“The duty of the painter is to study nature in depth and to use all his intelligence to put his feelings into his work so that it becomes comprehensible to others.”

Van Gogh’s letter to Theo, 31 July 1882

This has been a light week as far as sketching and painting goes, but it has been a good time to contemplate some of the issues of art. I have thought about this quote from Van Gogh along with some observations from my posts on Instagram.

Van Gogh emphasized the feeling of a scene and the reception of the one looking at the painting, with the goal being something that is comprehensible – intelligible or understood. Picasso in Guernica primarily made the brutality and horrors of war “comprehensible” which for most people who saw it became a message about war.

Most art is a two way communication, from artist to the appreciator of the art. I realize that as theTravelsketcher most of my art has been from me to moi. I sketched to capture a moment, knowing that the most likely viewer in the future would be me, or a friend or two. The emphasis was on recalling the experience of being in a place, which is a completely worthy motivation to sketch.

With the advent of social media, Instagram, Facebook, etc. my sketches were exposed to a much wider audience, who respond in a variety of ways. It becomes difficult to just do a sketch without at least a fleeting thought concerning how it will be accepted on Instagram. It sounds noble to think that an artist just does art for themselves with no regard to the public, but human nature and inherent insecurities being what they are makes that unrealistic.

So… when I sketch am just capturing my moment, for myself? Or am I taking Van Gough’s advice and making a scene comprehensible? The result may in fact be the same, but it is an interesting question.

I have experienced on Instagram that a post of a sketch I labored over and thought was pretty good frequently elicited little reaction from followers. I know all about the algorithms and the vagaries of Instagram, yet there are trends I see. Then I will reluctantly post something that seemed hardly worth posting, only to find it receiving a high level of engagement.

Here is a sketch I did in Honfleur last summer. Now I think it turned out quite nice, it was a sunny time at a cafe that I remember well and this window and flower box were just across the narrow street. What surprises me is that this sketch has garnered more views and reactions than any other post I have ever made. The second place has 30% fewer reactions than this one. To this day I am not sure why.

A few things I have learned, often the hard way, that might help you in your sketching.

People like a view that they can relate to, something familiar or a scene in which they can visualize themselves . Adding people to my sketches was a big thing, it made them less sterile, more relatable.

Scenes that have energy, which is why loose sketches, that seem spontaneous with vivid colors make a good impression. The energy is enhanced when there are vivid contrasts between the dark and light areas of the sketch.

One other observation, both experiential and based on reactions, is there must be a focal point, a key object. That object needs other objects to put it in perspective, giving depth to the scene. This is why a sketch I have done standing on some hill looking out at a vast expanse, which is overwhelming in the moment, often comes out as flat a two dimensional.

Here are the two sketches I did this week, quite different in subject matter, and a bit different in style, yet I think they both work, and the reactions of followers supports that. They both have a focal point, a bit of energy, and contrasts in colors.;

The important thing of course is to keep on sketching on our journeys, and share them with others.