Day 3,693: The Downs

I really do wish we taught more of the downs of a legendary artist’s career. I understand why we don’t: there’s only so much time, only so long you can hold a student’s attention, and there is probably the most to learn from the works that were successful…but I’m experiencing just how much there is also to learn from the struggles, from the works—even by a great artist—that didn’t turn out so well.

It humanizes the legend. It turns them into a person, and it removes the illusion or expectatio...