Gonzalo Torné

The new technologies require old knowledge

At this time in history, one might wonder why we keep painting, why we continue to evolve an apparently finished product whose development has been taking shape since prehistoric times. At this point in civilization, if we have an endless list of masterpieces then perhaps all that is important has already been expressed. Then again, in the last decades there have been voices that have clamored that painting is dead, that there is nothing else to add, and that it is not worth continuing to paint. Furthermore, in addition to these “buriers” there are voices that blame technological advancement (TV, video, Internet…) for killing painting, for making it something totally useless, old, or simply disconnected from new technology.

However, if we conceive painting as a form of generating virtual images, selecting new media for their production is only one possible way that plastic arts can be manifested. This choice is without a doubt a different way of “painting”, that can sometimes be considered, among other things, one of the contemporary plastic arts. That is why the use of new technologies does not guarantee the disappearance or death of painting as such.

I view painting as a form of thinking, a way to think and express as “painter.” It is a way of seeing and feeling that has moved us since the beginning of humankind – that is the way we “the painters that paint” sense it, we have inherited that from the painters that came before us many centuries ago. I identify myself with direct, sensitive creation, one that is intimate with emotion. The creation of my work is found within a life that is offered by the painter's soul and instinct. More than anything, I am a painter that paints.

Besides, painting in general has allowed us to know and feel certain things that only painting brings to our conscience. More specifically, one of the things that my work intends to show is that new technological media can be a great ally to painting, since together they broaden the possibilities of creation and the possibilities of the investigation of plastic arts. There are ways of thinking and intentions that are specific and typical of the language of painting and, consequently, they are necessary when the painter feels and expresses himself. New technology, as any other technique or artistic media, does not exclude knowledge and expertise accumulated throughout the history and progress of plastic art.

Moreover, today there is still an immense sector of knowledge from which painting can only continue to advance. Perhaps we still keep painting and developing our own conscience, because every period of time needs this particular way of thinking, and we need to investigate our own sector of creation that does not coincide with that of the preceding artists.

The use of the many different kinds of mediums, be they physical, screens, lighting, fixed, sequential, etc., is not the relevant aspect of the creation of art. As a matter of fact, the same work of art can be conceived for different displays by considering the work itself or the available space for the exhibit. Besides, I think that every technical advance has benefited plastic arts, and technology is a good example of this; it hasn’t buried the art of painting but on the contrary – it has brought new tools. Throughout history, artists have utilized new technology that society has brought forth, and as a result they can understand and express not only their times and their own identity, but also their role as painters in this society.

Problems arise when the fascination with technology becomes a myth. In other word, we can get carried away with the technique, its immediate impact and its almost infinite effects and its spectacular visuals. This could lead to abandoning or even forgetting the authentic creative purpose, and in turn, running the risk of creating only artificial work.

It is for this reason that I try to develop my work by looking at past experiences: adding new approaches, applying new instruments offered by new technology, and defending that new technologies require old ways of thinking.

Text by Gonzalo Torné, Madrid, 1999

 Artist:
Gonzalo Torné
Spain

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