The Art of Idleness
“To do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world, the most difficult and the most intellectual.”
- Oscar Wilde
Through his most recent works, Nicolás Olivares invites us to observe time and to contemplate the virtue of idleness. This series of portraits echo the observations of many philosophers and writers’ regarding the spiritual condition and the importance of idleness.
Untitled (2020)
Oil on canvas
195 x 97 cm
“the periods of great trials offer us the opportunity to observe that men are curiously more likely to die for an ideal good than to know how to live for it.”
- ‘The Art of Idleness’, Hermann Hesse
Untitled (2020)
Oil on canvas
200 x 191 cm
The etymology of the word ‘idleness’ often carries a negative connotation; it is typically perceived as a problem associated with laziness and lassitude. Such a notion is reflected in the proverb “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.
On the contrary, the state of idleness is also recognised and celebrated for its value. Kierkegaard argued that:
“Idleness, we are accustomed to say, is the root of all evil. To prevent this evil, work is recommended.... Idleness as such is by no means a root of evil; on the contrary, it is truly a divine life, if one is not bored....”
- Either/Or: A Fragment of Life, Søren Kierkegaard
Untitled (2020)
Oil on canvas
35 x 27 cm
The idleness can be understood in its conventional sense of otium. An alternate perspective of our relationship to existence: an art of looking that advocates the freedom of the individual. Moments of idleness allows us to find harmony within ourselves, and to appreciate the significance of deep reflection. More importantly, by becoming idle we empower our freedom to do so without feeling a sense of pressure. To embrace idleness means there is a desire to prioritise and honour ourselves. Being in suspension of time enables the mind to wonder - it is a conscious act of living that inspires creativity and imagination.
Untitled (2020)
Oil on canvas
65 x 54 cm
“I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organised diminution of work.”
- In Praise of Idleness, Bertrand Russell
For many artists like Olivares, being idle is a key element to their practice: the focus on details requires the artist to return to the canvas after moments of still contemplation, painting layers after layers, reflecting their thoughts each time to bring more depth to the final piece. Equally as essential as the materials, without the element of time in idleness, the artist’s work would be meaningless or non-existing.
Untitled (2020)
Oil on canvas
119.5 x 99.5 cm
Upon observation, art has the ability to extract the viewers from time in the way that:
"we no longer wish for the end to approach, because, for some moments, we are in the grip of an immense enchantment - the divinity of idleness has touched us with his miraculous wand”.
Untitled (2020)
Oil on canvas
81 x 65 cm
Olivares’ paintings act as a stage for such moments of idleness, where time has become an object of contemplation. His semi-naked, indolent figures appear elongated, and seemingly abandon themselves to the suspension of time. In doing so, they become personifications of the idleness of all of those who have shared the experience of confinement in recent times.
“it is the background of this art that exerts on us such a magical fascination (...), idleness raised to rank of an art, mastered and savoured with delicacy”
- Art of Idleness, Hermann Hesse