Vision versus History
Artists are often faced with anxiety resulting from high expectation of their audience. They are naturally forced to be creative and innovative to come up with something that captures the attention of their audience. In this process, it is vital that they base their creativity on historic arts or visualize on a better ways of designing their piece of arts. Essentially, history is an integral part of our society and it defines our destiny. In fact, different aspects of history are passed from one generation to the next. Similarly, visions play a critical role for purposes of innovation and creativity. Through visions, it is possible to lay foundation for a particular art design which is achievable in the future or at the present. In the context of this paper, both historic and visionary information play a great role in the interpretation of work of art.
It is important to mention that this paper focuses attention on painting and drawing as the works of art. These two pieces of art are fundamentally the origin of art work in the history of art. Art in the context of this study is fundamentally defined by what we see in our surrounding. Painting and drawing are basically visual media regardless of whether an artist or the audience is viewing it. It is through the eyes that one can gauge the value of any piece of art as well as comparing it to others in the market. In most cases, the work of art displayed in our religious places, homes, cultural sites or even the museums are gauged by what is seen. The term vision defines the physical aspects of our surrounding that our eyes are able to see every day. However, vision is not limited to what we see only. Lynn refers to vision as the complex ability of the eye and brain to receive and interprets light as well as image.
Michael states clearly in his literature that:
“As an Artist, I would tell you that Vision is my greatest asset. But actually, it's my mind that I value the most, I think I can do Okay as long as that one hangs around a little while longer”3
In this regard, the paintings and drawings are not merely what the eyes see but also the perception that we have towards them. Vision in art is a great determinant of the final outcome of artists as well as verdict of the audience. This notion is shared by Michael & James who opines that vision is vital in interpreting any work of art based on the idea that the moment an image is kept in the brain, it is recognized hence does not appear to be strange to our visual understanding.
The eye plays a central role in the interpretation of art work. This statement is supported by Michael & James who argues that when both artists and their audience observe the art work, light is first transmitted from the object to the eyes of the viewers. Essentially, the light goes through the pupil and ultimately gathered by the lens which then transmits it to the back of the eye. From the retina, information is transmitted to the nerves and further sent to the brain for interpretation. It is at this point where differences arise among viewers and artists since different people interpret the work of art differently. It is against this backdrop that the interpretation of any piece of art does solely depend on what we see. The visual information transmitted from our brain partly plays the role of interpreting the work of art in question. Critically, our senses are key to any basic decision we make concerning the artwork. Basically, on seeing any painting or drawing, the brain strives to interpret it accordingly and derives actual sense from it. Basically, this is the role played by vision in the process of interpreting artwork by the artists and viewers alike.
The other critical concept that has elicited debate among scholars in the field of art is the question of history or facts in interpreting the work of art. It is significant to note that despite having a good quality of art, it must depict a certain fact in nature or history in order to gain attention as well as relevance it deserves. This is clearly exhibited by the numerous successful works of art in the world today that either reflects historical happenings or displays a factual scenario in the world today. Indeed, merely viewing a piece of art does not qualify it to be rated as a work of art. The aspect of historical information of that particular painting or drawing qualifies the objects to be work of art. Precisely, historic information about a piece of art refers to the actual or factual information attributed to that particular art either at the present or in the past. The audience is only able to appreciate any art work in a scenario where the artist directly associates it with current happenings or historic facts such as the happenings in the bible.
Judging from the arguments of James, the fact on the ground regarding whatever object is exhibited in the work of art determines its integrity among viewers. The creativity of artists is gauged on their ability to draw or paint various objects seen in the surrounding. It is against this background that every painting or drawings considered to be work of art has description written alongside so as to describe the fact of nature associated with it. Donald warns artists in his book that,
“..we must avoid the habit of those who strive for distinction in painting by light of their own intelligence without having before their eyes or in their mind any form of beauty taken from nature to follow.”
It is undisputable from this statement that work of art is not only reliant on what viewers and artist visualize but also on the historical facts that it is associated with in the society.
The bottom line in this paper is the final information assumed by the audience and artists concerning the work of art. In as much as the work of art may look presentable and distinct, the message or fact behind it is critical in interpreting its essence. In the same breathe, any historical or factual information about nature or surrounding without exhibits such as painting does not define the work of art. In this light, it is significant that both the viewers and artists of any piece of art consider using their visual sense as well as historical facts to interpret them. This step goes a long way in ensuring the integrity and essence of art in our society is upheld. Indeed, the eye as a sense organs plays an important role in capturing light and color in the environment which is transmitted to the brain for effective interpretation of the artwork.
Work Cited
Charles Harrison, "An introduction to Art." Yale University Press, 2010, pgs 1-28. James Elkins, "How to use your Eyes," New York, published by Routledge, 2008. Rika Burnham, "Information in gallery teaching: Charles Le Brun's Water tapestry", Los Angeles, 2011.
Matthew Wilson Smith, The total work of art: From Bayreuth to Cyberspace, Washington. Published by Routledge, 2007
