THE INTROVERTED ARTIST

A debut memoir recounts how a self-confessed introvert tried to make it as a painter but was left confounded by the art world’s expectations and restrictions.

Downey’s erudite and thought-provoking book opens with a brief recollection of an art class that emphasized the importance of communication over technique. Having strong convictions about how art should be taught, she quit the class. Before becoming a mother, the author worked in publishing in Boston. Parenthood left her little “brain space” to create, but after her children were in school, she decided to become an artist. A keen writer, she set up a blog about her journey and her first steps in the painting world. Downey found the social aspects of her work exhausting, with her introversion leaving her feeling like an outsider. The author looked at the role of contemporary artists, examining the cult of celebrity and self-promotion and the necessity of being fluent in “artspeak” and forging connections in an “ultra-social, extrovert” society. Downey’s odyssey became one of self-understanding, as she dissected her creative drives and the personal roots of her consternation regarding societal expectations. The author describes her own creative process with forthright clarity: “I plan, then I execute my plan. It may sound uninspired, but I argue that it is just as valid a way to paint as any other.” In doing so, she makes readers reconsider why artists are expected to be spontaneous and extroverted. Downey employs a sound knowledge of art history to illustrate her arguments. For example, she discusses the anonymity of painters and sculptors in ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations in contrast to the “personal fame” of artists from the Renaissance onward. The author also offers illuminating moments of introspection: “Each of these issues around art, which all came down to matters of identity and social status, brought up how I felt about myself in the world.” Some readers may be disappointed that Downey did not proceed to become a professional painter, but her memoir remains inspirational as a thorough exploration of the creative self and a search for personal satisfaction. This work will prove an invaluable handbook for readers trying to gain a foothold in the art world and for those feeling ostracized by it.

Well-researched, crisply perceptive writing on art.