Karl Knaths, Visiting Artist Lecture 1952

Karl Knaths gives a lecture at Skowhegan reflecting on his painting practice. Throughout the lecture, Knaths reflects on the importance of pictorial construction, emphasizing that it allows him to develop both a Cubist and representational aesthetic. Knaths shares slides of paintings and sculptures from various artists throughout his lecture as well, including Renaissance, Impressionist, and Cubist works. Knaths utilizes the slides to explain to the students the importance of structuring a painting, for it will allow them to strongly characterize what they wish to express. Another method to create structure that Knaths shares is to think about the thematic development of shapes. Once this is done successfully, students will be able to understand how to deal with space, lines, and color. Knaths then shares how the deeper artists go into their paintings, the less difference they will find, for it is essentially a story about who artists are as human beings. Knaths advises the students to always express themselves as artists. In order to express oneself successfully, artists should develop a method of communication that can be externalized so they can express what they wish.