{"id":9695,"date":"2021-07-26T14:33:18","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T18:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=9695"},"modified":"2021-07-26T14:37:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T18:37:39","slug":"its-all-been-done-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/07\/its-all-been-done-before\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s all been done before"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I determined to finish Woman in White-stripped Dress<\/em>. Even though I failed, I was excited to get back at it again today. This afternoon, I ran out of gas before finishing it. Oh well. Sometimes I can force myself to continue after I’m gassed but there is a chance I’ll spoil the work when I do that.<\/p>\n

What’s the problem, you might ask? OK, the problem is seeing<\/em>. When I’m fresh and ready to strike, what do I see<\/em>? Something I’ve never seen before. It’s like I discovered the entire world. This might puzzle you and strike you as affectation No!  Seeing is the beating heart of realism.  Maybe I can explain it better this way: when my eyes are poised to see the beauty hidden in the world about me, things are transformed from the merely mundane into the wildly beautiful. Scientists look at the world with new eyes too. What’s the difference? Beauty is what makes seeing<\/em> art instead of science.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Cleveland Museum of Art Opens Renovations<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Is beauty real? Beauty is as real as the discoveries provided by science and few question the reality of science. So, yes, beauty is real. For science, the book of nature awaits discovery. How much of the book has already been discovered? Most sober-minded scientists believe that only a vanishingly small portion of what awaits discovery has been discovered. It’s the same with art. The mysterious book of beauty awaits discovery. Realism begins here.<\/p>\n

This is why I don’t have patience for the theme song of the post-modernists–“It’s all been done before.” Save your sympathy for such beauty-deprived souls because they’ve convinced themselves that their opinion is cutting edge. On the contrary, look around and you’ll see Duchampists celebrating Duchamp as if it’s current news. But Duchamp exhibited his urinal in 1917–over a hundred years ago! In reality, the “It’s all been done before’ crowd is not new. In fact, from the beginning of time people believed that what is currently known is the sum of all that can be known.     <\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>In the Studio Oct. 14 2012<\/span><\/a><\/div>

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In the middle of discovery, I follow my eyes. I don’t put the brush done until my eyes let me.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces<\/span><\/a><\/div>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What isn’t done in Woman in White-stripped Dress<\/em>? I don’t like talking about this stuff (it’s personal!) but, among other things, the redhead’s sunglasses aren’t finished.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I determined to finish Woman in White-stripped Dress. Even though I failed, I was excited to get back at it again today. This afternoon, I ran out of gas before finishing it. Oh well. Sometimes I can force myself to continue after I’m gassed but there is a chance I’ll spoil the work when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":9688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[251,6,24,19,343],"tags":[86],"class_list":["post-9695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aesthetics","category-paintings","category-shop_talk","category-studio","category-turpentine-diaries","tag-postmodern"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-7-25-studio.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14087,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2025\/12\/healing-brush\/","url_meta":{"origin":9695,"position":0},"title":"Healing brush","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"December 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Painting is seeing. 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While you think about imitating an emotion or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "aesthetics"","block_context":{"text":"aesthetics","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/aesthetics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nggallery_import\/barefoot-janey.png?fit=600%2C855&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nggallery_import\/barefoot-janey.png?fit=600%2C855&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nggallery_import\/barefoot-janey.png?fit=600%2C855&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11281,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2022\/09\/book-review-ink-black-heart\/","url_meta":{"origin":9695,"position":1},"title":"Book review: Ink Black Heart","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"September 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently listened to the audio version of the detective novel The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith. Galbraith is the pen name used by J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. This novel is the 6th and latest in this series for adults. In these novels, Galbraith chronicles the adventures\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jkr.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jkr.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jkr.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jkr.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5352,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/08\/in-the-studio-83015\/","url_meta":{"origin":9695,"position":2},"title":"In the studio 8\/30\/15","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"August 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My kids are used to seeing themselves in paintings. 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The seeing I'm describing is seeing with judgment. This is aesthetic judgment that engages beauty.\u00a0 Unfortunately, when most people hear the word \"beauty,\" they think of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "aesthetics"","block_context":{"text":"aesthetics","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/aesthetics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunters2.jpg?fit=800%2C569&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunters2.jpg?fit=800%2C569&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunters2.jpg?fit=800%2C569&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/hunters2.jpg?fit=800%2C569&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8878,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2020\/07\/geneva-oil-paint-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":9695,"position":4},"title":"Geneva Oil Paint non review","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"July 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Readers have asked why I don't have a review of Geneva brand oils in my Oil Paint reference. The short answer is that I haven't used their oils. The longer answer is a little more complicated; I have no intention of trying this brand. I know. I'm someone who has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grumpy review"","block_context":{"text":"Grumpy review","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/grumpy-review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-6-14-studio2.png?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-6-14-studio2.png?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-6-14-studio2.png?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-6-14-studio2.png?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13679,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2024\/09\/loaded-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":9695,"position":5},"title":"Loaded again","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"September 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I know what you're thinking but, no, not that kind of loaded. I get excited when I prepare my palette for another painting session. Seeing the waiting colors is inviting. I coat the glass palette with oil before applying the colors and mixed tones. This makes cleanup easier. 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