THE CRAFTSMAN'S HANDBOOK by Cennino Cennini

The Craftsman's Handbook by Cennino Cennini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great book of the Italian art craftsman - methods and colour pigments, prints etc. a technical book. It was written in the day or era of studying art with a master artist in an atelier. Advice for example given under "Fundamental provisions for anyone who enters this profession" is and I quote again "....begin by decking yourselves with this attire: Enthusiasm, Obedience, and Constancy. And begin to submit yourself to the direction of a master for instruction as early as you can; and do not leave the master until you have to." The book is very technical and some sections only to read as required (i.e. when you do that for example printing) and then under the pigments section - some pigments are not used or available or obsolete. So read and get what you can. There are very advice in this book and a lot of technical material. A rare art book.

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ART QUOTES THAT MOTIVATES ME

Yes it is true - all artists need motivation! The best place to find motivation is looking at what other artists did or wrote. I particularly find them motivating - here is a list of some of them:

1. Work on it until it cannot get any better.
2. Get good enough at anything and somebody will pay you to do it.
3. Your art goes as deep as your love goes.
4. Art is made to disturb. Science reassures. There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain.
5. It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as good painting about nothing.
6. There are two sorts of beauty; one is the result of instinct, the other of study. A combination of the two, with the resulting modifications, brings with it a very complicated richness, which the art critic ought to try to discover.
7. Art arises when the secret vision of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes.
8. I enjoy the creative process of moving from chaos to order but at the same time to have beauty and mystery in mind: that something special in art.
9. It is never about the image, but the story and feeling behind the painting.
10. Most men's brains lie fallow for the greater part of their lives.
11. I am under the direction of messengers from heaven.
12. Art is perseverance - you never arrive. Your destination is the journey so do not quit.
Yes and you are right, I will add to these quotes from time to time. If you find this motivational (and tough!) and want to comment or add a quote - just leave a comment to the blog.