“Philosophy follows temperament, and temperament follows the cruel humor of biology.”

Ivan Brunetti

STYLE

Hardly anyone is capable of developing a style without direct influence from other artists. The healthiest way of digesting these influences is to submit to them openly and to let your appreciation lead the way. The influence will eventually exhaust itself and clear the room for new ones: the more of them you have, the less discernible they are in your style.

Style is a perpetual work-in-progress. Some artists go through dramatic changes in their styles, others evolve gradually and even imperceptibly, though even deliberate consistency requires a certain degree of slight variation to maintain itself and avoid growing stale.

After a while it’s good to look back at your work with a critical eye and assess the developments and movements of your work as if they were someone else’s.

We rarely learn from success, yet mistakes are difficult to appreciate, even when the artist truly believes that each mark is of value, regardless of the final product. Again, distancing helps: after a while the failed piece inevitably becomes less irritating to the author--that period may be hours, days or years, depending on the piece and the virulence of the author’s temperament.

ASSIGNMENT 8: THE FINAL ASSIGNMENT

Propose a project and execute it. Make sure to include a schedule in your proposal.

On March 15th you will make the first presentation of your proposed projects—this presentation can be entirely informal, although you're welcome to bring sketches and materials that inspire you.

On April 5th we'll have a formal presentation, which must include thumbnail sketches, mock-ups, and other material that can help imagine what the final project will look like.

Format: any format (include it in your proposal). You are welcome to go beyond the confines of the printed page and present the work in a digital format.