To be done by the end of the week:
1. Finish “Realistic Drawings”
2. Finish Chapter 1 of “Art Fundamentals”, and write blog summaries/analysis
1. Learn 1st page of Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words #2
1. Revise up to Chapter 9
1. Finish reading “Doctor Faustus”
1. Finish reading Greek and Roman mythology
1. Learn and self-test skeletal system
Filed under Schedule, Weekly To-Do List
Abstraction takes place in art making (in various degrees) all the time, even when the art made is intended to be representational (the process of rendering a 3d object on the 2d canvas requires some manipulation and simplification on the part of the artist). With the invention of the camera, cessation of the patron system and new scientific investigation into color theory, the need for the artist to produce purely objective images receded. Artists expanded their expressive vocabulary by simplify and reorganize elements, a process known as abstraction.
The extent of abstraction in an art piece may be arranged in the following scale (in an increasing degree of abstraction):
Gustave Courbet, “Burial at Ornans” (1849)
This style is very objective and descriptive in its portrayal of the subjects, replete with specific details and leaves no room for personal interpretation. Individual characteristics of the portrayed subjects were emphasized. Gustave Courbet was a leading proponent of this movement (“Bring me an angel and I will paint you an angel”).
Honoré Daumier, “The Uprising” (c.1852-1858)
Like Naturalism, Realism is a representational approach. Unlike the former, however, Realism tends to shun specific details, instead simplifying, abstracting and generalizing its subjects to reach a universal meaning. (E.g. the struggles of all women rather than the struggles of one particular woman). Artists who produce such work tend to be more innovative and utilize more experimental brushstrokes.
Franz Marc, “Large Blue Horses” (1911)
Such art works are only partly representational; their subjects, though likely to bear some resemblance to the optical reality, have been simplified and rearranged. The Cubists are an example of an art movement which contained semi-abstract images.
Theo van Doesburg, “Abstraction of a Cow, Four Stages”, (1917) – Objective abstraction
Franz Kline,”Mahoning”, (1956) – Nonobjective abstraction
Fully abstracted works may be based on physical objects or not. For the former, i.e. objective abstraction is said to have occurred. Here, the finished work bears little resemblance to the original referenced object, an outcome which may not have been foreseen by the artist. For the latter, no referenced object is visually referred to it the creative process, i.e. nonobjective abstraction. The artists instead worked with a nonrepresentational concept not based on anything visually experienced from the start. In both cases, the end result may be similar.
Filed under "Art Fundamentals" (Ocvirk), Art, Art Theory, Musings
Organic unity in an art work is achieved when all 3 components of art (subject, form, content) are successfully combined. The work contains nothing which distracts or is extraneous, with “relationships that seem inevitable”. Organic unity, when attained, give works a feeling of completeness .
Organic unity may be achieved by the artist in many ways. An artist may approach a work by focusing on the subject, which may elicit strong feelings (content) that lead to a development of composition (form). The artist may also initiate the creative process with a particular composition in mind (form), which could suggest a certain state of mind (content), which results in a particular final image (subject). Finally, he or she may also work cathartically (content), choosing certain shapes or colors to reflect his/her feelings (form), which also creates a final image (subject).
The 3 concepts of subject, form and content are often conflated in contemporary art. As a result, the concept of organic unity in the contemporary context has changed, and could be difficult to recognize.
Filed under "Art Fundamentals" (Ocvirk), Art, Art Theory, Musings
Effusively or insincerely emotional = soppy, hokey
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The subject is the “what” of the work, i.e. the focus, image or topic. It could thus, in a visual work of art, be an object, concept or idea. The recognizability of the image depends on the degree of abstraction applied to the art piece; on the two extreme ends of the scale of abstraction are representational (objective) art works, which are well modeled to the subject’s actual appearance, and non-representational (nonobjective) artworks, where the subject has been distilled to its most basic elements.
The “how” of the work, in particular, the organization of the elements of art (e.g. texture, line, shape, color, value), usually according the the principles of organization (e.g. harmony, balance, proportion, movement, economy). The principles of organization help create “spatial relationships” among the varied elements.
The “why” of the work, namely the intellectual and/or emotional message the artist intends to convey. Both the subject and form should inform the viewer about the content of the work. Note that the content of the work may not be determined by the artist consciously.
Käthe Kollwitz, Young Girl in the Lap of Death (1934)
The stark image of the young girl, pale and relatively detailed, ensconced in a heavy mass of black, is a poignant depiction of the delicacy of life’s final moments (here, also literally) in the face of death. The high value contrasts, bold lines of the figure of Death versus the thinner ones of the girl’s face etc, seem to suggest that death in this instance is inevitable, as the young girl appears too weak and powerless to oppose Death’s embrace. A powerful sense of despair ensures.
Questions to ask Self:
Filed under "Art Fundamentals" (Ocvirk), Art, Art Theory, Musings
The definition of art is fluid, often varying from one individual to another, or from one time period to the next. Generally speaking, art refers to the practice and product of creative processes, be it involving visual, performing or musical mediums. Some philosophers have weighed in on this debate as well:
Most of this statements prompt more questions than answers. Bell’s, in particular, appears to be far to all-encompassing to be a useful definition (without any further qualifiers). In Longman’s case, what consist the faculties of the mind? If the intent of an artist is to deliberately challenge this statement, would the product of the endeavor be precluded as art? Cheney’s statement might presuppose that art is a premeditated process: as the image must be conceived, not improvised or a chanced upon like Pollock’s art works. Cheney and Santayana both deal with the idea of “pleasure”: who experiences this? Obviously some art do not intend to elicit pleasure in their viewers, instead seeking to shock or inform (Goya?). Arguably, the process of art-making is cathartic for some artists, and completing a work produces of a sense of achievement.
For some, beauty is a quality an art work must possess. Again, the qualification of the concept of beauty varies widely, and a field of philosophy, i.e. aesthetics, already studies the every fluxing definitions of it.
Filed under "Art Fundamentals" (Ocvirk), Art, Art Theory, Musings
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The Lonely Autodidact 