Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Concepts and the Beliefs of Modern Art

Art is a human creative skill, which is demonstrated through imaginative designs, sounds, or ideas. Art and artistic skills have been integral to our Histories. Events, life styles, and the other prevalent things, were all depicted through the various art forms of those times. Art has been evolving with thoughts, ideas, events, times, and technological developments, and is the father of today's Graphical Illusions.

The Ancient History of Art dates back to as many as 2 million years ago, to the Stone Age. The first Stone Tools used to create impressions, can be said to be the initial ideas of Art. Ancient Art is actually a symbolic representation of information about the life styles and the representation of facts by the people of those times, who framed a strong ground for Art. Since then, Art has been transforming to accommodate the changes and the improvements of every era to suit connoisseurs' tastes and ideas.

History of Art. Prior to taking up the Modern Art Concepts, lets take a look at the different art ages:

o Pre Historic Art / Paleolithic (2million years ago - 13000B.C)
o Ancient Art (from 3000 B.C - 331 B.C)
o Medieval to Early Renaissance Art (373 B.C - 1453 A.D)
o Renaissance to Early Modern Art (1453 - 1800 A.D)
o Pre Modern Art (1800 - 1880 A.D)
o Modern Art (1880 - 1945 A.D)
o Contemporary Art (1945 - Present age)

History of Modern Art started with Impressionism as its main frame and continued its revolution with the gradual additions and the deletions in the second half of 19th century. New art styles and movements disappeared at an increasingly fast pace, reflecting the growing rate of changes in our society.

The Impressionist painters preferred to paint outdoors and studied the effect of light on the objects, creating wonderful arts such as, landscapes and scenes from daily life. This trend continued until 1905. Then the present day thinkers added impressive, vivid colors to the Modern Arts, thereby bringing pictures into life. They called it Fauvism. Expressionists followed Fauvism in 1979. Expressionism was a kind of German Modern Art version of Fauvism, conveying its expressions.

The second movement of Modern revolution brought Expressionism, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco Movements. They were new Arts concepts with highly decorative style, dedicated to natural art forms. Art Deco was primarily a design style popular in 1920-1930's, which is a follow up of Art Nouveau. These art forms showed their domination in the mass production of Fashion, Furniture, Jewelry, Textiles, Architecture, Commercial Print Making, and Interior Decorations.

Modern Art Movement III was another revolutionary movement of Modern Art, which was majorly restricted to paintings and sculptures. Nevertheless, it had vital influence on the development of Modern Art. Cubism came, where images were converted into cubes, or other geographical forms, followed by Surrealism, emphasizing the unconscious & the importance of dreams, and finally came the Abstract Art, which was creating art with several abstracts joining.

Pop Art Movement and Optical Art Movement (OP Art) came into picture after debating with Abstract Artists, as these artists considered Abstract Arts as too sophisticated and elite for the general masses to understand. The Pop Art and the Optical Art Artists brought art back into the daily lives of people through Simple Sketches, Comics, and Picture Arts, as seen naturally in daily life. Optical Art was again a transformation of art into reduced geographical forms, sometimes in Black & White contrast and sometimes in brilliant, contrast colors.

Modern Art period is the era where forms change to different levels, beyond Manual Paintings to Photography eventually. The art revolution continues in the current Pro-modern Art/ Contemporary Art period with the art forms changing to Visual Graphics and 3D animations.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Psychology of Art

On the need to differentiate between the structural and functional aspects of the psychology of art...

The psychology of art is a complex topic and this description serves only as an introduction to a 'developing' field of study. Psychology forms the basis of many aspects of life and art or expression of art in any form and especially through sculpture and painting is also based on psychological theories and understanding. The relation between psychology and art is almost inevitable; there can be no art without psychology and vice versa. The artist begins with a blank canvas on which he/ she projects his or her own psychological being and art remains as the medium of such projection. Thus art can best be defined as a medium through which an artist or creative individual projects his or her feelings and frustrations and deeper psychological necessities. This way art is intricately linked to psychology. Yet the psychology of art as a formal discipline has not found extensive recognition and has only very recently gained popularity in western universities.

The psychology of art is however a fascinating field of study as it analyzes the core of creativity and provides explanation for the mental processes of the artist in particular and the creative individual in general. Yet interestingly, psychology of art is not just limited to understanding the mental processes of the artist but also the mental processes involved in perceiving the art. Thus a psychology of art provides explanation and understanding of the phenomena of creativity, the mental processes of the artist, as well as the thought processes of the perceiver. It is comprehensive in its approach not only because of its range of explanation but also because art psychology involves explanations from different branches of psychology such as Gestalt psychology of perception, psychology of form and function/order and complexity, Jungian psychoanalysis, the psychology of attention and Experimental psychology as well as Freudian symbolism.

The psychology of art is interdisciplinary, successfully integrating art, architecture, philosophy (metaphysics and phenomenology), aesthetics, study of consciousness, visual perception, and psychoanalysis. From philosopher John Dewey to psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung, intellectuals of the 20th century influenced the emergence of a psychology of art that seemed to have moved beyond the mind processes of the artist to include the process of creation and also its perception examining art from biological, social, psychological and philosophical perspectives. Dewey and Jung both influenced the study of art within social and cultural contexts and are largely responsible for the understanding of art in its present form.

Art is obviously a creative process and is thus a deep psychological process as well. Art could well be explained with the theory of perception and as a cognitive process. The Gestalt theory of visual perception would offer one of the foremost explanations on art creation and perception. The Gestalt theorists were the 20th century psychologists who systematically studied perceptual processes in humans and some of the famous Gestaltists were Wolfgang Köhler, Kurt Koffka, Max Wertheimer, and Kurt Lewin. The principles of perception as given in Gestalt psychology focused on proximity or contiguity, similarity, continuity, closure, area/symmetry and figure and ground.

Thus Gestalists described perception as a process that involved not just the object but also the context as perception of objects is affected by what surrounds these objects so to Gestaltists, things are always 'more than the sum of their parts'. As art is also primarily about perception, our perception of any art object would depend on these Gestalt principles as well and we tend to see continuity or closure or even perceive movement in static objects. Gestalt psychology has been used extensively to describe and understand 'visual illusions'. For example, objects which are situated closer to each other will be perceived as forming a group. If you've seen some of these pictures that explain the principles of Gestalt, you'll quickly understand that there is more to art than simple brush strokes; art is as much a process of perception (including illusion) as it is a process of creation. If an artist successfully creates a visual illusion, he is almost like a magician. Yet art has several dimensions in its study and explanation and from Gestalt understanding of form and structure that provides a 'structural' explanation of the organizational principles of art, we have to understand the 'functional' features of art as well. This in turn is provided by psychoanalysis and symbolism.

In the early 20th century Sigmund Freud pioneered the study of art in its psychoanalytic form by considering the artist as essentially a neurotic who deals with his psychic pressures and conflicts through his creative impulses. Freud was interested in the 'content' or subject matter of art that reflected the inner conflicts and repressed wishes of the artist and art to Freud as to any psychoanalyst today is considered as essentially a projection of the artist's mind and thought process. Freud believed that unconscious desires and fantasies of the artist makes way from the internal and manifests as the external on canvas through art. Thus if an artist fantasizes about beautiful virtuous women, he paints angels in heaven as a sort of 'sublimation' of his deeper wish. Thus any art work is directly related to the artist's inner world and his unconscious regions of the mind.

One school of art that was directly influenced by the Freudian theory and directly manifests the unconscious is Surrealism which began in the early 20th century, initially as an offshoot of a cultural movement, Dadaism. Surrealism emphasizes on the integration of art and life and with psychoanalytic influences focuses on the unconscious desires. From the psychology of Jacques Lacan to the philosophy of Hegel, Surrealism was largely shaped by philosophy, psychology and cultural changes and has been one of the most revolutionary movements in the history of art.

Some of its famous proponents were André Breton and more recently Salvador Dali. In fact Dali's work could be seen as almost a visual representation of Freud's emphasis on dream analysis, unconscious desires as well as hallucinations and free association. Sexual symbolism, an important part of Freudian analysis has been extensively used by surrealists. Freud and surrealism highlighted a closer link between madness, sexuality and art but this sort of portrayal met with some opposition as well. On the other hand, Carl Jung's psychoanalysis and emphasis on art as a form of cultural expression was more acceptable to some artists and Jung remains as the most influential psychoanalyst in art history with his optimistic and constructive portrayal of art. According to Jung, art and other forms of creative endeavor could access the 'collective unconscious' and provide considerable insights on not just the process of creativity but also the cultural elements in the mind that are carried across generations. In Jungian psychology art as a psychological process would be an assimilation of the cultural experiences of the artist so it is accessible to an wider community.

Thus the psychology of art as it develops to a major discipline and area of study could be considered as having two distinct branches -

o Structural Psychology of Art - that which emphasizes on the 'structural' aspects of perceiving art through form, organization as understood with Gestalt principles and general emphasis on structure, also with the principles of physiology and visual perception

o Functional Psychology of Art - that which emphasizes on art as a creative process representing the 'functional' aspects or mental dynamics of the artist, the content rather than the form and could be understood with the insights of psychoanalysis and phenomenology.

The structural branch relates mainly to the perceiver and the process of perception of art and the functional branch relates to the artist and the process of creation of art. Both these dimensions would be equally important and complement each other in a comprehensive conceptual psychology of art.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Louisville's Art Community - Leading a Vibrant and Diverse Life Bringing Fine Lasting Impressions

Louisville's vibrant and diverse arts community includes lively and active theatrical activities provided by the talented effort of Actors Theatre of Louisville, a Tony-Award-winning repertory theatre housed in a 1837 bank building now designated as a national historic landmark.and whose stone columned portion is one of the oldest buildings in Main Street and one of the finest examples of small scale Greek revival architecture in the U.S. As the centerpiece of the city's urban cultural district, Actors Theatre has made significant economic impact on a vital downtown life and won high acclaim for its artistic programming and business acumen in sponsoring the annual Humana festival of plays which have gone on to New York and London and other ingenious stage productions. The Broadway Series hosts touring productions of Broadway's best. It also presents approximately six hundred performances of about thirty productions during its year-round season, composed of a diverse array of contemporary and classical fare attracting one of the largest per capita subscription audiences in the country with an annual attendance of over 200,000.

Shakespeare's plays are continually being staged at the Central Park at South Fourth Street thus transforming Louisville into the Bardstown in summer. But sadly we missed Shakespeare when we trouped down there from our Kurtz Hall residence just up the road one evening and waited in vain for him and the players. We were to see either As You Like it or Romeo and Juliet.

Walden Theatre, the leading theatre conservatory for young people in the U.S, one of the few annual theatre festivals celebrating William Shakespeare in the annual Young American Shakespeare Festival, which are often presented at the Kentucky Center the three stages of which are always alive with entertainment from Broadway to Bach and featuring bagpipes to bluegrass. Five major arts groups delight the senses with music, dance theater, drama and more while its mirrored exterior reflecting the surrounding city. Opened in 1983 the center has multiple performance venues for the internationally renowned Louisville orchestra famous for its recordings of contemporary works, the Louisville ballet and Kentucky Opera which is the twelfth oldest opera in the U.S., the Broadway Series, Stage One, The Louisville Children's Theatre and extraordinary local, national, and international talents.

Images Friedonas Gallery features Julius Friedman's posters as well as works by many other nationally and internationally respected artists. This 10,000 square feet gallery in the Louisville Design Center, located in the downtown hotel and entertainment district, features a variety of plays and concerts.

The Louisville Palace, the official venue for the Louisville Orchestra, is an elegant, ornate theatre in downtown Louisville's so-called theatre district. In addition to orchestra performances, the theatre also features an array of popular movies, old and new, as well as concerts by popular artists. Located nearby is the Kentucky Theater, which was built in 1921 and operated for 60 years as a movie house, but was closed and almost demolished in 1986. Ultimately it was saved by local arts advocates, and the newly renovated Kentucky Theater opened its doors in 2000 and has become a vibrant community arts center and art film house.

The Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation Gallery serves as a spectacular retail outlet for some of Kentucky's finest craftworks and sponsors regular traveling exhibits and workshops.

The Fund for the Arts the first and oldest in the U.S. has the bust of its founder former Mayor Charles Farmsley sitting proudly as if still alive in front of its headquarters.

Louisville is distinguished, like many American cities, with a multitude of museums of art, science and sports as well as monuments and historic sites and homes preserved for posterity amongst which is The Speed Art Museum which I happened to have visited in June 2006. Though described as the state's first art museum holding collections spanning 6000 years with works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Monet, Rubens and Moore, modern American, African, ancient and Native American artists being exhibited here our visit was focused on the highly eclectic and post-modernist work of the African-American alumni of University of Louisville, Sam Gilliam whose works have traveled far and wide in America up to the Corcoran Gallery. His works are an adventurous and experimental combination of techniques and materials: pastiche, cloth-dyeing, candle work, wood, formica, mat-marking and pottery used to amazing effects especially in his daring display and combination of colors and use of space and the suggestion of patterned folds and ties hanging loose from the ceiling. An art learning center, a café Bristol and a Museum Shop exhibiting and hawking artifacts, curios and dresses from all over the world adds to Speed Arts Museum's compulsion.

The Speed Art Museum was founded in 1925 by Hattie Bishop Speed as a memorial to her husband, James Breckinridge Speed, a prominent Louisville businessman and philanthropist. Designed by Louisville architect Arthur Loomis, the museum opened its doors on January 15, 1927, with an exhibition sponsored by the Louisville Art Association.

In 1934, the museum received Its first major donation, a valuable collection of North American Indian artifacts given by Dr. Frederick Weygold in 1934 was followed in 1941 by, Dr. Preston Pope Satterwhite making a significant gift - his collection of 15th century and 16th century French and Italian Decorative Arts including tapestries and furniture.and in 1944, he donated the English renaissance room, which was moved in its entirety from Devonshire, England necessitating an enlargement of the museum. The addition bearing his name was completed in 1954, as the first of three additions to the original building.

The Speed Art Museum Kentucky's oldest and largest art museum with over 12,000 pieces in its permanent collection boasts of an extensive and historic collection ranging from ancient Egyptian to contemporary art featuring distinguished collections of 17th century Dutch and Flemish painting, 18th century French art, Renaissance and Baroque tapestries, and significant holdings of contemporary American painting and sculpture. African and Native American works are a growing segment of the museum's collection. On its upper level, small cabinet galleries provide an intimate atmosphere for the museum's collection of European paintings and sculpture.

During the tenure of Paul S. Harris the first professional director from 1946, acquisitions to the collection were made mostly in the areas of decorative arts and furniture. In 1962, he was succeeded by Addison Franklin Page, curator of contemporary art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. who further enriched and expanded the museum collection. After another major addition to the building in 1973, the Speed celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1977 with the acquisition of Rembrandt's magnificent Portrait of a Woman. Mr. Page and the Board of Governors led the campaign to raise the $1.5 million necessary to purchase the work, one of the museum's most significant acquisitions.

Mr. Page retired as Director in 1984 and was followed in 1986 by Peter Morrin, who was formerly curator of 20th century art at the High Museum in Atlanta who in continuing the enrichment of the collection, initiated an outreach program to involve the communities the museum serves. While the museum was closed for a dramatic renovation project in 1996, the museum received a life-changing gift, a bequest of more than $50 million from Alice Speed Stoll, granddaughter of James Breckinridge Speed. The bequest one of the largest given to any art museum significantly increased the Speed's endowment, ranking it among the top 25 in the United States. Mrs. Stoll's bequest secured the museum's future and has allowed for several significant acquisitions including Jacob van Ruisdael'si, (1653), and Paul Cezanne's Post-Impressionist masterpiece, Two Apples on a Table (about 1895-1900).

Since reopening in November 1997, the Speed Museum has dazzled the region with exciting traveling exhibitions,and new acquisitions to the permanent collection. It has also benefited greatly by a bequest from the estate of long-time Board of Governors member General Dillman A. Rash who left the museum works by Marc Chagall, Jean Dubuffet, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Maurice Utrillo.

The museum supported entirely by donations, endowments, grants, ticket sales, and memberships focuses its collection on Western art, from antiquity to the present day. Holdings of paintings from the Netherlands, French and Italian works, and contemporary art are particularly strong, with Sculpture prominent throughout. Representative artists include Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Paul Rubens, Giovanni Tiepolo, Henry Moore, Thomas Gainsborough, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and contemporary artists Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Francis, Petah Coyne, Sam Gilliam, Vito Acconci, and Juan Munoz.

The Speed Art museum has come a long way since Mrs. Speed first opened the doors to the original museum nearly 80 years ago with its magnificent building and impressive collection of over 13,000 pieces serving more than 180,000 visitors each year, making it a nationally recognized institution.

The Speed Art Museum's original 1927 limestone building was designed by Louisville architect Arthur Loomis. Loomis chose the Greek Revival style for the exterior and employed large skylights in the roof to bathe the galleries in natural light. There have been three major additions and one extensive renovation to the original 1927 building.

The Preston Pope Satterwhite Wing was added in 1954 to honor Dr. Satterwhite, a prominent benefactor of the museum. The Satterwhite Wing contains much of his own collection of medieval and renaissance works including tapestries and other decorative arts. A focal point in the wing is a 17th century carved period room from England.

The North addition, designed by Brenner, Danforth, and Rockwell of Chicago, opened in 1973. This addition showcases the museum's 20th century art and features an auditorium and café.

The South addition, the museum's most recent wing, designed by Robert Geddes of Princeton, New Jersey, opened in 1983. On its upper level, small cabinet galleries provide an intimate atmosphere for the museum's collection of European paintings and sculpture. Also included in the addition are special galleries for temporary exhibitions.

Today, the Speed Art Museum has over 150,000 square feet of gallery, exhibition, and administrative space, making it the largest collection of art paintings, sculpture, furniture, and decorative arts by Kentucky artists. Since completing a major $12 million renovation and expansion in 1997, the Speed has brought major exhibitions of photography, painting, design, and sculpture to the region to help fulfill its ambitious mission: bringing great art and people together

The Speed Art Museum is housed in the University campus whilst the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, is located in Louville's "Museum Row" in the West Main District of downtown. It is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 to continue the art and craft heritage of Kentucky through the support and education of craft artists and education of the public. It supports regional as well; as national artists thus illustrating Kentucky's long heritage of fine functional and decorative wood-working. The museum is supported in part by the Fund for the Arts and Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency of the Commerce Cabinet. Founded in 1981 by Phyllis George Brown, then First Lady of Kentucky and former Miss America, the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (formerly Art and Craft Foundation) was started as a dream to build interest in Kentucky's rich craft and art resources. With the help of Mary Shands, the seeds were quickly sown for the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation to continue to develop and eventually have a physical presence in Louisville. In 1984 the organization moved into the lower level of 609 West Main Street for retail and exhibition space and in spite of West Main Street being very deserted, the importance and popularity of the organization exploded.

The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft was established to promote the rich art and craft heritage of Kentucky through three main areas of programming: exhibition, education, and support of artists through a retail Gallery Shop. Since 1984 the organization has presented over 175 exhibitions, reaching approximately 65,000 viewers annually thus becoming a leader on the national forefront in preserving and advancing the art and craft heritage of Kentucky. by 1991. As part of the national "Year of the American Craft" the organization was recognized for its exemplary and unprecedented contributions to the documentation and interpretation of the cultural history of the commonwealth.

The organization has seen artists progress from novices to masters and Main Street transform from an almost a deserted noncommercial street to a thriving business and cultural district. By bringing the work of nationally recognized artists to Kentucky and by bringing the work of Kentucky artists to the national scene, KMAC has been able to preserve art and craft heritage and advance it.

Over ten years ago the organization started educational programming as part of their mission. In January of 2001 the organization purchased two adjacent buildings at 715 and 717 West Main Street in the heart of Louisville's West Main Street Historic District. Built in the 1880s the building is a four-story cast iron structure with a beautiful pastel facade and giant windows. After renovation, the facility provides the organization with 28,500 square feet of interior space in which to operate, spread over four floors and a lower level.The new facility increased the size and visibility of the Gallery Shop, with frontage on Main Street, and houses three exhibition galleries: the Steve Wilson Gallery, the Mary & Al Shands Gallery, and the Lindy & Bill Street Gallery. The Lindy & Bill Street Gallery, on the second floor overlooking Main Street, is rented for meetings and entertaining. The third floor houses the Education Center and the fourth floor is used for administrative offices.

Just across the street we saw the Frazier International History Museum holding as ever a collection of arms, armor and related historical artifacts dating from 1,000 years back.

West Main Street at the center of Old Louisville downtown is at the heart of the cultural district featuring the second largest collection of cast-iron facades in the U.S, which in itself is a collection of the rarest arts in the world as well as a reservoir of individual art pieces as well as artistic activities..

Iroquois Park is the home of the renovated Iroquois Amphitheater which hosts the productions of Music Theatre Louisville as well as a variety of musical concerts in a partially covered outdoor setting.

Louisville is home to a thriving music scene with bands such as the widely known Flaw, Musica Silentis Doloris (MSD), False, Incursion 502 and Evil Engine 9. It is also home to the former members of the once post-grunge band Days of the New.

On Fourth Street in downtown is the brand new Fourth Street Live! outdoor entertainment complex, which features a wide variety of restaurants, stores and nightclubs. The complex sponsors many free concerts, as does the popular Waterfront Park.

The large performing arts community played a role in the relocation of ZFX Inc, the second largest theatrical flying special effects company in the world, from Las Vegas to Louisville in 2006.

FURTHER READING ON ART IN LOUISVILLE:

http://www.art-sanctuary.org/about.php

http://www.louisville.com/

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Abstract Art Painting Studios - From Primitive Caves to Modern Lofts

Have you ever tried to remember the first time when you found yourself looking at an abstract art or an abstract painting? Do you remember the thoughts or feelings you had about what you were looking at?

This article is a reflection of some of my own personal and subjective viewpoints and realities as an artist about abstract art with certain references to facts that are in agreement with what I believe myself as to the nature, birth, growth and the evolution of the abstract art outside the boundaries of the esoteric terms of the art academia.

To have a basic and fundamental look at the subject, we should first understand what the word abstract means before we could tackle the understanding of "abstract art" itself; and we learn that abstract in this sense and as a verb means to extract or remove and surprisingly as an adjective means not easy to understand; abstruse. And as a transitive verb it means to take away, remove. It's origin is from Latin abstrahere 'draw away' or 'draw from.'

Thus, we can conclude that abstract, is generally viewed as a form of art that does not depict anything that resembled the objective or material world; instead it represented new creations that very subjectively were expressions of the inner substance and the spirit of the artist and often through a profound spontaneity that brings out the inner world of the artist.

So, abstract art, being the product of this very natural, uninhibited and unpremeditated impulse in the absence of any external stimulus, is intrinsic and belongs to the very basic nature and the make up of the artist, as the true influence behind his creations.

As I evolved through my own representational art and became more acquainted with the history of art, I learned that abstract art had its roots in the very early dawn of human history when man began to draw on the walls of his cave. These early abstract arts, abstract drawings and abstract paintings - sometimes embellished with organic dyes - often attempted to capture the essential nature and the quality of the objects rather than the actual appearance of them.

As the art historians and art critics formulated their opinions and ideas into prints, more esoteric terms spun off the subject under "non-objective art," "non-representational art," and "non-figurative art." In the field of aesthetics, since none of the principles of creating art have been precisely formulated, this particular branch of humanities has its critics galore with many schools of divergent opinions and thoughts, where esoteric lectures and opinions are listened to with open jaws in lieu of reason, personal expressions suffers under the cloud of confusion.

Centuries long before the birth of abstract expressionism in America, highly figurative arts had existed in the East, namely in the Islamic culture, where calligraphy also as a non-figurative art is taught as a subject starting sometimes as early as in primary schools, as great emphasis is placed upon the pupils' acquiring and developing skills in calligraphy, as the art of handwriting.

In the Western culture, abstract designs are found in many forms. But abstract arts are uniquely distinguished in composition form in relation to decorative art and fine art, where in abstract art, the results of creation, are spontaneous snapshots of the artist's thoughts, emotions, and the introspection by which he creates his work of abstract art.

Abstract Expressionism, as we know it today, was born in America in the mid 20th century following a massive exodus of the European avant- garde artists to New York City, making the city the center of the art world; a title that used to be held by Paris. The contemporary American artists were immensely influenced by the influx of this new talent that brought forth the very welcoming freedom of personal expression through the vehicle of spontaneity in the absence of the boundaries and limitations of conventional forms.

The arrival of abstract expressionism in New York was the dawn of a new peaceful artistic revolution by which the artist began to rebel overtly against the status quo. He began a new era where he could freely create towards the future and change the existing scene for a better tomorrow.

Some of the pioneers in abstract expressionism, such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, became synonymous with New York School and action painting as they played a significant role in what became deservedly known as avant-garde; a new realm of freedom for the artist to create and construct with an impulse that surmounted any rational and objective realm of reason.

On the more textural side, Jackson Pollock began to re-arrange his easel and painted as he pleased, expressing himself by pouring the paint from within unto the canvas, as he felt. Pollock, as one of the most mavericks of the era, used also his body as an instrument to paint with, as he moved rapidly around his large canvases on the floor, spattering interlacing patterns of paint, like an emotional roller coaster, drawing the viewer into its rhythmic flow of motion, apparently into an infinity of space.

In great contrast to Pollock, Barnett Newman's color-field paintings, are open fields of vast empty spaces for the viewer to step into them and imagine what they wish to place in them.

Now, for the sake of simplicity, we could categorize art into only representational art and abstract art. Representational art being what we instantly recognize in association to familiar objects, vs. abstract art that requires our thought to perceive the composition of the art and the comparison of our observation with the conclusions we have made in the past, in order to arrive in the immediate instance, where we are. Thus, in our observation of abstract art, the presence or the absence of any emotional responses, brought about as the result of understanding the abstract art, raises the question of, what is truly an abstract art and when does it become successful.

Let's imagine that we are looking at a representational art, a scenery where it depicts a mossy wooded area cloaked in a low fog with a cascading shallow stream running through it. We can all agree with what we are looking at, appreciate the quality of its beauty, and some of us become awestricken by its magic, and even feel the mist in the air and smell the moss. We like to look at it as a pleasant experience. We sense that it is peaceful, because it has the tendency to make us feel good. It helps us - even if it is for a brief moment - forget our troubles, and transforms our disturbances into a new level of calm, to the point that we could be there, in our imagination. We walk away from the painting and look at other paintings that does not produce the same thoughts and feelings, and we turn and look at it again and again, wanting to have more of the same pleasant experience. Pleasure is what we are experiencing.

This is the emotional reaction we feel towards this very representational art that we fully understand. It communicated to us a certain message within the boundaries of its technical expertise, by which it was created. The technical expertise wasn't the initial visual attraction, however. It was the message that it communicated to us visually, that attracted us. The virtuosity by which it was created becomes secondary to the significance of the message and the quality of its delivery. Although the message doesn't have to have the same meaning for every viewer, it is the combination of both, the message and the technical expertise that brings about an understanding that causes the viewer to respond emotionally.

From sketching and carving with sharp stones on the walls of his cave, to the magnificence of today's technology, man has journeyed through an incredible evolution in the arts among many other dynamics of life. From those who have accepted the boundaries of their culture and environmental factors, have remained true and faithful to what they were permitted and expected to create in the form of various representational and figurative arts. But the more precocious, who had an awareness of higher form of existence and true potential, wanted to move beyond the obvious with no tolerance for suppression and entrapment. They became the visionaries who escaped and sought freedom of expression elsewhere, where the attainment of that freedom was possible.

A great number of European artists and teachers such as Joseph Albers and Hans Hofmann moved to America in mid 20th century and made New York the new Art Center of the world by leaving Paris behind. They brought with them that very freedom of spontaneity to create paintings that became what we know today as abstract expressionism. As unique as our finger prints, each expression, became a new aesthetic signature to reckon with.

However, the basic roots of the transition from representational art to abstract art and expressionistic paintings had begun to grow in the later part of the 19th century in the form of impressionist and neo-impressionists when art had begun to change its face, while still retaining a good degree of resemblance to what it meant to be; and by the time post-impressionism had arrived on the scene, the field of art had already gone through a noticeable change and well on its way towards a major transformation.

Prior to the arrival of this new transformation, and certainly before post-impressionism, the artist was primarily engaged in the natural depiction of the landscape, rather than attempting to tap into the depth of his own emotions by way of his canvas, and connect to the psyche of his audience.

Nothing is more powerful and significant than the birth and the power of a new idea. Nothing can or is capable of stopping an idea. Once an idea is conceived, it cannot be stopped, suppressed or harnessed; because an idea has no mass or form to occupy a physical space and become subjected to the opposing forces, and become vulnerable. A new idea, once conceived, takes on a life of its own, by being nurtured in the powerful lofts of imagination and carried forward in the arms of those who embrace it.

Hans Huffman who became recognized as the father of the abstract expressionism has this to say:
"An idea can only be materialized with the help of a medium of expression, the inherent qualities of which must be surely sensed and understood in order to become the carrier of an idea." The idea of self-determinism, to permit oneself the ownership of freedom of expression is a luxury that is not for sale, but to attain; a faculty innately available to a few, but attainable by the masses. For some it arrives quickly, and the rest come to embrace it through hardship.

The evolution of art from representational to abstract expressionism required a tremendous level of liberalism and acceptance by those whose help and economic support were instrumental in the survival level of the abstract expressionist painters.

In an essay, very revealing of his philosophy of art, Johannes Itten says: "If new ideas are to assume any artistic forms, the physical, sensual, intellectual and spiritual forces must all be equally available and act in concert." Truly speaking, Itten says what it takes to create a good artistic expression in terms of the wherewithal necessary to transmit an idea, which is something imagined, felt or pictured in the mind, into the canvas as a successful work of art, which can be sensed and understood by the viewer.

This above criteria outlined by Itten in the early 20th century was a big philosophical bite that required lots of chewing and digestion before earning acceptance and support; so the abstract artists had to endure a very endearing plight in earning and preserving their livelihood.

Before the arrival of the European pioneers and their fortitude, in bringing their very precious gift of abstract paintings, representational artists had no clue as to what freedom of artistic expression really meant to open the door into a new realm of practicing art, which opened a new door and an extension of their inner self.

Faced with the sever opposition of the traditionalists who rejected change, the abstract artists began to express their soul, on their new canvases, with their own newly created rules. In the world of art, where art is traded as a luxury and not a necessity and dependent upon the discretionary money of a few, the arrival of the abstract art in general and in particular abstract expressionism threatened the axles on which the art market was pivoted.

Change became inevitable, and traditionalists broke rank with futurists at the expense of the modern art; but the abstract expressionists became busily involved in experimenting and exploring the various physical entities and invented new tools by which they could apply paint to their canvases.

Suddenly the conventional means by which the artist had painted changed into an ever-changing process of exploration, creation, experimentation, and more creations; each time giving birth to a new technique. The canvases, paints and the studio tools extended far beyond the boundaries of the artist's studio and into the realm of collage and found objects.

Jackson Pollock was the quintessential action painter, who struggled badly with acceptance, began to use his body as a painting instrument around his vast canvases laid out on the floor and danced with his splashes, drippings and spattering of paint; he developed and mastered the technique of action painting and enjoyed some of the sprouts of a great new fame and fortune before he fell victim to the demons of his culture at the ripe age of 42. He left a great legacy behind, which continued to inspire many abstract artists through the variety of great canvases which he left behind.

This is what Pollock have said in part about his paintings: "It's all a big game of construction, some with a brush, some with a shovel, some choose a pen. The method of painting is the natural growth out of need. I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them. It doesn't matter how the paint is put on, as long as something is said. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting. The modern artist is working with space and time and expressing his feelings rather than illustrating. When I'm painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It's only after a get acquainted period that I see what I've been about. The painting has a life of its own. Every good painter paints what he is."

Another great artist and contemporary painter from the abstract expressionists group is Robert Rauschenberg. Rauschenberg created collages with found objects on the streets of New York City and defied every conceivable traditionalist's rule as he progressed through his career, which became quite deservedly rewarding, earning him the recognition, notoriety and financial success in the past few decades. He later moved to, Florida to get away from New York City, where he continue to create his art on the quiet and affluent shores of Captiva Island.

One of the most inspiring techniques of Rauschenberg worth remembering, is his concept of leaving enough to chance for the sake of discovery, where the artist enjoys the serendipity of unexpected happenstance.

The two most prominent style of abstract expressionism, were the action painters engaging use of textures, spattering and drippings of paint throughout, gesturing the mood of the artist, and the color-field painters who expressed their work through the unified fields of color and shapes, while many other painters made use of both styles in their work.
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Abstract Arts & Abstract Paintings - A Panoramic Vista Cultivated With Mystery, Thrived on Veracity

FOREWORD

I remember a while back, when I was faced with a very pressing situation requiring my instant attention. I was being interviewed live, on a major television station at prime time, along with showing a series of my slides in connection to the opening of an art exhibit. As soon as they wired me up, and situated me on stage, and only a couple minutes before going live, the very charming gentleman, who was to interview me, whispered to me the following: "I have no idea what to ask you, what do you suggest?" I said, no problem, if you ask me only 3 simple questions, I will handle the rest. He was relieved, and quickly jotted down the questions. The green light came on, we went on live, and wrapped up a flawlessly smooth and successful interview. Off camera, the crew came on the stage with big smiles, and acknowledged both of us; but they praised the interviewer, for surprising them as an art connoisseur!

DEFINING AESTHETICS

Aesthetics as a set of principles and branch of philosophy deals with questions concerning beauty and artistic experiences. As far as our general understanding of it is concerned it is a highly nebulous field, subjected to tremendous degree of misinterpretation, particularly in the field of abstract art. In any field of humanities where less accurately is known about that field and its principles have not been precisely formulated, the more authoritarian the field becomes. In the field of arts, with no exact fundamentals accurately developed, the techniques and approaches are wide open for the artists to imagine, explore and create their art.

The artist is also subjected to the "laws" of commerce, where various schools of divergent opinions begin to "teach" the artist "how" to be an artist and paint a certain way, citing the field's critics galore as she listens with an open jaw in lieu of reason. The "authorities," in the field of visual arts, most of whom have never painted any paintings themselves but are very "fluid" and "cultured" by having memorized a few standard opinions and artistic works and projects of humanitarian nature, analyze the paintings for the artist every step of the way, each time the artist presents a piece of her art for a critique, mainly to discover what's wrong with her art and how she should fix it according to these "professors's" brand of "expertise."

I admit to a tad of generalization here for making a point; but does any of this ring a true bell for you? Can you think of an artist you know who is or has been on this ship? I lived and survived through it all, trusting and believing that there had to be a logical and more nurturing way to free imaginative impulses so that the artist could paint as freely as he wanted. Something within me, was telling me, that something was inherently not quite right with the constructive criticisms that were to "teach" us how to view our own world of art, through the eyes of the "critics," excuse me, the professors. I had viewed this "school of thought" as an authoritarian method of teaching that smothered the thoughts, emotions, or efforts of the artist, but could not quite articulate the problem I was sensing at the time. I discovered later, that this mechanism of controlling thought through teaching, was only one of the elements in our society, which inherently brings about the suppression of the arts that stifles the creative impulses of the artists at the expense of the whole culture.

Artists are often "accused" of having their heads up in the clouds, and living within an unreal world of imagination. This brings about the necessity of taking a good and thorough look at just how reality bites. Plowing through several fields of study in search of a tool to measure the aesthetics and the creation processes can leave us empty handed, until we splurge into the field of philosophy to examine our thoughts and reasoning.

THE ART OF THINKING AND REASONING

Thinking and reasoning is a social activity for most people. They require the engagement of external forces as the individual is as much a part of society as the society is a part of the individual. From the moment of birth, the social labyrinth of customs, beliefs, languages, values, religions, politics, and other traditional ideas are all well positioned to mold the child into the image of those who the child is surrounded with, and it is thoroughly based upon faith and belief. So masterfully the operation is instilled into the society as social heredity that even science has often mistaken it as being genetic.

English philosopher and author Francis Bacon (1561-1626), and another English philosopher and mathematician Issac Newton (1642-1727), and others have developed ways of thinking and reasoning that requires a fact in order to be proven must be measured, sensed or experienced. And when we thrust this into the realm of mind and spirit we find our willingness reduced in accepting facts based upon faith or belief.

For this reason, in appreciating life, and creating anything within it such as art, looking for answers and solutions exterior to our own sentient qualities, intellects or experiences is to lose concept of our own truth, values and individuality. And the artist, very often, bears the brunt of this philosophy of "independent thinking" and frequently subjected to criticism by those who have a firm grip on the traditions of status quo.

But the artist moves on, knowing where the roots of criticism lie, and reasons that people who resort to "criticism" operate in the absence of true understanding, and since no knowledge can exist in the absence of understanding, there we arrive at the presence of "ignorance." Thus, knowing the basis and the mechanism behind criticism, often serves as a tremendous source of empowerment and consolation for the artist to continue with his art on the grounds of certainty and knowledge of her art and transcend through the highest echelons of culture called: aesthetics!

Bacon had come to the conclusion that no field of study by itself is sufficient in the absence of another form of discipline exterior to it to align and coordinate it in the direction of its goal. We can elaborate further that it is not possible to walk a path aright in the absence of defining its destination. Therefore, to stay clear off the grounds of myths, mysticism and superficial approaches, we can take a look and see how the arts can be best served by defining its goal under the broad umbrella of philosophy that embraces all the arts, sciences and humanities.

Just as it is impossible to have a full view of a countryside by sitting on one of its boulders under a tree, every field of endeavor, to be fully understood, must be viewed and analyzed from a ground much higher than where it germinates. Thus, in the field of visual art's, we cannot look at an abstract painting's isolated data out of context without a consideration of its existence within the scope of a life that contains the art. Bacon say, that would be to use a candle to light a room that is illuminated with daylight.

ART IS COMMUNICATION

We all enjoy and desire a pleasant conversation with our associates, friends and family. But when we look, and inspect our environment, we notice that the great majority of our population, have difficulty with communication. A two way communication takes place, when we can freely initiate our thoughts or ideas to one another, acknowledge each other and continue this interaction, back and forth, by continuing with the sharing of our thoughts and ideas, very much similar to a friendly game of tennis; where the return of the ball, is dependent upon the quality of the serve.

There are times when we notice a break in communication, when either one of the parties, in its turn, fails to acknowledge and originate a thought or an impulse back, to continue with the conversation, or to bring about an optimum conclusion.

The people having these difficulties with origination, are generally accustomed to prepackaged amusements, such as a weather disaster, or an incident or story relayed by a coworker. They get very low on originating communication on their own, inspired by their own imagination; and they become somewhat vexed, when faced with an "imaginative conversationalist." This is either through their upbringing and cultural environment, or their education.

Origination is very important to bring about a communication. To this degree, these people communicate mainly regarding subjects that are handed to them by external sources. They see a news story, they talk about it; they get a call about a family affair, they talk about it. They wait for an exterior circumstance to bring about an interaction, otherwise they do not engage by "creating" a communication. They either have a compulsively irresistible urge toward doing something, or inhibited and behave awkward and unnatural in communicating. If they manage to engage, they often turn sharply, towards derailment of the dialogue, and bring about a good degree of resentment, ill will and unwanted conclusions.

The people who do not originate, or do not engage imaginatively, are inherently dependent upon others to give them primal reasons to engage in a conversation; this is due to being endowed with very little imagination. As a result, we can conclude, that a pleasant and engaging conversation, requires the participation of two imaginative minds, with similar endowment of creative impulses, to mutually create the art of communication.

The field of visual arts, follows the same principles, as art is a form of visual communication. The artist originates his communication as s visual message, through the presentation of his art, to his audience. The quality, and the presence of this initiative that he forwards in his art, forms the visual message, that he delivers to his audience; the quality of which, determine the response of his audience, to whether engage or not. Hence, arts much similar to personal dialogues and conversations, follow the same basic principles of communication, in its success or failure

An artist with low imagination, who does not originate verbally, does not communicate visually either. He originates no visual messages in his art, or when he does, it is so scarcely done, that it stirs up no interaction with his audience. This absence of expression, is mainly due to the artist heavy reliance upon the origination of the audience - as an external force - to brings about a communication, in the direction of his art, which is "silent." Thus, no emotional interaction takes place between the audience and the painting.

An artist, high on imagination, is more likely to enjoy the virtuosity necessary in the technical execution of his art. Thus, he is competent, to effortlessly and vigorously, create his visual messages on his canvas; bringing about an interaction between the audience and his painting.

The visual message does not have to be the same for every viewer. The message, serves only as a visual or artistic "code," to be subjectively decoded, by each viewer; much similar to a popular piece of music, that echoes widely by communicating to the listeners - same melodic tone creating a different mood in different listeners.

Thus, the communication quality of an artistic expression, is the artist's intention as a carrier wave, by which her message is delivered to his audience. The technical expertise, by which the art is executed, is also very important, and at times, successful all by itself; although, the quality of the visual communication, always remains senior to the technical execution of the art. The carrier wave, which communicates the artist's intention, to his viewers, is a phenomenon occurring between the artist and the viewer and resides within the realms of spirit.

IMAGINATION VS. COMMUNICATION

Imagination is the faculty or action of forming ideas in the mind and the ability to be creative and resourceful. The ability to originate communication, is in direct proportion with good imagination. The reverse is never true that imagination has to be imperiled first to result in failure of imagination to express thoughts and ideas. Imagination becomes thwarted and dulled in artists who become dependent upon others to reach out to them, to the point that they do not reach at all. These artists can then, greatly benefit, by rehabilitating the ability to originate, and initiate expressions of thoughts and emotions, and thus restoring their imaginative impulses in favor of creating communicative art.

Imagination is the driving force behind the artist's dexterity by which he executes his art and the deftness by which he communicates his impulses as visual messages. The more refined the artist's creative impulses, the clearer are his visual messages in sharing his thoughts, feelings, perceptions and other creative faculties with his audience. Imagination is the prior cause, which precedes the expression of art as its effect; a cause that unarguably and intrinsically, initiate itself in the future, as a postulate first, followed by an effect, which becomes expressed as a painting. Its conception is superior to its execution. Thus, the artist, through his imagination, continue to live in the future.

In the case of abstract expressionism, the art is the conduit for the dialogue, between the imagination and the audience, via the expression as a painting. The more the artist becomes intimately acquainted with the inherent truth, and virtues by which he was created himself, the more freer become his imaginative impulses, and the more spirited he can express his art.

Abstract expressionism, is a genuine fruit of the imagination. Imagination is the only form of wealth, that gives us art as its dividend. Imagination is where the art is conceived and germinated. Imagination does not work with reason, it does not attempt to classify the physical universe as real or imaginary, it does not assess or evaluate things into categories; it only conceives ideas and expresses them - nothing more.

The magic of art, does not exist in its execution, or presentation of feelings and mental imagery independently exterior to the mind. Execution, or presentation of the art, is the technical expertise; the externalization by which the art is expressed. The magic of art, particularly modern art, resides within the intellectual awareness of the mind, in conceiving and forming of ideas. The essence of creation, resides in its conception. When the artist, completes the formation of a conceptual idea, and it then arrives in the external world in the form of an abstract or modern painting, the artist has given birth to expression, and the creation process is complete.

Similarly, when we originate a verbal communication, the words we utter, are expressions of ideas we have already conceived and formed in our mind, what is being expressed in our speech. It is external to the boundaries of our imaginative and intellectual calculations, and subjected to the limitations of the physical or material means, by which they can be expressed; as it is not difficult to recall the times, when our thoughts or feelings, were far more beautiful, than what we have been able to express in our speech. The action of painting, the writing of words, the striking of the piano keyboard, are only the interpretations of the imagination in the field of thought and spirit. They do not exist in the realm of aesthetic creation, which is a spiritual pursuit.

An imaginative idea, is far greater in scope, than what the artist portrays on canvas. The expression, whether in the form of abstract painting, singing a song, writing a poem, or composing a piece of music, it is always limited to the boundaries and limitations by which they can be executed within the material world. Thereby, it is an alteration of truth conceived in the imagination. The extend of this alteration, as to how much the expression realizes, and fulfills the conception of the original idea released from the imagination, is not measurable, or fully known at this time.

A work of art is understood and appreciated by direct observation. Between the artist who creates the art, and the viewer who contemplates it, lies the magic: Expressive imagination. It is our own creative impulses, perceptions and recognition of the aesthetic expressions within the art, that allows us to experience what is being resonating to us from the artist; and thus, becoming engaged in a two way communication with the artist through his art; the art is an spiritual connection to the artist. Aesthetics, when fully perceived, elevates us into the serene realm of timelessness.

KNOWING IS SENIOR TO UNDERSTANDING

Knowing and understanding are two of the basic fundamentals in creating art. Knowing is a part of imagination within the mind, in which aesthetic impulses are conceived and transformed into artistic expressions; a process which is best understood by defining both: knowing and understanding; and why knowing is above understanding.

Knowing is an intrinsic quality of the mind, in variable measures. Knowing is a state of awareness and a perception in pursuit of a goal. It requires no reliance on exterior forces. Knowing is always accompanied with certainty, ability, and confidence. Knowing is a state of awareness; it is a given state of knowledge. Those with great abilities in a given field, have confidence and are fully aware of knowing that they know, independent of any external factors.

Knowing is different than understanding, which comes about with learning. Knowing is the enlightenment felt in perceiving truth. Knowing is self-contained. It is a singular activity which exists by itself and within itself. Knowing is knowing that one knows. Knowing is the faculty to perceive and the capacity for truth - it is a self-determined knowledge.

Knowing is self-assurance, it is self-belief. Something that is known without effort. The mastery in a given skill is knowing. The imaginative impulses of an artist that spontaneously conceives an abstract art is knowing. Knowing is the self-confidence by which a task is pursued. It is a certainty in thought, and knowingly perceiving that certain conclusions can be drawn. Knowing is the work of the imagination in conceiving an abstract painting, or making instantaneous conclusions, as to the completion of an art composition. Knowing is awareness of the truth within, and the certainty that it can permeate through any, real or imagined barrier.

Understanding on the other hand, is below knowing, because it is dependent upon the engagement of external elements, in the material universe, to fulfill its aim. It is the result of education, as a group activity involving the external world. Studying about prehistoric art, or modern art for instance, creates an understanding about these two styles of art. It does not rely upon our perceptions, or awareness of what is innately ours.

An activity in pursuit of understanding is a potential knowledge, as it is acquired, such as the study of a modern painting. It does not fulfill its aim by itself. Understanding is to come to know something in a certain direction; such as learning to play the piano, or a foreign language. It becomes skills in doing things aptly, which leads to knowing.

An ability to cook and enjoy good food with ones friends is understanding of how o cook and entertain. The ability to paint a piece of modern art is an understanding of the art itself. The ability to raise beautiful flowers and share them with our neighbor is understanding of gardening and creating goodwill. The ability and competence in having a successful conversation with someone is understanding of good communication skills. Understanding is the universal solvent. Understanding brings about peace and harmony. It can wash things away.

In the field of arts, exterior sources of reference, used as mimicry or imitation, compromises the integrity of imagination, ideas, thoughts and concepts; and so becomes impure the art, when it is created through understanding, and reliance upon external forces. Knowledge, purely expressed from within, through the mind and the spirit, is how the artist gives birth to new abstract forms. Abstract art is an example of origination of communication to the viewers as a pure presentation of self-expression.

VIRTUOSITY IN MODERN ART

Pure creation of fine art, such as abstract paintings, is an emotional activity that surmounts any rational thoughts or reasons, as it fulfills itself through an spiritual journey into time, motion and space, with light, color and form. It is an state of awareness, that summons the most innate essence of the artist's imaginative and analytical forces. The higher the awareness and the clarity by which he perceives, the higher will be the versatility, and willingness by which he performs along the various facets of life.

Johannes Itten (1888-1967), was one of the principal teachers of modern art at The Bauhaus School in Germany, whose teaching philosophy, has produced several great artists of the 20th century. Itten's principles bring to light, a greater and more in-depth understanding and appreciation of the values in acquiring additional skills in the field, outside of the arts. He believed, studies and mastery in areas such as philosophy, gardening, landscaping, sewing, woodworking, etc., were necessary in developing personal interaction and direct experiences with nature. In Itten's view, understanding life, it's structure, forms and textures, plays a significant hand in developing one's creative impulses. He believed, broadly acquired dexterity, was essential in the competent execution of art through memory and inspiration. Itten's concise and illuminating words on the subject are expressed more eloquently in the following quote.

"If new ideas are to assume artistic form, physical, sensual, spiritual, and intellectual forces and abilities must all be equally available and act in concert." - Johannes Itten

Hans Hofmann (1880-1966), a German artist, who lived in Paris in his youth, and was a patron of the French avant-garde movement. His friends, impressively included Matisse, Miro, Picasso and Bracques. He evolved through the revolutionary period of the Western art in early 1900, and later, when he immigrated to America, he became well regarded as the father of abstract expressionism. Hofmann taught the very effective approach of encouraging his students to explore within their own experiences, to develop artistic signatures unique to themselves; and consulting nature only as a reference. He articulates this concept partly as follow:


"Nature is permeated by rhythm whose variety cannot be restricted.
Art imitates it in this respect, in order to clarify itself and thereby
attain the same degree of sublimity, raising itself to a state of multiple
harmony, a harmony of colors that are divided at one moment and
restored to wholeness by the next. This synchronic action is to be
regarded as the real and only subject of painting." - Hans Hofmann

Through his technique of push and pull, Hofmann proved that the illusion of depth, space and motion, can be created abstractly, through the use of color and form, in the absence of representational imagery. His teaching was very influential in the progress and the development of abstract expressionism, specially in terms of his philosophical wisdom, that nature is the greatest art and artist and it is there not to be imitated but to inspire.

THE MOMENT OF JUDGMENT

The artist conceives his aesthetic ideas in his imagination, and transforms them into paintings. His paintings carry a visual message, and communicate it to his audience. These paintings are his artistic performance by which he tells about himself. His art, ought to be created purely for his audience, in the absence of any considerations given to any possible critiques given by the critics. People's emotional responses are the sole decision makers, as to whether the art is successful or not, based on the quality by which a the art communicates to them.

To disabuse you totally of any mysteries, involving the recognition of a successful work of art, here lies a simple acid test by way of an Asian tale: an ancient Chinese poet whose poems were laudably read throughout the land, had a simple test to insure the acceptance of his audience. Each time he wrote a poem, he surveyed its popularity in his town. He took it to an old flower lady he knew in the town's square and read it to her. If she liked it, he published it; and if she did not, he discarded it and wrote a new one. His very thoughtful and wise conclusion in doing this survey, was the following: that if his poems were understood and appreciated by a peasant lady in the town square, they will also be popular with his readers. So, here lies the simplicity by which a widely successful and pure work of art should communicate its essence.

The point here in terms of visual arts, is that a successful work of art, whether representational art or abstract art, has to impinge emotionally, upon people who view it, and bring about a sentient response that causes them to engage and understand the painting. When they understand it, they talk about it, participate in it, and put a part of themselves in it, to complete it for themselves as their own work of art.

The Chinese "flower lady" is the acid test for every good piece of art, which nullifies all the esoteric classified fallacies, put together by the "experts" who pontificate that a certain type of convoluted "knowledge" or "expertise" is a prerequisite for the public to understand and appreciate art, specially abstract art. Nothing is further from the truth. The simple truth is this: every individual viewer's instinctive, and instantaneous pulse of joy that he feels and senses strolling through his heart, as a reaction to the pleasure, brought about by viewing the art, is the ultimate judge; alerting the viewer, that he is in the presence of a successful work of art - and no more.

ARTS: A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

"Art is greater than science because the latter proceeds by laborious accumulation and cautious reasoning, while the former reaches its goal at once by intuition and presentation; science can get along with talent, but art requires genius." - German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Purity of life force, or spirit does not belong to any part of the physical or material universe. It has no mass, no form, no location in space, no energy, and no motion. It resides in the realm of spirit; and that is not religiously, but spiritually speaking.

The more intellectually, and spiritually endowed is the artist, the more powerful will be his demonstration and expression of his ideas. Clarity of his concepts are directly related to the level of his awareness and his willingness to face life. The more purity, vitality and awareness the aesthetic mind of the artist attains, the more intelligently forceful and sentient will be his artistic expressions. Abstract art, in its purest form is expressed through the soul.

The interaction of the artist with his canvas, when he paints, is an awe-inspiring time of feeling totally free, from the concerns of the material universe; as he enters the sublime world of spiritual awareness. A state where, according to Schopenhauer, the sun can be viewed the same, either from a prison or a palace. It is this level of sublimity that saturates life with an enchanting beaut; assigning aesthetic quality to our sufferings, enabling us to view our pains from a much higher elevation.

Art inject serenity and calm into our space. It humanizes our relationships. It soothes our mind and soul. Art transcends us from the agonies of the transitory, and the material world, by placing infinity into our view. The best arts appeal both, to our intellects and our emotions. The magnificent field of art elevates the culture, and gives Man a splendor of peace and joy to rise to.

As the aesthetic mind, become purged and purified of its impurities and misconceptions, it begins to approach more towards the infinite level of awareness and knowledge in its purest form; an ascend, which leads the aesthetic mind closer to eternity; an awareness level instinctively knowable by those who have achieved a higher level of awareness; a level, where the aesthetic mind can effortlessly journey through distant times and places, to bring back imaginatively divine souvenirs in the form of art.