From my perspective, art was easier to define before Impressionism. It was the fact that so-called 'good’ art pieces, more or less, followed some traditionally accepted rules like proportion, perspective, golden section, textures and tones. Generally, if one’s painting looked real, one would probably have created a ‘good’ art piece. But soon afterwards, the invention of photography changed this perception.
Art and Photography
The first photographic images (new media in this era) were taken around the year 1840, and sparked a revolution in how people dealt with images as communication. Impressionism represents a very significant break from the previous style of painting. (Before Impressionism, only realistic paintings were traditionally accepted.) Not long afterwards, abstract art also began to be painted. Images, lines, shapes, and accuracy in general were forfeited in favour of the new forms. Painters of the time might have felt that the new technology called 'photography' could do it much better, quicker and less expensively than they could. That was why they didn't bother competing.
Obviously, the new techniques and new ideas continued. Marcel Duchamp sent a ready-made enamel urinal to a 1917 juried exhibition in New York. The piece, called Fountain, was rejected by the jury but eventually went on to become the most famous of all works of conceptual art.
Within a few decades of this era, not only the type of creativity and vision found in Impressionism was evident, but also the rise of Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Dadaism, Abstract Art, Pop art, Conceptual art and to name a few.
Art and New Media
Undoubtedly, photography brought a huge impact to artists in the era. Some artists chose not to compete with it, and some chose to adopt and make use of it. Then, what about the new era? If there is anything that distinguishes the twentieth century from all previous eras, it is our communications. The electronic storage mediums, TV, movie, Internet and so forth have changed the role of traditional accepted art.
In the past, the critics, the academics, the art historians, the museum curators, the gallery owners, the editors et al., had the authority to define art or credit an art piece a masterpiece. However, some artists started to doubt whether institutionalised museums were the only place to get recognition for their works. As technologies have improved, online museum is becoming popular. As a matter of fact, it is not necessary to get recognition from institutionalized museums or galleries. Almost anyone who has some knowledge of the Internet could upload his works to his virtual with only a small budget. Sometimes, the impact of an online gallery could be even deeper and more far-reaching. New media including mobile phones, the Internet, streaming technologies, wireless networks, and the high quality publishing and information sharing capacities of the World Wide Web make both geographical and media boundaries inconsequential.
Maybe art could be much easier to define before Impressionism. However, I would rather not define art clearly and leave room for imagination. Art should be a lot of fun and more avant-garde as challenging ideas certainly help inspire people's creativity.
Art and Photography
The first photographic images (new media in this era) were taken around the year 1840, and sparked a revolution in how people dealt with images as communication. Impressionism represents a very significant break from the previous style of painting. (Before Impressionism, only realistic paintings were traditionally accepted.) Not long afterwards, abstract art also began to be painted. Images, lines, shapes, and accuracy in general were forfeited in favour of the new forms. Painters of the time might have felt that the new technology called 'photography' could do it much better, quicker and less expensively than they could. That was why they didn't bother competing.
Obviously, the new techniques and new ideas continued. Marcel Duchamp sent a ready-made enamel urinal to a 1917 juried exhibition in New York. The piece, called Fountain, was rejected by the jury but eventually went on to become the most famous of all works of conceptual art.
Within a few decades of this era, not only the type of creativity and vision found in Impressionism was evident, but also the rise of Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Dadaism, Abstract Art, Pop art, Conceptual art and to name a few.
Art and New Media
Undoubtedly, photography brought a huge impact to artists in the era. Some artists chose not to compete with it, and some chose to adopt and make use of it. Then, what about the new era? If there is anything that distinguishes the twentieth century from all previous eras, it is our communications. The electronic storage mediums, TV, movie, Internet and so forth have changed the role of traditional accepted art.
In the past, the critics, the academics, the art historians, the museum curators, the gallery owners, the editors et al., had the authority to define art or credit an art piece a masterpiece. However, some artists started to doubt whether institutionalised museums were the only place to get recognition for their works. As technologies have improved, online museum is becoming popular. As a matter of fact, it is not necessary to get recognition from institutionalized museums or galleries. Almost anyone who has some knowledge of the Internet could upload his works to his virtual with only a small budget. Sometimes, the impact of an online gallery could be even deeper and more far-reaching. New media including mobile phones, the Internet, streaming technologies, wireless networks, and the high quality publishing and information sharing capacities of the World Wide Web make both geographical and media boundaries inconsequential.
Maybe art could be much easier to define before Impressionism. However, I would rather not define art clearly and leave room for imagination. Art should be a lot of fun and more avant-garde as challenging ideas certainly help inspire people's creativity.
Text: Lee Wing Fai, HKMediaEd.net
EPIC 2015
