Monday, February 2, 2015

Figurative And Genre Art And Their Impact To Modern Society

By Janine Hughes


Art has its own language. It brings out a message but does not speak. It evokes emotions at its stillness. That sublime moment you experience when you are glued at staring a wonderful painting for instance is something that is difficult to explain. Even if science has a way of explaining the phenomena, the appeal that different individuals has for a single work remains something to ponder upon.

Different forms of art are produced at present. However, none of them can ever compete the value and the importance that those old masterpieces have. It is as if time has made them more valuable than before. When we visit museums, we will see a lot of these figurative and genre art adorning the walls of the place. Not only do they look beautiful. They look alive and meaningful enough to hold ones attention for a moment.

A quick glance at them and one can simply dismiss that the two genre are more or less the same. The subjects of the art concern humans and their practices. What differentiates them though is the presentation. Genre art clearly shows a scene. An example would be the life at the market. It is like taking a photograph of it and then painting and exact copy. Figurative is more representational. It could include abstract designs. Some of them can be difficult to decipher and are open to different interpretations.

Knowing for sure what makes an artwork great can be a challenge. Only those who created them can tell the story behind the works birth. But people can guess. There are some who are convinced that great works are born out of a skilled person who loves art. Others attribute it to passion. And then there are those who believe it is hard work, time and focus. All of these can be correct. In fact we could be looking at possible combinations.

Genre category is perceived by some as easy. You will just need to paint a common occurrence in the society after all. You can just sit down at some place, observe what people are doing and paint. But clearly, the greatest works of all times required more than clear observation in skills in painting.

The personal experience of the artist can impact a lot to his works. The life that he lived can influence how he perceived things. What others may see as peaceful may mean ominous to someone who grew up in a poverty stricken society, where peace and comfort are things that only the rich have access to.

Personal bias can also affect the creation. If emotions are indeed used in creating the artwork, then it is easy to say that what the painter felt while doing his masterpiece shaped and curved some of the details of the image. Sometimes it can even be a combination of feelings and beliefs.

One complicated but beautiful thing about paintings is their openness to interpretations. While there are established interpretations done by other experts, you are free to look at a work that way you see it. How it appeals to one may not be the same with the others. No interpretation is wrong. It is something personal after all.

There is something irreplaceable about the beauty that old paintings has. It is more than just the image. It could be the message or the emotions evoked by the combinations of color. The great thing is, people of all ages are drawn to it.




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