Workshop Demonstration
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In trying to sum up what I learned in my association
with Hensche, I made a list. Henry taught me more than just this list, but these are the salient points for
painting growth. Hensche taught me... ...to see the light, not the object. The object is the light. ... how color was the universal adjective. It is an adjective when it is descriptive. Art can be a noun when it is narrative. When it is a narrative it loses its universality. Hensche is universal, therefore, a true "classical" painter. ... that history is the constant redefinition of man, not just in art but in all things. ... to be a teacher of inquiry and not answers. Every painting asks great questions. Failed paintings are too explicit. ... that a painting is a record of your visual development. ... that line is man's invention to represent nature. Color is nature's representation of itself. ... that a painter is a teacher of how beautiful the world is. ... that we don't have to relearn all of art to get to the present day knowledge of art, but a knowledge of the history of painting is essential in our development.
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One of the most important things I learned was that
the Hawthorne-Hensche Approach to painting is not a
"how-to-do" approach to painting. Henry never really
taught anyone utilizing a "how-to" method. A detailed
and lengthy procedure would only seem to be the
solution to our painting problems. Henry knew better
than to do this to his students. The answers rested in
our own trained visual logic. To this end, I remember
my own words of gratitude to Henry before he died.
"Thank you, Henry. Not for teaching me how to paint,
or even how to see. Thank you for teaching me how to
study." His last long conversations with me were riddled with doubt, fear, and anger. He wanted Hawthorne's story to be told and seemed so frustrated with everyone's lack of understanding of what Hawthorne accomplished. In the end, the urgency in his demeanor was undeniable. I think it was the final cry of a man with a sense of history wanting his due, and with all he had done, wanted just a little more. His desire was never for self-aggrandizement, but it was for self-fulfillment. It was as though he was singing a strident and unresolved final chord in an elaborate orchestration of color painting in history.
From "Hensche on Painting", by John Robichaux, 1998 |
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NOTE: The Henry Hensche Foundation is a non-profit organization for the sole purpose of documenting the life and teachings of Henry Hensche. It endorses no political or religious beliefs and welcomes those students who have long studied the method and approach taught by Henry Hensche and Charles W. Hawthorne. Students who fit this catagory are encouraged to display their paintings by contacting the Foundation