The difference between artistic abstraction and realism varies widely.
The definition of realism is rigid.
Realists believe in the true and accurate depiction of an observed setting while abstract artists look for an alternative.
The difference between the products of each movement can be startling obvious or surprisingly indistinguishable.
The true definition of realism in the visual arts is the depiction of subjects as they appear in everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation, and revealing the truth whether it be beautiful or ugly.
Realism has been observed in artwork as early as 2400 BC in India. However, the term wasn't coined until the 1850s when the introduction of photography made the artistic movement popular.
Despite the strict standard of truth, realists embrace certain artistic freedoms when depicting objective reality.
The work of the master Baroque artist Caravaggio, for example, completely exaggerates proportions to achieve an idealistic version of the people and the European landscape during the Renaissance. His famous mastery of chiaroscuro and trompe l'oeuil techniques to create an exceedingly dramatic setting aren't naturally observed.
Andrew Wyeth's detailed works and Edward Hopper's mastery of light exist in a reality so beautiful and serene that one can only wish it was true.
The line between realism and abstract art begins to fade as artists start interpreting reality as an ideal rather than truth; Romanticism is born.
Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism all contributed to the development of abstraction.
Abstract art does not attempt to create a definitive standard; it uses a language of form, color, and line to create a work which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world.
Post Impressionists, Cubists, and Fauvists perpetuated the movement for abstraction with the famed works of Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Andre Derain and Vincent Van Gogh. Even further along the continuum, works by Wassily Kandinsky and Richard Anuskiewicz show almost no resemblance to visible reality.
Abstraction, born from realism, would not be where it is without the advent of the masterworks of the Romantic and Baroque period. In fact, most abstract artists studied and copied the works of Caravaggio and Rembrandt before contributing to the abstract world.
Although Realism and Abstraction seem to be opposites, they exist collaboratively.
No comments:
Post a Comment