8.40 am. A tour of the upper studios. ‘And the words of the prophets are written …’:

I was reminded of the following sage reflections on the same:

My freedom thus consists in my moving about within the narrow frame that I have assigned for myself for each one of my undertakings. I shall go even further: my freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. . . . If the modern artist is no longer subject to external restrictions, then this simply means that he has the freedom to set himself limitations, to invent, so to speak, his own sonnet form (Bridget Riley, Paintings 1982-1992).

The positive benefits of pluralism go hand in hand with its negative or disintegrative character. For one thing, allowing unlimited freedom of expression undermines the importance of what is being expressed, and the sheer over ability of options actually lowers the degree of innovation possible (Suzi Gablik, Has Modernism Failed?) 

Today we are in the unfortunate position of having no order or canon whereby all artistic production is submitted to rules. They – the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians – did. Their canon was inescapable because beauty, so called, was, by definition, contained in those rules. But as soon as art had lost all link with tradition, and a kind of liberation that came in with Impressionism permitted every painter to do what he wanted, painting was finished (Pablo Picasso).

Some principles and observations derived from today’s encounters and reflections:

• If you stand still in the midst of the forest you won’t find your way out. Likewise, you’ll not solve a problem with your work by ceasing to work. Work through the problem.
• The pursuit of fun is not a reason for doing anything. But if what you’re doing is never fun, then there’s something seriously amiss.
• We may fret about the small things and yet be entirely oblivious to weighty matters. It’s so important to develop a sense of perspective and proportion.
• The best students bring out the best in teachers.
• A desultory effort in the first and second year of studies may yet lead to a triumphant outcome at the close of the third year.

I’m both humbled and encouraged by those students who, having been the bane of one’s life in the past (Bless them!), have taking themselves to task, discovered the dignity of learning and a worth in their work, and escaped the gravity of their past.

The morning was dedicated to my two MA fine art tutees and, at 11.00, refreshments at the Cabin and a tutorial with one of our PhD fine art students in their studio space at the Old College. Before I left for town, I looked over developments in the studios:

After lunch, back at the mothership, I caught up on emails, fed-back on an application, and began my final advisory sessions with the exhibiting postgraduate students:

I returned to dissertation marking in my office, in between periodic tours of the studios and occasional responses to the needy and fretful.

In the evening, I maintained my commitment to dissertation assessment. I’ve a tight marking and preparation schedule this week, and every morning, afternoon, and evening session are accounted for. Woe-betide anyone who asks me to something out of the blue and quickly: