Making

I am a big proponent of the scientific method and the advancement of knowledge, but I wonder if there is any understanding or theory held today that wouldn’t be debunked or at least modified in a significant way at some point in the future. This does not disturb me because I see the scientific process as an unfolding story where understandings lead to deeper understandings. It is the search for truth not truth itself.

This process and search is shared with art. A prime example is the work of Josef Albers a German-born American artist who spent a good part of his life exploring color. He published a book entitled Interaction of Color in 1963 in which he proposed that colors were “governed by an internal and deceptive logic.” The work shown here is part of his well-known Homage to the Square series that contained hundreds of paintings. These works rigorously and systematically explored the nature of color, how color interacts with visual perception.

It is interesting to note that between 1901 and 2005 scientists actively engaged in the visual arts – drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture – were seven times more likely to win a Nobel Prize in their technical field.

Our society, as it should, has placed an enormous emphasis on science and technical pursuit. However, I take exception when this pursuit turns into a belief system that devalues other forms of knowledge and inquiry. Science and math are not more important or necessary than the arts. If you don’t believe me, move into a lab designed by a scientist, exchange all your clothes for banal Bolshevik garb and stop enjoying any form of art – no music, dance, film, theater, literature, painting, photography, architecture etc. Art is one of the few things that make life worth living. Art is about who we are and who we want to become. It is concerned with how we interact with each other and the world around us – what could be more important than that?