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What’s more inspiring, painting life or painting imagination?

A person who can paint is truly lucky. After all, the ability to represent life or inanimate objects on canvas is no mean feat. There is however a lot of debate on what is seen as more meaningful – painting life or painting from imagination. There are vociferous supporters for both styles of painting, and it is indeed difficult to come across as a clear winner. Painting or art for the matter of fact is quite subjective in nature and each person will have a different way of putting across his thoughts. Something that is right for one might not be the same for another. However, as the debate rages on, let’s see what comes across as more inspiring to painters, life or imagination.

To put it in simple words, painting life would involve drawing your inspiration from objects around you, be it any living form or pictures. It means having the subject of your painting in front of you, as you recreate it on canvas or paper. Many great artists have perfected the art of painting life. Meanwhile, painting from imagination is greatly dependent on memory. It means creating something from scratch, based on what you visualize in your mind. Additionally, painting from imagination would require the artist to have very sharp observational skills. Since the nature of the subject is abstract, the artist would also need to constantly critique his work, in order to ensure that he is on the right track to realize his vision.

When it comes to painting life, some artists feel guilty of cheating because they relied on external stimuli for their creation. In short, they didn’t create anything that was spurred by their imagination. They should however realize that looking up an object they cannot otherwise visualize in their mind doesn’t amount to cheating. They should instead view it as trying to find inspiration from an object, which they would later recreate in their own way. It should be noted that painting life has been prevalent for centuries, with some great artists also deriving their inspiration from the life buzzing around them. On a side note, you should however remember that if you are using pictures as your muse, do check for copyright clauses.

Every artist’s dream is to have a vivid imagination that would help them translate their ideas on canvas. However, they also know that it is not easy to have a forever active imagination, or to do justice to it every single time. No wonder, some artists complain of their work becoming very fuzzy if they try to paint from their imagination. However, there are still many who have been successful in doing so.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to how an artist wants to bring his or her painting to life. All they need is to have faith in their skills and a respect for their craft. Moreover it is practice that makes a person perfect. If you are someone who is really keen to be known for your imaginative paintings, do keep striving for perfection. True efforts are sure to yield good results some day.

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