Recently we watched a documentary film about the life and work of Paula Rego. I have long admired her work, and the film did justice to it. By the end of the film, however, I was really feeling quite wretched. It was clear to me that there are no circumstances under which I could ever produce work of the kind and intensity for which she is known.
I shared this with my wife, and her response was interesting and to some extent encouraging. She pointed out that the kind of comparison I was making was inappropriate. Rego has had a very particular artistic project, and very specific ways of working. Her art is driven by a commitment to making as explicit as possible her own inner condition, however painful that might be. Whereas her achievement in this respect is formidable the rest of us are not under any obligation to attempt to replicate what she does. What we do need to do is to be as true as it is possible to be to our own personal visions.
Having said this, of course, the problems do not just evaporate. The development of that degree of self-insight is by no means easy. The sense of a coherent “project” is probably a necessary precondition for any success in art. One does need to recognise, however, that not all art is the same kind of art, and there is no need to be burdened by the perception of another person’s genius.