A New “Primitive” Artist Emerges

Svetlana T. Makhlina, Ph.D.

Saint-Petersburg University

Translation by Mel Strom, Ph.D.

            In any period, in any country, at any time and place, people inevitably come to ponder the sense of life, why they came to exist in the world, what mission they are meant to fulfill on earth, what they will leave behind. Some find themselves among children, trying to foster in them the most attractive personality traits. Some demonstrate their worth in higher professional achievement. Some undertake charity work. The examples are numerous and testify to the fact that each of us tries somehow to make life meaningful. And most succeed. But there are people gifted with artistic talents, and in that they see their destiny. At the same time, there never are people utterly deprived of talents; each of us is talented in one way or another. The complication is that we are not always able to discern in which area our talent might emerge. And that is why we see around us so many ordinary, uninteresting, "gray" people. But the entire problem is that they have not yet succeeded in finding themselves. And only a gift for artistic creation manifests itself, brightly and fully, at an early stage in the emergence of the disposition of a personality.

            It is understood that through the long history of art, it has developed well-defined laws and norms. It does not happen that, from nowhere, "...an inspired simpleton appears, opens his mouth" and poetry pours forth. One must study many things and for a long time in order to create genuine works of art. But studying how to create works of art is not something everyone is able to do.

            As is well known, in their first years children are very gifted creatures. As a rule, they all draw impressively and interestingly. But unfortunately, after starting school, this talent in many cases, because of absolutely inadequate education, becomes stifled, and by about the fifth grade the majority are incapable of creating anything interesting in the fine arts. A small portion remains that, despite inadequate education, continues to experience artistic leanings. But life is such that there are a great many obstacles forcing a gifted personality to choose a professional path far from his or her natural inclinations. And only after retirement, or in free time is such a person able to practice what he truly loves, what attracts him and brings him joy. This tendency in art has been called "naive" art or "primitive" art ¹. Henri Rousseau was such an artist (a tax collector). Niko Pirosmanishvili. Maria Primachenko. In all countries, including the U.S., there is a huge number of such artists. In the 20th century, their work began being collected and [1] shown at museums for it created interesting exhibits, because in the absence of professional skills, an artlessness, sincerity, naive purity, directness of expression attracts one to it.

            The work of Sandy Schulte-Day, in my view, belongs to exactly this type. From early childhood, she has felt drawn to drawing and painting. That intensified because in the family there were three children: two boys and her. The boys were happy together. They had their own little boy things, for which she, the little girl, was an outsider. It was left for her to go off by herself and draw. It turned out rather well. And in school, she often would enter her works in various competitions, and always would receive prizes and encouragement.

            But when it came time to chose a life's path, her parents considered an artistic one impossible. And, of course, as always, the parents were right. To become an artist, talent alone is not enough, after all. Many various fortunate circumstances need to come together in order for a person to exist as an artist, while at the same time, not being deprived of many enviable blessings of civilization. So, at the insistence of her parents, Sandy chose a practical career and became a psychologist. And only after achieving professional certification, after entering the profession, did she take up, in her spare time, unrestrained creation. That all happened just a few years ago.

            What characterizes the work of Schulte-Day? In her work one can discern three themes. The first of these is cosmic subjects in which human-like creatures move about fluidly, e.g. "Spirit Dance Interchange" (1999), "New Millennium" (2000), "Spirit Layers Dropping" (2001), "Interdependence" (2005).

            The second theme is the depiction of animals. Here, elements of the first theme often slip in. Working as a psychologist in a women's prison, encountering the shattered and onerous fortunes of women, animals turn out for her to be more attractive. For they are the repositories of a natural, pure origin. She says of herself:

 “I have loved art and the process of making art my whole life. I am so happy to be back to creating art after many years of graduate school. I am a psychologist, an artist, a spiritualist, and a naturalist. My art work is a meditative experience of combining all of these interests. I strive to show links between the spiritual world and the natural world as I have experienced them. Our society's focus has moved away from the natural world. The constant focus of the modern era has been on technological advancement. No doubt we have all benefited greatly from these developments, yet I believe that many people suffer from the sterility and isolation that has increased parallel to these advancements. Many of us yearn for a simpler life that incorporates a connection with nature's beauty and energy. I have never felt more connected with the spiritual world than when I am outdoors, at the ocean, in the forest, or in my own backyard. My spiritual life is very private to me, yet I am finally able to share pieces of it with others through my most current art work.”

            That said, it is only certain animals that attract her. Among them are the tortoise – the symbol of longevity and wisdom (there are numerous works with depictions of tortoises); the bear – as the manifestation of natural freedom and independence; the cow – with its touching eyelashes, as an expression of goodness and naivety; the owl – man's eternal identification of wisdom; the lion – the king of nature; etc.

            All of these depictions generally are situated in a framework, in the ornamental design of which Celtic and North Scandinavian motifs predominate. Things Celtic are currently in fashion, but it is not fashion that draws Sandy to them. These motifs regularly find expression in her work, springing from her own Celtic roots.

            Her works employ various techniques and media: water-color, acrylic paint, colored pencil, even ink. But a keen individuality and ability to create strong composition both in form and color are evident in all of them.

            Finally, the third theme, closely tied to the first two, is photography. One can see that, sensing her control – hardly irreproachable – of realistic painting, an attraction to photography was natural. And the fundamental features of her art are manifest here. As a rule, her main studies for portraiture are her own pets. Frequently the artist's innate humor and power of observation are evident in the works. Their varied technique, which Sandy controls masterfully, is noteworthy. A single self-portrait stands out from the basic thematic direction of the photographs. The regular, attractive features of the face echo the regular, attractive nature of the artist.

            [Dear reader,] Do not pass by a talent! Just as a plant needs care, attention, kindness and love, so a talent without them will wither and die. We wish Sandy Schulte-Day a prosperous and successful artistic life.

July 2007

The author of this article, Svetlana T. Makhlina, has a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and specializes in Aesthetics, Art History, Modern Art Critique, and Semiotics. She has published more than 300 articles, including more than 10 books. Dr. Makhlina teaches at Saint-Petersburg University of Culture and Art, in Moscow. She is a prominent member of both the Art Historians Association and the International Association Art Critics.

This article was translated from Russian by Dr. Melvin A. Strom, who has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He currently teaches Russian in Los Angeles.

 [1] Translator’s note:  literally would be "Seventh Day.” But that term in English only goes together with "Adventist," i.e. the protestant religious denomination. Besides "naive," other English terms include "primitive."