In the past week I have seen some great performances, not on stage but on canvas and paper.The performances on paper are by Philip Guston at the Morgan Library and those on canvas are by Kirchner in the current MoMA show, Kirchner and the Berlin Street.
My
intention in mentioning these artists is not to comment on their work,
but to point out that as I see it every time an artist of any kind
creates something and there is a potential audience for it, it is a
performance.
Of course many artists think not at all of an audience as
they work, but stage actors have to be aware of the audience because
the audience is a component in bringing the creation to life. It isn’t
necessary to be so aware of the audience in rehearsal, but in the
ultimate act of creation, it must be taken in. I won’t go into the
envious situation of painters and writers who have the freedom and
luxury to work alone – actors have to audition even to acquire the
materials they need to work.
My
mother loved me to sing and dance for her when I was growing up and she
also liked my little drawings and things I wrote, which as I created
them I was also performing for her. But perhaps because as the audience
she became a part of the live performances, they got her going the
most. Because what I liked most was to get my mother going, I became an
actor.