Methods of Presenting Art Subjects

1. Realism. It often refers to the artistic movement, which began in France in the 1850s. The
popularity of realism grew with the introduction of photography - a new visual source that
created a desire for people to produce things that look “objectively real”. Undistorted by
personal bias, realism believed in the ideology of objective reality and revolted against
exaggerated emotionalism. Simply speaking, it is a method of portraying an art subject
according to the objective reality. It depicts what the eyes can see, what the ear can hear, what
the sense faculty may receive. Example was the painting of Zeuxis, 5th century painter. The
subject of his painting was a grape. When he unveiled his painting of grapes, they appeared so
real, luscious and inviting that the birds flew down from the sky to peck at them.

2. Abstraction. Its etymology is derived from Latin “abstractus "drawn away," or Latin past
participle “abstrahere:” from ab(s)- "away" + trahere "draw," which means "withdrawn or
separated from material objects or practical matters." It is totally the opposite of realism.

In abstract art, the artist does not show the subject at all as an objectively reality, but only his
idea, or his feeling about it (exaggerated emotionalism). It is all about what the artists feel and
what mood they might want to portray. Abstract art is all shapes, no real-life images, scenery, or
objects Example is the painting of Constantin Brancusi’s “Bird in Space.” He was so impressed
by the grace of a bird in flight, by the sweep of its body as it flew through the air. His sculptural
work does not look like a bird for it is supposed to convey an impression of a bird’s grace and
speed.

Forms of Abstraction:
A. Distortion. This is clearly manifested when the subject is in misshapen condition, or the
regular shape is twisted out. It is a form os emphasizing detail to the point that something is no
longer “correctly” depicted. Example is Pablo Picasso’s The Old Guitarist. See how the left
shoulder is hitched up so high and the other shoulder barely exists; how spidery his hands are;
and how his head is twisted around unnaturally. Another is Henry Moore’s sculptural works and
the ancient Egyptian paintings and sculptural works are good examples of this kind.
B. Elongation. It refers to that which is being lengthened, a protraction or an extension.
El Greco "Christ Crucified," a sculpture by Giambologna from around 1588, an elegant but
somewhat formulaic work in which the elongated body of Christ seems to float almost birdlike
off the cross, is an example of this.
C. Mangling. This may not be a commonly used way of presenting an abstract subject, but there
are few artists who show subject or objects which are cut, lacerated, mutilated, torn, hacked or
disfigured.
D. Cubism. It began in the early 1900s when artists such as Georges Braque (French) and Pablo
Picasso (Spanish) began painting in such a way that was far removed from traditional art styles.
The Cubists tried to create a new way of seeing things in art. Many of their subjects, be they
people or landscapes, were represented as combinations of basic geometric shapes - sometimes
showing multiple viewpoints of a particular image. Cubist pictures are therefore often described
as looking like pieces of fractured glass.
E. Abstract Expressionism. Abstract Expressionism is a modern art movement that flowered in
America after the Second World War and held sway until the dawn of Pop Art in the 1960's.
With this movement New York replaced Paris as the center of the art world.
In a painting, the artists applied paint rapidly, and with force to their huge canvases in an effort
to show feelings and emotions, painting gesturally, non-geometrically, sometimes applying paint
with large brushes, sometimes dripping or even throwing it into the canvas.
Abstract Expressionism was influenced by the Existentialist philosophy, which emphasized the
importance of the act of creating, not of the finished object. What matters for the artist are the
qualities of the paint itself and the act of painting itself.
3. SYMBOLISM. A symbol is a visible sign of something invisible such as an idea or quality.
Symbolism systematically uses symbols to concentrate or intensify meaning, making the work of
art more subjective (rather than objective) and conventional. For example, a flag is a symbol of
a country and it depicts the value of nationalism; a lion to represent courage and a lamb to
represent meekness. The logos and emblems of business firms and the coat of arms of bishops
are also examples of symbolism.

Lucerne’s Lion Monument, a famous masterpiece of the early 19th century, is dedicated to the
memory of the heroic fight and final defeat of the Swiss Guards in Paris in 1792. In the
Philippines, we have the “Spolarium” of Juan Luna. The painting shows fallen gladiators being
dragged to an unseen pile of corpses in a chamber beneath the Roman arena. It expresses his
anger over the abuses and cruelties of the colonial rule of the Spanish authorities over the people
of his native country. The
sculpture in the EDSA Shrine depicts the brave-ness and courage of the Filipinos against the
tyrant dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.
4. FAUVISM. It is derived from the French “les fauves,” which means “the wild beasts.” It is
an artistic movement of the last part of the 19th century which emphasized spontaneity and use
of extremely bright colors. To a fauvist, for example, a tree trunk need not be brown. It could be
bright red, purple or any other color.
Henri Matisse, French artist, was known for his use of colour and his fluid, brilliant and original
draughtsmanship. As a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but principally as a painter,
Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. He was initially labeled as a Fauve
(wild beast).
5. DADAISM. The term “dada” is a French word, which means a “hobby-horse.” A hobby-
horse is a child’s toy consisting of a wooden horse mounted on a stick. With this etymology, we
could say that Dadaism is system of art which is per se “nonsensical.” Some would say it is not
an art because it strives to have no meaning at all.
It started as a Post World War cultural movement against the barbarism of the war. It is a
reaction to what they believed were outworn traditions in art, and the evils they saw in society. It
tried to shock and provoke the public with outrageous pieces of writing, poetry recitals and art
exhibitions.
6. FUTURISM. Futurism came into being with the appearance of a manifesto published by the
poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti on the front page of the February 20, 1909, issue of Le Figaro.
It was the very first manifesto of this kind.
Marinetti summed up the major principles of the Futurists. He and others espoused a love of
speed, technology and violence. Futurism was presented as a modernist movement celebrating
the technological, future era. The car, the plane, the industrial town were representing the motion
in modern life and the technological triumph of man over nature.
7. SURREALISM. It is an offshoot or a child of dada. It is also known as “super realism,”
which revolves on the method of making ordinary things look extraordinary. It focuses on real
things found in the imagination or fantasy or it has realistic subjects that are found in the
unconscious mind; depicting dreamlike images of the inner mind.

Two Types of Surrealism

1. Veristic Surrealism. It allowed the images of the subconscious to be undisturbed so that the
meaning could be understood through analysis. They follow images of the subconscious until
consciousness could understand the meaning. Examples: Rene Magritte would show a nighttime
sky, then a daytime foreground, or Salvador Dali would melt clocks to show how unreal how
time and space were; slice of a cheese with a face on it. 2. Automatism or Abstract Surrealism.
Images of the subconscious should not be burdened by meaning, so they are represented in an
abstract form. It is focused more on feelings and less analytical. Proponents: Carl Jung and
Sigmund Freud.
Surrealistic Techniques:

1. Scale – changing an object’s scale, or relative size. Example: ordinary small size of glass to a
big extraordinary size. 2. Levitation – Floating objects that don’t normally float. Example: Stone
Floating 3. Juxtaposition – Joining two images together in impossible combinations. Example:
Car running and on top of it is a horse running with a man riding. 4. Dislocation – Taking an
object form its usual environment and placing it in an unfamiliar one. Example: a face wrapped
by a piece of cloth; an electric burner inside the car. 5. Transparency – Making objects
transparent that are not transparent. 6. Transformation – Changing objects in unusual way.
8. IMPRESSIONISM. It is also sometimes referred to as optical realism due to its interest in the
actual viewing experience, including such things as the effect of color, light and movement on
the appearance of the objects depicted in the artworks. Impressionism focused on directly
describing the visual sensations derived from nature. Devotees of Impressionism were not
concerned with the actual depiction of the objects they painted. Instead they were concerned with
the visual impressions aroused by those objects.
The Impressionists created one of the most important artistic movements of the nineteenth
century and it got its start in France. The theme of the Impressionism movement teaches, “the
human eye is a marvelous instrument”. The worldwide impact of Impressionism was large and
lasting.
Claude Monet is widely recognized as the father of the Impressionist movement, and his work
Impression: Sunrise is widely recognized as the first work of this new movement. Fascination
with color, light and movement formed the core of the Impressionism movement.