FIGURING THE EVERYDAY

Week 3 (Day 1) 04.12.23

CHAPTER 3 - ABSTRACTING THE EVERYDAY - 3 degrees of Abstraction

Painting 1: Striking a balance at 75% figurative and 25% abstract.
Painting 2: Achieving equilibrium at 50% figurative and 50% abstract.
Painting 3: Leaning towards abstraction with 25% figurative and 75% abstract elements.

Neuroaesthetics: Introducing Scientific Objectivity to the Study of Art

During the 1990s, vision neuroscientist Semir Zeki of University College London founded the discipline known as neuroaesthetics which examines, from a neurological basis, the relative success of different artistic techniques. Several scientific studies looking into the reasoning behind an attraction to abstract work have concluded that studying this genre of art stimulates very active neural activity as the spectator struggles to identify familiar shapes, thus rendering the work ‘powerful’. Seeing the work as a puzzle, the brain is pleased when it manages to ‘solve’ this problematic (Pepperell, Ishai).

https://www.ideelart.com/magazine/psychology-abstract-art

In the case of abstract art processing, the viewer participates, in a sense, in the creation process. This more active experience is what Mark Rothko referred to when he said that “painting was not a picture of an experience. It was an experience.” This participation can induce a powerful aesthetic state, occasionally akin to what many people feel listening to music

https://bradteare.com/337-why-do-people-like-abstract-art/

Abstract Paintings vs. Figurative Paintings: Two Extremes?

When looking at a figurative painting and an abstract work, they give us the impression of coming from two different worlds. One is clearly grounded - based on the objects which surround us; the other appears as a product of the artist’s mind.

What is the difference between Abstract and Figurative Art?

This distinction has become a central one to the Arts, but it is more fragile than one would assume.

The fundamental difference lies in what we see: is it a clear and realistic representation of a subject or a specific object, or rather an indistinct mass of colours and pure geometric forms?

Some sustain that the source or origin of the subject stands between the two. However, the sensations and atmospheres come from the real world, inner and outer stimuli. Abstract or concrete, the two overlap in our perception and understanding of the world.

Therefore, in reality the two take from the same world, trying to present the power, subtle tensions and fine emotions faithfully representing a state, subject and theme. In contemporary works the two forms are often combined, overlapping and merging as the boundaries between the two become even more indistinct.

https://www.kooness.com/posts/magazine/abstract-or-figurative

Figurative Art refers to artworks which retain aspects of the real world. Directly and explicitly representational, it can refer to works which are based on objects, subjects, figures or landscapes which are reproduced in all their details.

Physical objects, real people, recognisable items, light and shade, chiaroscuro effects – this is the vocabulary of the representational and objective opposite pole to Abstract Art.

What is Abstract Art?

On the other hand, Abstract Art literally distinguishes itself from the Figurative. Also known as non-objective art or non-representational art, it can refer to works which are based on objects, subjects, figures or landscapes which have been simplified.

• Out of x 3 approaches you have taken today, which was the most successful?

As primarily a figurative painter I approached this exercise with caution. My practice aims at promoting an open and honest dialogue with the viewer and in this way I mostly paint intelligible works. I like the viewer to engage with a painting's intimacy and honesty and decipher meaning without the need for explanation.

For this reason I was quite surprised that my most successful piece was the one furthest from the kind of representational art that I am used to creating. The most successful was Painting 3.

• Why was that?

During the process of creating I let go of the notion of appeal and allowed the brushstrokes to convey my emotions. There was no meaning, purpose or intended narrative, although in my mind I was thinking of fire and raw meat. The tonal reds mixed with black and a hint of purple reflect the colours of raw exposed flesh, the dark centre, a void provides an abstract focal point for deeper contemplation.

• What aspect was unexpected?

It was the experience of painting that was unexpected not just the outcomes themselves. I have not had a painting experience that closely emulated real life emotions and sensations. I found the process both incredibly liberating and empowering. I recalled memories and searching for recognition in the paint markings I created. The 50% abstract 50% figurative seemed was less of a sensory process. Copying an image and abstracting, Picture 2, 25% figurative and 75% abstract, required less focus than Picture 1 , but both pictures seemed more like 'pictures of an experience' (Rothko) rather than an experience witnessed in Picture 3 .

• How do you think you can develop that?

I need to reject traditional modes of creating and representing art by experimenting more and try to free my mind of visual restrictions. Letting go effectively, working quickly so that I don't fall back into familiar ways of painting.

Week 3 (Day 2) 05.12.23

50% figurative and 50% materiality/abstraction. I selected an old photograph of a family wedding, and made a colour photocopy approx A4 size. I mixed acrylic paint and applied brushstrokes across the image, creating wavy and abstract lines and marks. I used purple, black, white, grey, pink and red. The image below was barely legible, the firework blast of colours was unexpectedly exciting visually. The palette complemented the background well. I have not created work in the way, it was more successful than I had anticipated. I liked the spontaneous approach and the abandonment of a decipherable narrative.

Week 3 (Day 3) 06.12.23

25% figurative and 75% materiality/abstraction.

I printed A5 colour copies of old family photos. I cut out sections on the borders of the people in the images and lifted the shapes to create interesting negative space between them. I overlaid a small amount of acrylic paint, the palette derived from the colours within the original photo to abstract the work further. It was quite successful although I feel it would be more impactful at a larger scale.

Reflections

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