The Art of Painting
Ravish Kumar
| 21-03-2024
· Art team
The essence of the art of painting lies in expressing one's inner perceptions using the language of painting.
What's crucial is the content, which holds greater significance than the form. Even though content takes precedence, mastering the form of painting is a meticulous process. How have painting techniques evolved?
Why does a masterpiece transform from a realistic, figurative style to a challenging-to-decipher abstract form? Professionals, including painters and critics, often evaluate artworks based on their form and technique. In contemporary times, abstract painting has gained popularity to the extent that those who haven't tried their hand at a few abstract pieces feel hesitant to label themselves as painters.
The art of painting aims to articulate the depth of human perception. Throughout this process, individuals gain a more profound understanding of their perceptual abilities and expand their scope of perception. These shifts have altered the language of expression in painting. Initially, perception relied heavily on the eyes, resulting in realistic portrayals. However, some artists possess a heightened "visual" perception, enabling them to discern a "conscious vision" behind what the eyes see. This conscious vision involves the image processed by the brain after the eyes capture it. Impressionism emerged as a movement showcasing this conscious vision, blurring the line between realism and abstraction.
Directly translating one's conscious vision onto canvas constitutes a form of realistic painting. This approach allows for emotional and psychological influences to shape the artwork, giving rise to movements like Impressionism. Artists find room for recreation, breaking down and rebuilding structures and experimenting with colors. The outcome, often incomprehensible to others, becomes a means to express emotions, states of mind, rhythms, or melodies — a technique known as abstractionism.
Another dimension of painting's evolution involves perceiving changes in the subject. While traditional painting aimed to depict the visible world, exceptional artists surpassed ordinary perception. Some scholars have drawn parallels between Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein, noting similarities in their developmental trajectories. Picasso believed people exist simultaneously in various spaces, a concept reflected in his paintings. Similarly, Einstein and Picasso, though differing in expression mediums, essentially functioned as scientists.
Extraordinary painters possess superhuman perceptual abilities. Edvard Munch, for example, painted figures resembling tormented souls, effectively capturing human emotions such as anxiety and fear. Piet Mondrian, on the other hand, embarked on a journey exploring the realms of humanity before discovering the divine. His final works, characterized by geometric color blocks, embody the fusion of philosophy and humanity in art.
Additionally, unconscious painting involves the artist entering a state of unawareness during the creative process. The resulting artwork often surprises the artist, as it stems from the unconscious mind rather than conscious intent.
In conclusion, painting techniques closely intertwine with the depth of expression, rendering the concept of high or low technique irrelevant. The journey from realism to abstraction mirrors the expansion of human perception and the continuous exploration of new artistic frontiers.