Terms of Representation in Art - Essay Example

In terms of representation how is ‘naturalism’ to be understood? Provide examples of naturalism from histories of visual culture. In the context of representation and visual culture discuss the shift from naturalism to abstraction. In terms of representation how is ‘naturalism’ to be understood? Provide examples of naturalism from histories of visual culture. In the context of representation and visual culture discuss the shift from naturalism to abstraction. Page 1: Intro: state the question (250 words) Page 2: definition of key words from the question (naturalism, abstraction, representation) Page 3: examples (naturalism1, naturalism 2) Page 4: description Page 5: examples (naturalism 3, naturalism 4) Page 6: description Page 7-9: discuss the shift from naturalism to abstraction Page 10: conclusion: reiteration of the question you can use the lecture notes as the reference, but not use too many. And research other 8 references. Do not use online information because the tutor will use the 'turnitin' to check the similarity. Introduction Representation in art takes various forms and as the word suggests, it involves the use of something to stand in for the real thing. In art, representation loosely implies the use of signs and images to represent the real thing. The use of images dates way back to the periods of early man where images have been discovered in caves representing various things. However, the study of representational art began during the early renaissance period. Over the years, how representation is used and applied in the day to day lives has changed to fit with changes in lifestyles, philosophy, technology and other issues. One of the many forms of representation aims at using signs and images to depict the actual thing in the most natural way hence the term naturalism. This form of representation has been used in various disciplines both in academics, history and arts. The use has received support and criticism in equal measure from various sources. The result has given rise to other forms of representation using various dynamics. However, such changes have not been radical but gradual thus creating an observable period between which artists transformed their style and form. Some of the major artists who popularised naturalism include William Bliss Baker and Julien Dupre. This paper will thus provide sample works of naturalism and discuss them briefly. The paper will also give a discussion on the shift from naturalism to abstractionism. Key words Representation: this term is derived from the Latin word representare which means “to make present or manifest or to present” (Sukla, p. 1). Sukla further defines representation as an “ocular concept that explains the dualistic nature of human experience (that) refers to the relation between two items in our experience, the mind and the world” (p. 1). This definition has been greatly used in Greek works and Greek scholars such as Plato for explaining the nature of the physical world dualistically. This means that the physical world can be expressed both in abstract concepts and material phenomena. Naturalism: The tendency by artists to portray other things through images in their natural setting. An image is termed or said to be naturalistic in comparison to how well it resembles the world in the natural setting. This form of art strictly adheres to nature resisting any use of ideal forms. Dewey (2005) on the other hand says that naturalism disregards all environing conditions that cannot be reduced to the physical and animal. Popular artist who have used this form in their work include F. Millet and J. Velasquez. This form of art has been closely compared to other forms of art such as abstractionism. Abstraction: this is a derivative of the Latin word abstrahere, which means to draw away. This term is widely used to define a form of art that opposes the rules on naturalism (Zimmer 2003). It seeks to separate an image from its natural setting and eliminate any rational visual association. Hand (2008) defines abstraction as synthetical purification and exaggeration of colours, forms and ideas that results into an art work devoid of the cognitive rational filters. Visual culture: Within the field of art, visual culture is defined as the evaluation of the cultural meaning of the work as opposed to its aesthetic value. Furthermore, it examines the act of seeing as a creation of the interactions between external images or objects as presented on the canvas (or any surface) and the internal thought processes guided by one’s cognitive abilities and cultural experiences (Dewey, 2005). Examples of Naturalism Figure 1 Hay making, Julien Dupre 1890 (source http://www.rehs.com/view_image.html?image_no=452&) Figure 2. Hanging laundry, Charles-Sprague-Pearce, 1882. (Source: http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=33236) Descriptions Figure 1 is a reproduction of one of the many Haymaking scenes produced by Julien Dupre in 1892. The original works is displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. The work is real life representation of peasant women in rural France making hay in the summer. The particular painting as shown was done in oil on canvas with near life-size dimensions. Her posture indicates that she is exerting force to lift the stuck of hay. She has also ensured to pick it all by not missing a single strand as shown by the visibility of her feet. Furthermore, she is working in the sun. This image is thus meant to illustrate the goings on at peasant farms in France where women provided much of the labour. Figure 2 is a reproduction of Charles Pearce Sprugen’s ‘Hanging laundry’ 1882. It shows a woman hanging laundry in a traditional setting. This representation, which is vertically organised, portrays one woman on the foreground, another in the middle ground and two people (who appear to be women) and several houses on the background. From the painting, it is apparent that the woman in the foreground hanging clothes is the main focus. Her posture indicates that she did not pose as she appears to be going on with her work. Sprugen represents her determination and hard-work through the use of a chair to gain additional height. The second woman is bent over and appears to be working too. Sprugen brings out naturalism as he puts the woman in the foreground in the full context of a homestead with other members going on with their work. Again, Sprugen captures three dimensionality, a key feature of naturalism, in a number of ways. First, the wall and the path on the left side narrow towards the background. Secondly, the people in the work vary in size with the woman at the foreground, who happens to be the focal point, being the relatively larger while the people at the back being relatively smaller. Sprugen achieves symmetrical balance by placing geometric shapes and organic shapes evenly on the canvas. The use of colour is also naturalistic with a side variety which has also helped Sprugen utilize space well. Additional examples of naturalism Figure 3 Fallen Monarchs, William Bliss Baker, 1886 (source: http://www.oceansbridge.com/oil-paintings/section/4439/1/bakerwilliambliss) Figure 4 A Herdsman with Five Cows by a River (Source: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/aelbert-cuyp-a-herdsman-with-five-cows-by-a-river) Description Figure 3 is a reproduction of William Bliss Baker’s fallen monarch painting. Baker is one of the renowned American naturalist painters in his time. The painting shows a natural setting in the woods dominated by organic forms. The artist used cool colours to achieve harmony in the space. Light is to the left hand side on the background to give an illusion of an open area in the woods or the sun on the horizon. The fallen leaves on the foreground, with some floating on water, hints at the timing of the work which was probably autumn. The name of the work, ‘fallen monarch is not obvious to the audience. However, there seems to be some fallen trees, one on the foreground and another one in the middle ground next to the pool of water. Water in the painting show little reflection of the forms above due to poor illumination. The fourth image is a reproduction of “The herdsman with five cows by a river” by Aelbert Cuylup. This painting, probably done in the mid-1650s, captures the early movement towards naturalism. It shows a traditional setting of a man watering five cows at the edge of a water body where there are several boats of with the one at the foreground occupied by two fishermen. The scene is illuminated from the left on the background. This light also plays a huge role in the works as shown by the sparkling of water and the reflections of the boats and cows on the water. The cows also have a darker shade of colour which also helps in achieving three dimensionality. The people and the animals in the painting were captured in their natural element. No colours have been enhanced or altered from the natural. Shift from naturalism to abstraction Visual culture has been responsible for tracing the development of visual arts from the time where a piece of work spoke to people throughout time unbounded by space, time and other parameters to a time when a piece of work speaks to people requiring them to coincide with the artwork to understand it and understand the meaning within. Such transition has been responsible for diminishing of naturalism which lacks the artists cognitive input as a representation of the physical world. The acceptance of visual culture thus gave way to criticism of naturalism by people like Worringer (Hand 2008). The fading of naturalism as a form of art gave rise to abstraction as another popular form of art. Elsner (1995, p.13) in her book explains the need for the shift by noting the difference between the two by saying "... naturalism or abstraction ... is dependent on a great many conceptual, sociological and essentially historical factors rooted in the way art is viewed at particular times.” Naturalism received criticism from various quarters. Some artists opposed to naturalism believed that this form of representation killed art. They argued that the artists did not interpret the world as it is to them but rather sought to transfer what was in the physical world into canvas to make it appear ‘real’ which is impossible as it is not the actual physical. Therefore, the rise of abstractionism was a response by artists to the criticism of naturalism. They thought to put in their works that was guide by visual culture and their experiences at the time. Hand (p. 16) notes through abstractionism “painting was liberated to explore representational conventions and the unique properties of the medium.” Therefore, with abstractionism, artists took to creating art that is free from representation of the objects in the real world. As such, popular landscapes paintings by artists such as Henri Rousseau and William Bliss Baker were viewed as lacking anything more than their aesthetic value. Hooper-Greenhill (2000) indicates that this shift from naturalism to abstractionism begun in the late nineteenth century. Elsner (1995) argues that naturalism did not die, but rather there was a paradigm shift leading to changes in visual culture that gave rise to abstractionism. He notes that this was marked by the rise of works that had more exclusive range of meanings and implied subjectivity than during the naturalism era. In abstractionism, painters specialised in picking out single themes in their work and ignoring others and using it to convey certain meanings. It can be argued that, changes in visual culture required artists to represent their views, ideas and perceptions of the world by using various tactics such as light and shape to convey meaning. Moffit argues that the critical shift from naturalism to abstractionism begun around 1875 when there ware notable changes in the appearance of arts. The shift was basically a matter of moving from extrinsic art to intrinsic art. The physical significance of abstraction for the modernist painter was captured by the words of Maurice Denis, who in his dictum in 1890 said that “it is well to remember that a picture-before being a battle horse, a nude woman, or some anecdote- is essentially a plane surface covered with colours, assembled in a certain order” (p. 14). Therefore, for abstractionist, besides representing a certain assemblage of motifs, they showed a preference for symbolic over phenomenal colour. Simply put, abstractionism saw a move towards the preference for signals as opposed to use of physical perceptions and amorphous psychic moods. Abstractionism had a very attractive relationship with religion and spirituality. In 1914, Franz Marc proclaimed that “art is our religion, center of gravity, our truth” (Motiff, p. 17). Furthermore, a number of artists proclaimed that their representations were inspired by the supernatural. Images of the supernatural depicting power and spirituality thus became common. Natural aspects such as the seas and clouds were used symbolically in later day works through abstractionism to relay meaning. Wassily Kandinsky explained this by saying that “the abstract sprit takes possession first of a single human spirit, later it governs an ever increasing number of people. At this moment, individual artists are subject to the spirit of the time which forces them to use particular forms related to each other and which, therefore, also posses an external similarity” (Moffitt, p. 17). Therefore, the shift in abstractionism helped art to take a more central role in human existence. This was conspicuously absent in naturalism where art was a mere representation of the physical. Conclusion The works discussed in the paper show clearly the styles used by naturalists in their paintings. The works of Pearce, Baker and Dupre, some of the most famous naturalists, lack deeper meaning rather than just the representation of natural things in their basic elements. This is obvious from described paintings above. The audience can only impose meaning on the work rather than deducing hidden meaning from the work. Therefore, it is obvious that naturalism restricted art, and in the words of Hand, abstractionism liberated art and allowed artists to use their work o convey deeper meaning in their works guided by the culture of the day and their experiences. Therefore, naturalism as a form of art is shallow. Shallow in the sense that it denies visual culture to play its active role where artists use their experiences and artistry to convey meaning using different styles while the audience can decipher the meaning or impose meaning on the images depending on their visual culture. References A Herdsman with Five Cows by a River, Retrieved online from, http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/aelbert-cuyp-a-herdsman-with-five-cows-by-a-river Dewey, J. 2005. Art as an experience. London: Penguin. Elsner, J. 1995. Art and the Roman Viewer. The Transformation of Art from the Pagan World to Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Fallen Monarchs, William Bliss Baker, 1886 (source: http://www.oceansbridge.com/oil-paintings/section/4439/1/bakerwilliambliss) Hand, S. 2008. Embodied Abstraction: Biomorphic Fantasy and Empathy Aesthetics in the Work of Hermann Obrist, August Endell, and Their Followers. London: ProQuest Hanging laundry, Charles-Sprague-Pearce, 1882. Retrieved online from, http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=33236 Hay making, Julien Dupre 1890 Retrieved online from, http://www.rehs.com/view_image.html?image_no=452& Hooper-Greenhill, E. 2000. Museums and the Interpretation of Visual Culture, London: Routledge, 2000, p. 14 Moffitt, J. 2003. Alchemist of the Avante-Garde: The Case of Marcel Duchamp. London: Suny Press Sukla, Ananta Charana 2001. Art and Representation: Contributions to Contemporary Aesthetics. London: Greenwood Publishing. Zimmer, R. 2003. Abstraction in art with implications for perception. Philosophical transactions of the royal society , 358(4), 1285-1291. Read More