"I belong to the civilization of images,
leaving a mark is what matters most to me."
"Art is above all health."
"For me colours truly inhabit space: They are highly developed individuals who become a part of us. At the time I didn't think of my small monochromes as a pictorial possibility, but then I thought: why not? In the life of an artist the "why not?" moment is always decisive. It is his signal to appear to the world."
"I was convinced that in the future no one would draw anything besides monochromes. Line and form would disappear."
"One day I started painting monochrome surfaces. I must have been trying to see what was visible in the absolute."
In committing to the power of paying attention to colour; to the limitlessness of space; and the feelings and sensations various shades and tones invoke, Klein's life and legacy have become exemplary of how assuming a playful relationship with "obsession" might constructively rather than destructively govern ones work and life.
For the visually sensitive, colour has the capacity to inspire change, gratitude, hope and deep emotional response. This is part of what we find rewarding and soothing about being in nature and observing natural beauty. Klein's fascination with blue first arose when he was a young man: Lying on a bench in Nice, France, where he was born, Klein would gaze up at the sky wishing the birds circling above would disappear, allowing the blue abyss beyond to reveal itself fully to him.
He would later remark: "Sky blue was the free zone of universal imagery."
We have come to use words such as passion; obsession and dedication interchangeably; applying them to similar situations, emotions and experiences. Yet, when we say we are "passionate" about something it doesn't have the same insidious ring as when we say we are "obsessed".
Perhaps, rather than trying to define the difference between these terms, we would be better served by asking what it would mean to allow a (creative) obsession/passion to be provided for and supported in a healthful manner. In doing so, we might gain greater awareness around the application of these words, and how our daily language effects personal experiences and outlook.
equilibrium or disequilibrium."
Klein is included within a pool of 20th century artists whose work and lives exemplify the powerful impact creative drive can have on us as individuals: How dedication to, and being in service of, a seemingly "absurd" obsession can manifest in powerful works that continues to resonate decades after their creation.
Klein's influence continues to impact successive generations of artists, designers, writers and thinkers alike. Recently, the writer Maggie Nelson, dedicated an entire book to her obsession with the colour blue, matching Klein's enthusiasm and magnetic pull towards it.
"At a job interview at a university, three men sitting across from me at a table. On my cv it says that I am currently working on a book about the color blue. I have been saying this for years without writing a word. It is, perhaps, my way of making my life feel “in progress” rather than a sleeve of ash falling off a lit cigarette... One of the men asks, Why blue? People ask me this question often. I never know how to respond. We don’t get to choose what or whom we love, I want to say. We just don’t get to choose."
––Maggie Nelson, Bluets, 2009
Klein possessed a willingness to be mischievous and daring, and delighted in entering uncharted territory. Recognizing this is a reminder that creating should be enjoyable as well as diligent. At times, we must do precicsily those things that others will perceive as outlandish or strange, and thus criticize, if this is what our mission requires.
Artists like Klein embraced this attitude with vigor and Joie de vivre. By the 1950s Making art had become increasingly political and performative. Artists of varying disciplines were eager to don bold and eccentric roles in society: To be public risk taker. With technological advances –film, photography and television- came increased opportunity for this to be done visibly.
"I remain detached and distant, but it is under my eyes and my orders that the work of art must create itself... Then, when the creation starts, I stand there, present at the ceremony, immaculate, calm, relaxed... ready to welcome the work of art that is coming into existence in the tangible world."
`Blue has no dimensions; it is beyond dimensions, whereas the other colours are not... All colours arouse specific associative ideas... while blue suggests at most the sea and sky, and they, after all, are in actual, visible nature what is most abstract.`
Most artists are said to be obsessive about their work: Klein clearly was about his. We know that many creatives struggle with some form of addictive behaviors. Indeed, this manifestation of suffering has become a trade mark of the artist archetype, and was further compounded during the era from which Klein emerged, although he is not known to have personally struggled in this way. But he was extremely sensitive to his emotions and surroundings, and this is a leading character trait of many creatives, that are drawn towards addictive patterns.
It seems that Klein was able to meet himself, his drive, directly, without depending on something exterior -other than the creative process itself. This is quite exceptional, and yet it is available to all of us. Whether we meet a yearning in us by attempting to distract ourselves from it, or with curiosity; and responding by seeing what we create from these fears, emotions, obsession... It all comes from the same place.`
We can ask: What is my choice of response doing for me, and what am I responding to?
What I discover over time in recovery is that if I chose to respond to my sensitivities by making things, asking what can be created from them, allowing transformation to occur in me and through me, I see that I do not need the dependencies relied on for so long. I have the choice, and the desire to do something differently.
Adapting to recovery, abstinence and sobriety can sometimes feel like a radical move away from the mainstream too. Destructive behaviors have become normalized to the extent that relinquishing them is often perceived as its own extreme. This way of life is something we perceive as happening on the fringes, whilst the rest of society live and behave `normally`.
"They missed the point:
They didn't see my desire for art to be one with life."
As I go on wanting to make art and to maintain overall well-being and steadiness, a courage and willingness to be transparent in this process is growing in accordance. We are gifted the choice to remain anonymous in our recovery, and i suppose with what we create, too. And this is important; it is freedom of choice. But it can also become a way to diminish ourselves, and avoid possible rejection and discomfort.
Recovery is not something we should feel compelled to obscure or be ashamed to tell other people about. Surely abstinence is no more radical than spreading blue paint on a canvas? Today, the latter would not be considered odd by most. When Yves Klein began this creative process, people thought it absurd –what he did is now considered genius.
His work has is now beloved by, and accessible to the mainstream, displayed in the worlds most prestigious museums along with other "masterpieces," where it was once rejected and mocked by critics. Klein stood behind his work always, and soon the rest of the world would too.
What if he had succumb to the pressures of criticism –given up or conformed? How different the landscape of Modern art would have been.
What would it mean to allow ourselves to speak of obsession and obsessiveness in a more neutral way?
Regardless of if, when, or how we choose to adopt recovery principles into our life –to become less dependent or indeed, free from addiction– we are still in and of this world: How can we embrace this life; experience it fully, and recover well at the same time?
Klein was commited to, and driven by, a desire to inhabit colour and explor pictorial space; so much so that it dominated his existence. Finding that thing that holds our attention in a consistent, life affirming manner, and nourishing this in ways that reduces self-sabotaging behaviors and promotes emotional well being, is what, for me, creative recovery is about.
We are encouraged to commit ourselves to work we love, enjoy and that we know matters. This type of dedication and drive should be life giving as opposed to depleting in the long term; sustainable rather than a temporary fix or distraction –it is the stuff stable recovery and sobriety can be built on.
Doing what we love brings us to life, thus making addiction`s persistent diminution of that life force, by way of destructive behavior, counter-intuitive.
Research suggest we are more likely to give up bad habits in a sustainable manner by supplementing that which hurts us with a preferable replacement. I.e. recovery. I.e. things that bring joy without also inflicting physical and mental damage on ourselves and those around us. In other words, we can shift an obsession or commitment to self-defeating action, to more positive ones by locating something worth being in service to.
This is the part of us we call our ego, is the voice that says: "I want..", "I need...". "I cannot live without..."
It is actually essential if we are to know what we want. These desires are guide posts. Our egoic voice is not something that can or should be dismissed or irradiate as some people suggest. But it does require regulations and deeper investigation. Much of what the ego asks for cannot be taken at face value.
So It is a helpful indicator, but if we give it too much millage, this mischievous character will take all it can get. It is the higher part of our knowing that we must rely on to determine whether that "want" is something worthy of our energy and time.
"I had left the visible, physical blue at the door, outside, in the street. The real blue was inside, the blue of the profundity of space, the blue of my kingdom, of our kingdom!" |
"For me, each nuance of a color is in some way an individual, a being who is not only from the same race as the base color, but who definitely possesses a distinct character and personal soul."
"Space is waiting for our love, as I am longing for you; go with me, traveling through space."
"My monochrome surfaces are freedom-scapes."
"Sky blue was the free zone of universal imagery."
"With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft."
"Cutting into color reminds me of the sculptor's direct carving."
--Henri Matisse
"Once I traveled to the Tate in London to see the blue paintings of Yves Klein, who invented and patented his own shade of ultramarine, International Klein Blue (IKB), then painted canvases and objects with it throughout a period of his life he dubbed “l’epoque bleue...
...Standing in front of these blue paintings, or propositions, at the Tate, feeling their blue radiate out so hotly that it seemed to be touching, perhaps even hurting, my eyeballs, I wrote but one phrase in my notebook: too much. I had come all this way, and I could barely look. Perhaps I had inadvertently brushed up against the Buddhist axiom, that enlightenment is the ultimate disappointment. “From the mountain you see the mountain,” wrote Emerson."
––Bluets
"Goethe describes blue as a lively color, but one devoid of gladness. “It may be said to disturb rather than enliven.” Is to be in love with blue, then, to be in love with a disturbance? Or is the love itself the disturbance? And what kind of madness is it anyway, to be in love with something constitutionally incapable of loving you back?"
––Bluets
"Man needs color to live; it's just as necessary an element as fire and water."
Fernand Léger
"Pure, existential space was regularly winking at me, each time in a more impressive manner, and this sensation of total freedom attracted me so powerfully that I painted some monochrome surfaces just to 'see,' to 'see' with my own eyes what existential sensibility granted me: absolute freedom!"
"To paint space, I owe it to myself to go there, to that very space ... without illusions or tricks, nor with a plane or a parachute or a rocket ship: the painter of space must go there with his own means, with an independent individual force, in a word, he must be capable of levitation."
In the light of his current artistic prestige, one could easily surmise that Klein was critically acclaimed and financially successful throughout his working life, but this was not the case. As a recent article in The Guardian makes clear, Klein struggled to make money, taking on various jobs to support himself, including working as a picture framer in London between 1949-50.
“To earn my living, I worked illegally for about a year in the Old Brompton Road frame shop of Robert Savage, a friend of my father. It was there, assisting in the preparation of size, colours, varnish, of gilt bases, that I became familiar with the material, with handling it ‘in bulk"
Confronting Criticism and Perceiving Failure
Yves first exhibition was held in his London bedsit where he displayed paintings made on pieces of discarded cardboard, stuck to the walls with tack:
-Richard Calvocoressi, The Guardian
When Klein did eventually exhibit with London galleries, critics thought his explicit interest in colour was philosophically interesting, but artistically absurd. Reviews of his early exhibitions were hostile, calling his work `silly` and `cheap`. As early as the bedsit show, Klein never appears to have been dissuaded by lack of money or approval –he had found what he loved, and know what he wanted to do with it. Nor was his output affected or diminished by the later critical attack. A year may sound like a short stint, but for one whom died so young, the time Klein spent as a framer was significant. |
He spoke of his time working as a framer -earning a living laboring on behalf of other artists (as many do)- rather than on his own work, as essential to the development of his craft and mastering of specific techniques
We can see how, with hindsight, it is often those unexpected experiences, jobs, relationships and periods of time –those which felt like, or could be construed as waiting or wasting time–that turn out to have great impact on the people we become and work we create.
Our mission becomes to trust and build confidence in the things we want to do, achieve and become; cultivating eagerness to continue exploring themes of personal importance as Klein did. Having a more even-handed response to inner and outer criticism, validation or success, is what many of us have to practice in order to persevere with a vision and inhabit creative lives.
It is tempting to fall into the the trap of believing that one is only an artist if the work we do earns money; if others like it; the material or equipment is of the highest quality; and we are educated to the utmost degree via the top ranking establishments.
Klein worked as a framer; used sponges; cheap poster paint and whatever else was available in order to make his art. He was an artist: His work and vision mattered to him, and so he did what he had to in order to keep moving forward. This is real grit.
One art dealer who resided in London during the time of Klein`s first London gallery exhibition and knew the artist: '...recalls Klein (who was six years his senior) as being focused, with a plan, not dissolute or drinking as other artists were at the time.` ( The Guardian)
So –– We find out what our work is; and then we commit to doing it.
It is becoming increasingly necessary to untangle artists and admired creatives from the effects of historisizing and nostalgic glamorization. We enjoy remembering these people in terms of extreme highs and excessive bottoms; in light of their successes, whilst diminishing the more mundane moments. | |
Towards the end of his life, Klein was featured in the documentary film Mondo cane (A Dog's World,) written and directed by Italian filmmakers Paolo Cavara, Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti. It premiered in the Cannes film festival of 1962, and was initially lampooned by the press and public, whilst going on to become a huge box office success. Klein suffered a small heart attack following the premiere, and two more a few weeks days later that lead to his death. It is said that the film misrepresented Klein and that the criticism overwhelmed him. But to suggest that the film's initial rejection was the reason for his death seems too simple. Klein lived and worked vigorously. Over the course of a decade, he simultaneously encountered huge success and support from collectors, as well as mockery and attack from critics who misunderstood him, and feared the break down of established artistic traditions. |
We can be certain that those we now celebrate and admire, anyone who created something that mattered, pushed the envelope whilst facing a heady mix of praise and rejection –where not super human. In fact, attempting something new or different causes us to confront the full spectrum of our humanness like nothing else. Name your foremost inspiration, Mozart or Matisse; Steve Jobs or Stanley Kubrick –they all experienced difficulty, took a minor job to get by, made compromises, and had to confront defeating behaviors in themselves and others along the way.
What causes any artwork or artist to remain relevant or loved is not initial reception –these details become footnotes: It is their ongoing ability to improve and support our lives through what they made and left for us; how these things change us; move and walk beside as companions –this is what gives work its shelf-life.
Allowing who we are
It is one thing to discover and admit to ourselves the reality of who we are, and what makes us function. It is another to offer this outwardly and let the world receive it in whatever way it wishes.
Presenting myself to others as an artist and an introverted creator, because I choose to allow these things, and not because they are easy, can feel as uncomfortable as `admitting` that I am in recovery from various addictions and dependencies. Both are often received with a mixture of intrigue, confusion, envy, contempt and pugnacious reactivity. I sense that attempting to obscure these base truths for fear of how others would react is what lead me to addiction in the first place. So that's simply no longer an option.
Confronted with doubt or the fear of judgement from others, I can look at the example of people like Yves Klein:
The way they lived,
the boldness with which they embraced their inner loves and obsession,
the work that was created as a result,
the courage and conviction they displayed,
–and ask Klein's essential and emboldening question: Why not?
Natasha.
- All images are courtesy of the Yves Klein online archive.
- All the quotes are those of Yves Klein unless otherwise stated. Most of which are extracted from "Yves Klein La Revolution Bleue" by Francois Levy-Kuentz.
- Richard Calvocoressi Article for The Guardian.
- Maggie Nelson, Bluets