Todd Williamson Essay
#39 Christopher Monger (Visiting Painting)
#40 Todd Williamson (Response Painting)
The search for truth is elusive. It is ever changing and always at the mercy of the greatest debater in the room. It has been said, “Truth is beauty, and beauty truth.” This idea in the art world creates diametrically opposed meanings and great discussions.
I started this work with a great deal of contemplation as to what truth the painting that I was given had. Was it true in concept? Was it true in color? What did it tell me about what was expected of me?
After great debate, I realized that the Circle of Truth can only be one thing and that is the truth of your own abilities and creativity. The previous painting had little to do with what I would create other than to sit in my studio and keep me company. It was a catalyst to push me on into this unknown vision started some many months prior.
Is art as a truth external or internal? Does it reside in me, or the previous artists that long ago started this process or do we both own pieces of the truth?
By its very nature, art is free from the confines of the world and has a duty to expose concepts and ideas that we do not normally see or cannot exist by any other means. It has its own truth, which in turn forms its own content. This allows for the great debates about truth in art and what beauty is.