Art history: Understanding impressionism – Part 2

Impressionism was a radical art form back in the mid 1800s. Most artwork was done indoors, however artists started to work outside. They used short heavy strokes of unmixed colors to imitate the vibrant look of sunlight. As a result, when looking at a painting with an impressionist style up close, much of it is coarse and unrefined. Hard textures covers the canvas with bright colors. The reasons for this technique is to capture the essence and movement of the subject and not the details. While the colors aren’t mixed, when stood afar, there is an optical effect created by the eye which blends the unblended colors together.

Around this time the camera was developed and photography was making certain realistic artwork obsolete. So instead of capturing the still framed images, Impressionists tried to capture the soul or fleeting moments in their works. Instead of separating the subject and the landscape, the artist would connect them in synergy.

The different types of art

Postmodern art proves difficult to define for several reasons. Among those are the differences between the broader distinctions of contemporary art as it relates to the more specific, what genres of art are included in this more specific term and, most cumbersome, the relative inability to specify exactly what postmodernism, in general, truly entails. In any case, one of the best, and most basic understandings of this somewhat vague term, is that it truly is post-modern, or, to spell it out truly, after modernism; which gives us not only a better understanding, but a clearer starting point in the pursuit of that understanding.

There must withstand a clear distinction between the difference of contemporary and postmodern art. The main reason for this distinction is that some disagree that we truly are in a stage after modernism, thus making the art produced not so much in disregard or contradictory to Modern art, but rather an extension or possibly a subgenre of that. Many subgenres fall under the classification of Modern art including impressionism, surrealism, cubism, pop and abstract art. Therefore, some think that postmodern art is not really its own distinct art form, but rather a subgenre of the larger context of Modern art.

When dissecting the idea of postmodern art we must keep in mind the clear distinctive characteristics included in the formation of an entirely different form of art. In other words, we must be able to understand what distinguishes this genre of art from any other. As listed above, Modern art includes many different subgenres that give better definition, character and understanding to the actual, larger genre. However, when trying to separate art into categories of time, influence and style, there will usually always be some sort of discrepancy. In this case, what some see as clearly Modernist art, such as Cubism, Pop and Abstract, other see as Postmodern, or at least precursors to that movement. The difficulty in defining this genre of art comes from the confusion of what forms and influences get included.

In general, in order to understand this movement, one must pay clear attention to the name, in order to get the best understanding and definition of what Postmodernism truly entails. Though the continual persistence of the relativity of definitions largely adopted within the postmodern mindset, it is helpful to think in terms of after Modernism. Most agree that it truly is a movement that both arises from and simultaneously reacts against its predecessor.

Oil Painting Lesson – Introduction To Oil Painting Fundamentals

To accurately convey your feelings about the subject you are painting, you should learn and understand the fundamentals of oil painting like drawing, color theory, value and composition. I hope to give you a better understanding of these fundamentals in this article. This article is meant to be an introduction. You should study these topics further on your own when you have time.

DRAWING

Learning to draw, as a foundation for oil painting, is one of the most valuable skills a beginner oil painter can have. Many new artists usually frown upon the idea of drawing first. They would rather jump right into painting, as most beginners do. Nothing is more rewarding for a painter, than working with color, but if you want to gain experience working with values, form, and space, then drawing is something you should consider learning. This is not to say that you should master drawing, as it is an art form all in itself, but do spend time drawing and sketching your subjects before you work with color. Did you know that in art schools, many years ago, students were not permitted to work with paint until they successfully spent at least a few years drawing first? They must have been very restless, but imagine how skilled they became before they ever lifted a brush. You should at the very least have a basic understanding of drawing techniques before you begin. Check out Amazon.com for some great beginner drawing books that will give you a well rounded introduction to drawing and techniques. A book that is highly recommended by artists is: “The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards”.

COLOR AND VALUE

Color is probably the single most exciting part of oil painting. It is truly amazing how an artist can take a two dimensional surface and create the illusion of depth and distance using color. To accurately depict a three dimensional scene using color requires much practice and an understanding of color theory and how to mix colors. The basics of color are value, hue, saturation and temperature. The value of a color is how light or dark it is. The hue refers to the color itself as it appears on the spectrum of colors. The saturation is the strength or purity of the color. The temperature of a color is how cool or warm a color is. For instance a cool color is blue and a warm is red. Artists can use temperature to give the illusion of distance. Cooler colors tend to recede into the distance, as in a distant mountain range, and warmer colors tend to advance closer toward the front of a picture. Color theory is a very broad topic, one that deserves more thorough attention. A great book on color theory and mixing is “Color Mixing the Van Wyk Way: A Manual for Oil Painters”.

COMPOSITION

Have you ever visited an art museum and a particular painting just grabbed your attention and drew you in? Something in that painting kept you there looking and studying it. One element the artist successfully used in that painting was composition. The artist laid out the shapes and divided the space in the painting in such away that appealed to your senses. Here are some points to consider when developing your composition:

1) Avoid putting the main focus of interest in the center of your painting.

2) The areas of your canvas should be divided into parts of different sizes. For instance, if you are creating a landscape painting, do not put the horizon right in the center of your painting.

3) Do not place all the interesting parts of your composition on the left side of your painting. People read from left to right so they will have no reason to continue viewing the rest of your painting.

4) Avoid placing an interesting or important element of the painting too close to the edge of the canvas.

There are other elements that contribute to good design in an oil painting. Here is another good book to study if you would like to learn more about this fascinating aspect of painting: “The Simple Secret to Better Painting: How to Immediately Improve Your Work with the One Rule of Composition by Greg Albert”

I know all this information seems overwhelming at first. Oil painting can be very challenging in the beginning, but don’t let that intimidate you. The most important thing to remember is to never give up and keep painting. You will learn from your mistakes and grow as a painter. Everything will come together in time. Happy Painting!