Writing Art

Writing art, as a play on words I could be talking about writing well, or writing about art. Actually I’d love to talk about both in this post today. I love words, because they can paint a picture, and I love art that tells a story.

When writing about art, I don’t only want to do know who painted or sculpted it. I also would like to know the story behind it, as well as the location and history of it afterwards. As with all writing, writing about art should not only convey a picture, it should tell a story.

As I mentioned, I’d like to write both to authors who want to write about art in some form, and about the art of writing. In both cases, your post should allow the reader to easily imagine the scene. Writing well doesn’t mean over detailing, but it does mean setting a scene for the reader to walk into. If describing a piece of art, they should be able to see more than the painting itself.

For example, there are many ways to write the following sentence, but let’s look at two. First, the simple way is to say, the old woman walked into the art gallery to see Gorge’s painting of her. This is an entry point to the reader, but it can be expanded upon. Yvette walked into Le Pierre’s small art gallery to see her husband Gorge’s painting of her when she had been in the military.

There is an excellent BBC show called Fake Or Fortune. In it they tell the story of a painting including who painted it, how it was painted, and what happened to it after that time to the present day. While this is a tv show, it has been crafted well due to the writers. Artful writing, whether about objects of art, or any other subject can be easily adapted to many forms.

This is true about writing and about art. For example, I’ve known people from all walks of life who enjoy art. It’s why there are both Picasso and Grandma Moses, they loved to create pictures. It’s also why people love both Charles Schultz and Charles Dickens in every area of life. The words form pictures, and the pictures tell stories. The two go hand in hand.

I would suggest that in your writing, you apply these simple ideas. Write in a welcoming way to your readers. Write in a way that paints a picture for them, but allows them to use their imaginations. Write in a way that engages, intrigues, and gives the reader a window into the story you’re telling.

Whether describing a painting from the 1940’s and how it was protected from Hitler’s grasp, or telling the story of a family climbing the social ladder to make a better future for their children, it can be told in an artful way. Strive to paint the picture for your readers in a way that is inviting. Writing art is about more than just forming a picture, it’s about lighting it well so that the reader can get a better view of it.