Recently I’ve been getting a lot of questions on my personal views on art and illustration; particularly about the old abstract vs. realism question. I’ve got too many opinions on this subject to elaborate everything here, but I might as well throw some ideas into the debate.
Basically I see the abstract/realism thing as two ends of the same scale. At one extreme there is realistic to life art/illustration, approximate human proportions etc (which takes a lot of skill, and years to perfect as a craft) but on its own, this doesn’t serve that much of a purpose. For example, some criticise for instance the ‘mesh-tool’ technique, when a camera could always capture the same image in a fraction of the time. Similarly techniques such as vector even fine art without some emotional input, what you have is, at best a very accurate diagram, but not a complete piece.
On the other hand, you get completely abstract works, which could require no technical ability, but might evoke a particular mood very clearly. (I’m thinking of Rothko paintings etc.) As well as completely abstract illustration that uses shapes and forms rather than elements from the world around us.
Image Sources: Tate Modern, MFtalon DeviantArt
While they might be great examples of visual philosophical thinking, I think as pieces of work, there’s something missing here as well. I’ve always had a problem with say an illustrator being paid a huge amount to literally draw a stick figure that the client could of drawn as well themselves, because the value of the work is not in the work itself, but in the celebrity of the artist.
I think the best illustrations are where the two extremes converge; where the illustration shows technical ability, but it also succeeds in producing an emotional reaction in the viewer. It’s also important to realise that technical ability doesn’t always imply realism, but more generally, skill in accurately portraying the subject – a good example being caricatures. But most importantly, there is the question: what is most appropriate to the subject matter? Whichever way me might lean personally on the abstract/realism question, the determining factor will always be what it is the illustration is for. For instance, in book illustration, the abstract nature of the artwork is often directly related to the age of the readers.
Anyway, these are just some of my thoughts on the issue, feel free to heartily agree or violently disagree, I’m sure the debate will rage on for a long time yet.
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nice article, thanks for sharing…
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