All language subtitles for 02-the_school_of_abstraction

[MUSIC PLAYING]

FUTURA: When I'm
painting, I'm not

following a road map
I've drawn for myself.

I'm having a conversation
with my canvas.

I'm just following impulses.

And I guess, enabling myself
to do that, to give myself

the freedom to just go.

And don't even check yourself.

Just go.

So to me, abstraction simply
means the absence of definition

by any other classic form,
landscape, illustration,

realism.

You know, something that's
very specific, as opposed

to something that's not.

And absent of form, you
get into the abstract.

I'm not relying on someone's
definition of, hey,

your anatomy is off.

That hand's horrible.

Or, no, the trees need to have
shade and coming from-- look,

it's the afternoon light.

And all of these kind
of considerations

are fine, and all these
other applications,

but for me, it doesn't work.

You know, I'm not
that type of artist.

In the abstract realm, it's
what I determine it to be.

When I first started
painting, I was

compared to an artist
named Kandinsky,

a Russian constructivist.

I never heard of him.

Didn't know about
Russian constructivism.

And I was a little bit insulted,
because I never heard of him.

So how could I be influenced
by someone I never heard of?

But I also remember
thinking at that time,

well, this is amazing.

You know, I'm actually being
compared to a real artist.

That's cool.

Once I heard of these
abstract references

they were making in my
work, I did go to libraries.

I did look at books.

I did learn about these artists.

But I'd like to think that
even in an abstract world,

I'm still not one of
the lines in that track.

I like to always feel
whatever I'm doing,

don't label me per se.

Allow me the individuality
to constantly try

to be different and
evolve, I think also.

I think evolution is
also very important.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So now I'm going to share
with you a finished painting.

Everything is there that
I'm trying to convey.

The bits of negative space,
of course, rather than

a full on frenzy of all
this kind of activity,

which would've changed the
nature of the painting.

It would have just made it more
dark, more dense, more deep.

There's a little bit of light in
here, a little bit of airiness.

It's got everything I'm sort of
trying to get out of my work,

and a sense of,
there's a bit of--

it's not anger.

But there are some, I don't
know, like, aggressive strokes,

which are combined with the
precision it takes to do that

against the arbitrary
nature of just a drip, which

I can't control.

So obviously, this section
is premeditated drips.

And you know, I wanted that.

Because at the same time, drips
give you a sense of direction.

I mean, if you see a drip
that's actually upside down,

you would know it
was upside down.

So why not let gravity
and nature have its way?

When it comes to naming
paintings, it's like children.

You want to sometimes come up
with a cool, interesting name

for your child.

And I have got a lot of kids.

So I always give titles that
are very specific to the moment,

the situation.

And I called it Tempo Tantrum.

Not temper tantrum,
but Tempo Tantrum.

Because I think tempo is a
really big part of how I work,

whether it's completely kinetic
and, oh my God, well, you know,

yeah.

Sure, I can do all of that.

But there is a pace
to making artwork.

You find your own.

I found mine.

Mine tends to be go for it,
go for it, go, go, go, go, go.

And sometime, tantrum, in
a Webster's definition,

it's something about
uncontrollable outbursts.

And I feel like that's
what this is, too.

It's in a bit of an
uncontrollable outburst.

And my work could be
described that way, I feel,

because I don't really know.

You know, when I
started the lesson,

I don't really know which
lines I was going to make.

And sometime I
don't want to know.

Sometimes I just come in, and I
just work with what we've got.

Everything we see
within this painting,

it's within the class, i.e.

lines and technique,
coverage, composition, space,

playing with negative space.

So engage.

Dance.

Have an experience with
some artist medium.

Canvas, paper.

I would encourage you
to go beyond and carry

the imagination with you.

[MUSIC PLAYING]