When David Davison first went to interview at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for the post of a Professor, he promised himself that he would stay for a maximum of one year and then leave. He wanted to pursue his career as a visual artist. When one year was up, he allowed himself to stay for one more year and thought he would definitely leave after that. “Who knew! Who knew that I would stay on for 41 years!” said David, who is in Bangalore on an invitation to work with Swasti Art Gallery. “To be very honest, I didn’t like the school when I was asked to come in for the interview. I thought it was one among those rich kids’ schools- which it was. But then, I realised that they support a larger group of people. I also got a chance to interweave practice and theory and conduct my own courses which made teaching a valuable experience for me,” recounts David, who retired from the school last year. During his tenure at the school, he continued to work in his studio and travel with his work. “For me, the practical and theoretical aspect of art cannot be separated from each other. You cannot be a teacher one day and an artist another day,” he says.
This is not the first time David is in India. A few years ago, he travelled the length and breadth of the country as a Fulbright scholarship winner. So, what does he think of art education in Universities in India? “I cannot say much about the universities but the students that come from India and South Asia, especially, are technically quite excellent. But, they often lack a theoretical understanding of concepts. Conversely, in America, there is ingenuity, a kind of sloppiness which sometimes translates to innovation but they lack discipline. What the world needs is a balance between these two styles,” he says.
A four-decade long tenure in art education equips David, I realise, to piece together the history of art and define concepts with absolute ease — something that most artists still grapple with. I use the opportunity to ask him to define contemporary art, which has become a complex concept today, fraught with many identities all at once. “That’s easy he says. Contemporary art is the struggle of being in your own time. It is what is happening today,” he says. And when would he say the period of contemporary art begins? “Modernism ends and contemporary art begins in different parts of the world at different times. It is difficult to trace a global historical arc,” he explains.
In the history of modern art in the West, two artists stand out and make David’s eyes glisten when he talks about them. “Cezanne, during his time, ticked off a lot of people but he was a visionary. He was envisioning the neuroscience behind how we see. He was a modernist. His ideas transformed into the next generation. And then, there was Duchamp whose art still speaks to the present. He is the greatest artist of the twentieth century. We cannot say that about Matisse or Picasso though they were both skilled,” says David.
“An artist has to be both a visionary and a recorder of history. That said, not everyone is born to be an artist,” he continues. The conversation about artists sparks off a discussion about the politics of inclusion and exclusion in the discipline of art history. Clearly, some artists in the history of time made it to the canon and were celebrated at the cost of many others that are now lost forever. A violent process, I ask? “I’m not sure I would use the word violence but the history of art is very male-centric. As a teacher of almost fifty years, I say that it is not just about fairness. It is ridiculous! Women have been making art since the beginning of time but they have not been written about or recorded. Who is invited to the table is a very big deal in the world of art history,” he argues.
The struggle continues with minority groups as well, says David. “Art is not just exclusionary. People have no idea about how complex the art scene is. A career in arts is still something that is difficult to perceive for most parents, but when I was growing up, I saw artistes who loved their art and led a good life as well. Art is not just about making objects. It can be about curating or healing. It can be many things,” he says.
As an artist, David works largely with ceramics, print making and photography. Ask him why he chose to pick these media specifically and he relates it to his nature and life. “I prefer the visceral as a person. I like the tactility, the liquidity, the sensuality of the touch. There are things that one can say to the other through touch which cannot be said verbally. So, there is a sense of immediacy with ceramics. I love holding a brush or a pen too but that is different. Also, there are processes when it comes to ceramics. You get to see the art take shape over the course of time as it goes through many processes. Print making too has a similar appeal for me,” he explains.
In his last two visits to India, David has spent most of his time in Bangalore and Mysore. This year, he also travelled to Delhi for the art fair and Kochi for the Biennale. “The Art Fair was interesting. Caringly put together, it had a great spirit. But it is a little bit of a meat market. Kochi, on the other hand, was very nice. The team there has done a huge amount of work. But it has to lift itself to an international level and it is approaching that,” he says.
