Artistic activities in old age
Now, before I write an article about art and artistic work, perhaps I need to clarify what art is in the first place. You may be familiar with the saying: "Is that art, or can that go?". We have artists like Joseph Beuys to thank for this uncertainty. Even though the majority of his work is clearly and explicably recognised as art by historians, he remained in the collective memory above all through his "Fettecke" - a lump of butter weighing several kilos that he had pressed into a corner of the Düsseldorf Art Academy. The creator of the "Ku(h)riosum" in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Jürgen Goertz, has also given art experts a few headaches with his works, but at least he doesn't take himself too seriously. In a series of postcards he posed the question "What is art?", only to answer it himself with the sentence: "Will you pump me 5 marks?
It is not only in sculpture and painting that there are dodgy works. The most famous work of this kind in music was premiered in 1952: the piece "4'33" for Piano" by John Cage, in which not a single note was played, for exactly four minutes and 33 seconds. Cage explained that the essential meaning of silence was to abandon the intention of allowing one's attention to be distracted by ambient noise. Despite this explanation, the work caused a scandal in the media. However, we at least know about it now.
Art as a leisure activity
And so to our own plans for groundbreaking works of art! This little excursion into the dimly lit corners of the art world teaches us that virtuosity is not necessarily a prerequisite for art. Now that you are freed from constraints and pressure to perform, it should be easy for you to create your first works.
Painting
You've probably seen one of Bob Ross's "The Joy of Painting" programmes. I myself cannot escape the fascination of how Ross paints fantastic landscapes with a large brush, paintbrush and palette knife. There should be no pressure to perform here: You can relax for now, because although you can buy Bob Ross painting sets and attend Bob Ross painting classes, no one has yet stepped up and proclaimed that they can do it just as well now. Ross is a unique and exceptional talent and remained so until his death.
For you, this means you can paint away - and don't think that means buying an easel with brushes and oil paints. Modern times give you much more flexibility in creating. Comic artists like Carl Barks or Jack Kirby, for example, have long been recognised as art icons.
Besides, no one can tell you what to do. So do what you feel most comfortable with. You can get great effects by mixing styles. Acrylic paint over watercolour (be careful to let it dry well beforehand!), spruce up computer graphics from the inkjet printer with sharpie, or come up with something completely new. Udo Lindenberg has painted a series of so-called "liqueurs". This is not surprising, since Blue Curacao, Campari, advocaat or Jambosala are wonderfully colourful liquids. Unfortunately, this idea is already taken.
And while you're at it, mix the styles: Why don't you take a computer graphic artist on board and create something new together? If Hundertwasser and Klimt can stick gold leaf on their oil paintings, then you can also iron embossing foil onto a laser print. If you want to enter the gallery, then you'd better think of something new.
Plastic Arts, Sculpture, Pottery & Carving
If the two-dimensional picture is already complex, then it becomes even more diverse when we venture into plastic figures. But (I'll let you in on my biggest secret right at the beginning): Here, too, computer technology brings us things that would not have been possible before.
Many disciplines of the creative arts depend less on our dexterity and more on our imagination. In pottery, for example, you will soon find that you have a good command of the technique itself. But then it becomes necessary to have a good idea of what you actually want to create. Then the lump of clay has to be big enough, you have to quickly work out the necessary height, you have to think about the wall thickness that will have to support the whole vessel even when soft. All this happens in advance in your head, including, of course, the shape that the object will eventually take.
Do you plan to work with wood? Using a carving knife is worthy, but if you want to avoid gout and arthritis, which are typical woodcarving diseases, then switch to electric tools. You can buy a set of small drilling and milling tools for little money these days, and the work is much easier.
Recently, computer technology has also brought about a new discipline here, because with so-called 3D printing, objects can be realised that would be impossible to produce in any other way. For example, a hollow sphere can be "printed" that shows filigree shapes or figures on the inside. This artwork is of little use, because you can't see inside, but for art the possibility alone will open up a lot of new approaches. There is still a lot of white space on the art map here - so what are you waiting for? And, to put it bluntly, you can also work with a computer specialist to create the 3D models for the printer - and again, the ideal of working across generations is realised.
Music
The first thought when the term "music" comes up is certainly classical house music. Instruments that everyone has at home - like guitars, flutes and drums - mix with polyphonic singing. This culture exists everywhere in the country. Now, of course, it's one thing to play music when you can't play an instrument and you can't sing...
There is no easy solution to this. Musicians have an instinctive desire for other musicians with whom they can complement each other. An existing ensemble won't let another musician into their ranks unless they bring something new that the others don't have yet - usually an instrument that no one else plays. So you can either learn an instrument, or contribute something else - equally important:
- Write lyrics
- Arrangements
- Recording technology / studio equipment
- Rehearsal room
- Performances
- Computer-based music
Here you have a few areas in which you have talent or connections - and suddenly you are a sought-after member of the ensemble or band.
Then it's time: Welcome to the club of artists!
