Wednesday, 4 February 2015

Timeless Beauty Of Figurative And Genre Art

By Janine Hughes


Over the centuries, art has done a lot of impact to a societys religion and culture. It has long been considered as a form of self expression and has been paid high regards by those people who believe that it is a clear representation of an era that can survive the test of time. And indeed, we see a lot of great works from the best artists of all times.

Da Vinci, Picasso, and all other great artist of their times may no longer be present to witness the advancements of our society. But their works which embody their era surely remain popular. Figurative and genre art are among the classification that stood proud until today. Many works including paintings and sculptures remain an attraction and inspiration for modern day artists.

To an untrained eye, figurative and genre may just look the same. Their themes, being that of ordinary human experience and practices are the same. They both center on people and the things that they do. What differentiates them however is the mode on how they are done. Genre art presents a clear image of a happening whereas figurative can be representational and can be done in abstract form.

Despite their age, there remains a profound beauty among these artworks. Some may attribute it to the manner by which it is done. Others say it is due to the time spent in making it. And then there are some who believes that it is because of the message that the paintings portray. Actually, they could be the combination of all of these factors.

If you think about it, you may find it easy to do the genre one. After all, you just need to find a real event that is happening on your place. It could be anything. From the normal life in the streets, up to the life of students living in mountainous areas. The choices are varied. But making them look appealing and catching is a different story.

It could be difficult to say what made the artist do the artwork. Perhaps it is his personal experience. Or maybe it is something dominant to their society. But whatever it is, the product is surely more than just because of random inspiration.

We cannot also set aside the idea of the artists personal biases. Everyone who decides to create something, figurative or not, has his own biases. And in one way or another, this can manifest in his works. For instance, an artist who loves a specific sport may find it appropriate to create a work that uses the sport as a representation for societal inequality.

Every work of art is open to interpretation. There could be various explanations on its general meaning but the bottom line is, everyone can place a meaning to anything. After all, works of art impacts different people differently. What one sees as beautiful may look insulting to others.

Things change. But one thing that remained is the natural tendency of humans to be attracted to great works of art. There is something so regal and beautiful about them that they are impossible to forget. The older they become, the higher their value becomes.




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