Monday, December 12, 2011

A World of Good

"Mind you, the most perfect steersman that you can have, and the best helm, lie in the triumphal gateway of copying from nature. And this outdoes all other models; and always rely on this with a stout heart, especially as you begin to gain some judgment in draftsmanship. Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is it will be well worth while, and will do you a world of good."
--Cennino d'Andrea Cennini, The Craftsman's Handbook

2 comments:

love the girls said...

"always rely on this with a stout heart"

Well, yes and no. We look to nature, and then we should perfect those observations according to our own nature which demands an ordering beyond what observed nature has to offer us.

For instance.

We decorate our woven baskets with beautiful designs and in doing so perfect the art of weaving both in the weave as well as in the appearance.

Or in architecture, styles are not straight jackets limiting our placement of windows in a room, but ordering which gives us a sense of place.

Paul Stilwell said...

Yes, I see what you're saying.