Unregistered

Dear all, I'm writing an essay, the title of which is directly underneath. I feel it's important to try and involve as many artistic opinions as possibly so if you wouldn't mind, what have you to say to some of these questions? Many thanks. James

To what degree must we understand our subject before we begin to interpret it artisticly and creatively?

Is it possibly to illustrate everything we understand from a subject?

What are the various ways one can go about understanding the subject?

What is it that influences our understanding?

What artists or movements come to mind when asking these questions?

sightseerii

To answer your questions in my opinion:

To what degree must we understand our subject before we begin to interpret it artisticly and creatively? First, the subject needs to be defined. That's one of the big issues. For example, take "Las Meninas" by Velasquez. You can look at it as a Court painting, a painting of other artworks, or a self-portrait. Is the subject the ladies in waiting, or is it the commentary on society and opulence during the time? As a perpetual student of the arts, I think that it helps knowing what is going on in the country, society and era of the painting before we apply 21st Century judgements on any piece. It gives additional insight and offers - sometimes - a foundation for study.

Is it possibly to illustrate everything we understand from a subject? That's relative. Eg., when you look at a primitive American portrait of a child in the 1840's, you are likely to see a child in a dress. That's where the questions start... Is it a boy or a girl? How can you tell? Is it a memorial painting, painted from a sitting, memeory, both? And if you dislie something from the start, you are less likely to be receptive to its "message".

What are the various ways one can go about understanding the subject? Look at the writings, especially to identify issues of the day, what is happening societally and historically. Art is a reflection or commentary on what is going on in a specific timeframe, like the Arts and Crafts movement was a rebellion against mass production and the Victorian need to control the environment.

What is it that influences our understanding? General knowledge & having the capacity to look at something with an open mind. Another example: before studying pre-Columbian art, I balked. I did not necessarily like it or dislike it but I thought it was lumpy, dumpy, "flat". I took a class and when I learned about the religions of the Aztecs, Incas, Toltecs, etc., my opinion changed dramatically. The art & architecture became fluid, graceful, energetic, playful and symbolic of the bigger picture. I have a real appreciation for the way the art was executed, the way the stories were told, and the longevity of it.

What artists or movements come to mind when asking these questions? I think of Hieronymous Bosch, Albrecht Duhrer, Velasquez, Frank Lloyd Wright, Da Vinci, Rembrandt. They all liked challenges. I definitely think that if they were in our times, several of them, like DaVinci and Wright might be considered ADD or oppositional defiant. Their approaches to things were innovative and showed that they had a mind of their own. Bosch's every brush stroke was a commentary on good and evil and society as in the Garden of Earthly Delights. Whether looking at one movement to another, I look at how they often are in response to the prior movement. One period is alomost answering the questions tha the earlier one brings up. These are my perceptions. Whether they are right or wrong, it helps contribute to whether we like certain pieces/movements. A true piece of art is capable of eoking emotion and making us think.

Unregistered

i too have a couple of peter paintings. my thoughts after reading all of these notes are that there are obviously many painters named peter.