For centuries, representation was taken to be the central, defining feature of art.
The emphasis of Representation theories of art was on the
outward aspects of things.
In a loose sense of the word, art was primarily concerned
with the objective features of the “external”
world.
By the mid 19th century, artists began to turn
inward; they explored their own subjective experiences. Even while
depicting landscapes (external realities) they attempted to register their
reactions - the way they felt - about the landscapes. (they were not
just mirroring nature)
Artists were becoming more attentive to the subjective or
“inner” world of experience.
That gives birth to a new art theory, “Art as Expression”.
Study the PDF below
(to be used for educational purposes only)
Impressionism, though its an independent art movement, expressed
more of the impressions of the passing moment and qualities of light as seen by
subjective artists. We can see the beginning of art as expression here.
The clarity about art
as expression was brought about by the expressionism artists themselves.
The most outstanding artist is Edvard Munch. His artworks, like The Sick Child, The Scream etc. are samples for the same.
 |
| The Scream, by Edvard Munch |
Expression comes from the Latin word, meaning, ‘to press outward’. Here art is essentially involved in bringing feelings to the surface, bringing them outward where they can be perceived by artists and audiences alike.
But are all expressions art?
Consider the following scenarios,
Expression is a form of communication, in fact every
communication is expression. So is every communication ART?
Suppose I am very dejected; I’ve just lost my job. I am
weeping. You see me and from my manner of speaking, catch some of my sadness.
You start to think about losing your own job. You too begin to feel sad. Is
this event a ‘work of art’?
Suppose that a painter is given an eviction notice by the
landlord. He, in anger, takes a can of red paint and throws at the landlord. He
dodges and the can of paint splatters on the wall, making an image. Is that a piece of ART?
The theorists of Art
as Expression clarifies that if something to be a Work of Art it must have,
1.
Feeling
state
The
artist must have some feeling or emotion.
She/he
may have gone through experiences.
Or
she/he feels it towards a landscape, or an event, like a military victory.
The
artist must experience some emotional state.
2.
Intended
By
weeping I don’t intend to make an artwork.
I
am upset, but it is not my intention to transfer that feeling to others.
Nor
is it my intention to make a piece of art.
Artist
wants to get her/his feelings out in the open where everyone, including
herself, can contemplate them.
3.
Clarified
An
artist examines her/his emotions; it is not simply that she is possessed by
them. She/he examines it.
For
the artist, her/his emotional state is like the sitter who poses for a
portrait. She struggles to find its texture and its contour.
Making
a work of art is not a matter of exploding, venting or ranting; emotions has to
be clarified.
This
is a controlled activity, not an outburst.
4.
Externalised
The
artist brings the emotion outside of herself/himself, so to speak - by
trying to find some configuration of lines, shapes, colors, sounds, actions,
and/or words that are appropriate to or that “match” that feeling.
Art is a public affair. An artwork cannot exist entirely inside someone’s
head.
Art
must be embodied in some publicly accessible medium
5.
Shared
Feeling state with audience
These
configurations stimulate the same kind of emotional state in the audience
The expression
theory of art is also called as The Transmission Theory of Art .
It is because the
clarified emotion is communicated/transmitted to an audience. Another version
of the expression theory drops this requirement, allowing that something is an
artwork as long as it involves the clarification of an emotion, and making an
art out of it. It may not be for public consumption. This is called Solo
Expression Theory of Art.
Artists like Max Beckmann and Käthe Kollwitz have gone beyond from my feeling state to our feeling state. They expressed strongly on heartbreaking political happenings and social evils. Beckmann was terrified by the horror of war. Käthe Kollwitz was emotionally connected with the weavers movement and farmers movement.
Comments
Post a Comment