, abbreviation, economy, and spontaneity. Perfection is their enemy. (If you missed my last post, you can read more background here).

"Notre Dame"
(c) Charles Movalli

I am illustrating this post with paintings by Movalli himself, and quoting a few of my favorite passages from his essay. As you can see, Movalli painted in some of my favorite places--Maine, and Paris too. Enjoy!

"If the aim of art is to see nature for yourself, to discover how you feel about what you see and how you can interpret it, then style becomes a direct expression of the personality of the painter, and the brush stroke is like a piece of the painter's handwriting."

"Just Another Work Day"
(c) Charles Movalli

"The painterly painter avoids the how-to approach, suspicious, as ever, that technique will obscure his or her vision."

(c) Charles Movalli

"[Painterly painters] finish by not finishing, include by leaving out, paint more by painting less."

"The greatest temptation (and danger) is to rely on previous solutions and thus paint the same picture for the rest of your life."