Art, Not Chance : Nine Artists' Diaries

by Hugo Glendinning

Nine artists, successful in different branches of the arts, each kept a diary over a period of a few months reflecting on their work in progress. The resulting narratives make an absorbing read and powerfully illuminate the process of making art. Music is improvised and composed, new art works conceived and diaplsyed or performed, a novel is completed, poems are written, new plays evolve and old plays are reinterpreted. The diaries offer glimpses into the authors' personal and professional lives and though each is distinctively different, all reveal that art is made in a practical matter-of-fact way. Though often obsessed with their work, these contemporary artists do not live the cliche of Romantic torment, nor do they indulge in self-expression. Dreaming up ideas is relatively easy, realising them is harder. They break boundaries of language and art form and all work internationally. They are inquiring, adventurous, as interested in the telling detail as in the grand design, self-mocking, problem-solving, inventive, diverse, ambitious, open-minded, sexy, fun.

120 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and found the lives of professional artists to be fascinating and artfully depicted with their diary entries. I much preferred the science version of this book, most likely because I found those professionals to be more alike to myself, but also, probably, because I read it first and really enjoyed the novel aspect of the concept at that time. I would have loved to read a diary of a painter or an illustrator, or something of that nature, but the chosen few were still very interesting. I would definitely recommend this book as something anyone should read to gain perspective on different types of careers. It was a wonderful concept!