Unpacking Art Theory For Practical Application In Art
Many artists will care less about the study of Art Theory unless they are in school. It is unfortunate for one can apply its lessons to their work.
If an artist wishes to create art, it would be best to understand the theories behind what makes art what it is. This in turn would allow the artist to define and classify themselves among their peers.
Cutting through the intellectual formal theory can be a royal pain if uninterested. The intellectuals of the world have forever been trying to classify art by meaning, purpose,and its importance.
Some have claimed art itself is dangerous to society. Plato and Oscar Wilde are among the more recognizable names that have cooked some of these constructs into existence.
More importantly an artist should look for examples of where art theory has been applied in history. One would find markers where society has forever been changed.
If an academic questions my meaning and position, allow me to give a clear example.
Within Classical Art we find common threads between culture and time. Yet within Hellenistic Art there is a separation which is unique from the classics which surround it.
This is an example of where artists break the standards to have genuine artistic expression. This expression allows for pure and individual artistic communication.
Art Theory is not merely an academic viewpoint. Rather, Art Theory should be a principle of art that hold an application.
I wish to place focus on this principle of application for its historic and cultural importance. Our present time is challenging for the many influences which surround us.
Our time is also changing and artists should recognize their time in history.
With this we move beyond a mere classroom theory or definition by classification and into real world application. This transition is what the intellectuals have been attempting to capture for all time.
They simply seem to always miss the mark. There is no doubt that art theory is important but, let’s look into what it is.
Explaining Art Theory And Why Classroom Art Philosophy Fails
I wish to put this in the most simplistic terms that I can for a reader. Any attempt to define art cannot capture what it is without a counter example to that definition.
A definition can define something such as light, air, gravity, or other quantifiable objects. Nature itself can be defined and classified, but art cannot be treated this way as easily.
A definition should never refute itself. To create a definition for art would be to assume that there are concepts which can be used to grasp the essence of art.
It is easier to state the importance of art than it is to define it. We must come to realize that Art Theory works within the world of conception.
The essence of a concept would assume that people have intellectual access to the said concept or definition.
Conception is an attempt by an individual to grasp the essence without having access to the concept or definition.
Thus art theory is focused on each individual as they use different conceptions in how they perceive art. It is unobtainable by concept and definition.
Are you confused yet? I hope not but most likely you are and that was the easy version.
In short we all see art uniquely from our own vantage point. To ask a class if a work of art is good or bad will yield many different answers.
Also asking what will make a good work of art in turn also will yield the same results in many answers. It is not quantifiable by concept thus it cannot be defined.
This is why art can tend to drive intellectuals insane which must classify everything. It is also one of the reasons for why Plato claimed that art was dangerous to society.
Relating Art Theory And Conception To A Modern Struggle
Within our modern world there is an example which can easily translate to our understanding. This example is the attempt to define free speech.
The argument can be made that there is no free speech if it must be defined and classified. Who will determine its classification and application?
To do so automatically places it within the box of the said definition and application. The moment speech reaches beyond that application by the definition, we no longer have free speech in society.
This social construct with civil liberties is more readily understood by people of our time. You simply cannot define parameters to speech and it still be free.
You cannot define a concept of art yet the intellectuals still attempt this. They speak of art through concepts based upon their perceived view of the artists conception.
Once one understands these principles and philosophies other arguments can be finally understood. The argument of art being about life, or is art about art gains some clarity.
If we merely accept academic Art Theory then art is merely an impression by parts to a sum. Missed is the art inspiration and conception of the artist to culture, society, and deeper meaning.
How Practical Art Theory Was Used In History
Within every major shift of culture within history you can find two core areas where influence can be seen. Speech through words spoken or written, and then also within art. While some are more noticeable than others all hold influence.
The early 1900’s saw Picasso and the Surrealists move against the established arts of the Victorian Era broadening horizons into the Art Deco world.
With this came radical changes in design, clothing, and even daily products which we all came to use through time.
It shaped the landscape of the skies over cities as they transformed into the modern architecture we know today. In review of Monochromatic Art we see how many aspects of our society have been impacted.
This is merely one art form born from the Deco movement.
For speech or an art to achieve such change it needs to ride within a vehicle of change. The speech or the art in of itself is not strong enough to change the times one may find themselves within.
This is counter to Plato’s definition and also that of Oscar Wilde. In the case of the Surrealists it was the industrial era within which art found its vehicle to influence change.
A counter culture is never enough simply because they are counter to the standardization of that time. Screaming loud enough or long enough does not promote change.
These methods we have seen fail and only make martyrs of many in history for a cause that is often forgotten.
The key is to notice a cultural shift in time. The artists then step in and aid in giving some definition of the conceptual view adding influence and meaning.
Intellectually this cannot be captured for art nor speech does not begin the change. Nor is it the result of change.
Rather it wraps itself around the meaning and emotion of change to aid in forming it for others to gain a conceptual view for themselves.
In this way art and speech both cannot define an outcome nor capture in totality a meaning by definition. Rather it is a picture of culture as it shifts and aids in guiding ideas along their path.
To what end these ideas arrive is determined by another means.
Success Through Art Theory
All artists wish to be successful. Unfortunately the greatest success of artists who are famous often come after their death.
Yet we all still seek some level of success and recognition while desiring our work to be noticed. To some the recognition matters more than the money.
To others it is about the art itself. Still yet for some only the money matters.
While each definition of success may vary, each artist must define the purpose of art. If one can recognize the culture of their time there is a ready made vehicle by which they can apply their work.
This is stepping beyond merely following trends. Rather it is here that we begin to work with applied art theory within our time.
I clearly recognize that I will never be one of those great names of history yet it does not bother me. Despite being an artist I still have an analytical and logical mind.
Being able to understand this vehicle eludes many even though they may have the skills and desire to use it.
A trend never lasts long enough to get an artist anywhere. This is because a trend does not define a culture but rather is a result of it within a temporary moment of time.
It does not last long enough for an artist to be recognized nor can they shape any part of culture with it.
To better grasp what one must do we look again at Picasso and his Surrealist friends. They lived through a world war and by the latter years of their life saw a second world war coming.
They witnessed the fall of the Monarchists and the rise of industrialization. They lived in one of the most pivotal points in history.
For a modern artist to reach the points they did one must be able to grasp what it is that defines our time. Where is a culture moving?
What is shaping the future? If one can see this then they can begin to aid in giving definition in concept to that conceptual idea through their artwork.
Do not be fooled. It will be a counter culture to the mainstream. It will reach outside of present boundaries rather than flowing with the present stream.
In turn what one gains is the ability to define future trends rather than follow them. It will be your contemporaries which chase the trends as you set them into motion.
This is true artist development for a purpose beyond art merely being about art.
Clinically Speaking Art Theory Is Just Theory
Within a classroom art theory may seem to hold little value to the student. Often enough the professor teaching the class will also miss its importance especially in how it is applied.
History is the greatest teacher in this application but this too is often viewed incorrectly.
The intellectuals will always view art theory as a problem to be solved. Each generation will continue with its classification in further attempts to establish a concept for art.
Within classrooms the struggle will remain between these two worlds as they clash for dominance.
There is something for us artists to take away from this eternal argument. I look to the theory of aesthetic response to find this importance. Allow me to define this as easily as possible.
Nature itself is beautiful and aesthetic and has provided us the Golden Ratio. It can even provide aesthetic experiences.
Yet nature does not serve the function for producing these experiences. We can call nature an art, or some see it as art. But it is not.
In order to have something for the function of creating an aesthetic experience, an impression, to evoke a thought or idea, to allow others to create their own conceptual view, requires intent.
This intent can only be done through the artist.
The difference between an artist who creates beautiful things replicating the world around them, and one who applies art theory for a purpose is clear.
One creates art for the sake of their conception of beauty. This holds direct relationship to the argument of art being about art.
The other in applied theory is for the intent and purpose of evoking a conceptual reaction in others. This holds direct relationship to the argument of art being about life.
The intent of an artist is in relationship to the subject matter used. Intent and subject are not always easy to classify.
It is difficult to capture in a clinical view.
One artist simply reflects while the other evokes. Both reside within art theory.
They are in fact counter to each other in any clinical definition of art. Both concepts are individual and contrary one to the other.
Yet at the same time they each create their own definition through the conceptual goals within the ideas and intent of the artist.
Perhaps it is only the artists who can understand this best as the intellectual minds will always be stuck within the books and classrooms.
Within art theory itself one will contradict another for any conceptual idea will be met with its own concept of definition and classification. Some theories are not meant to be defined but rather remain as an art.
For The Artist
My purpose here is not merely to rehash classroom theory, this should be obvious for anyone educated within this field. While I may not be able to achieve the level of other great artists of history, there are those out in this world that will.
Taking what is within the classroom and then applying it to the real world is a surreal experience. Often what is learned must often be broken and reshaped to a new meaning.
We find what we were taught does not apply. Experience with failure can be the greatest teacher. Yet with this path one who is making their way within the world I hope can gain some value from this.