Level B Examination (Western Painting) Theoretical Outline

Western painting has the characteristic of excellent realism, but we cannot simply say that Western painting is realism.

Let’s start with its origin in Greece.

The only surviving Greek paintings today are vase paintings, murals (mainly copies) and documentary records. According to Gombrich, his method pioneered the path of "painting as seen", which belongs to the principle of imitation.

However, the spirit of Greek art is not limited to imitation or "realism" in a simple sense, but attaches great importance to the ideas in perceptual forms. Therefore, the representative style of Greece has the characteristics of "noble simplicity and quiet greatness" (Winkelmann)

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Rome inherited it, and more realistic authenticity, such as the characters, secular life, space scenes with light and shadow in Pompeii murals, etc.

What followed was a long period of religious art in the Middle Ages, which was a major turning point for Western painting.

The Christian concept of iconoclasm originally abandoned the Greek tradition, but later on it was actually unable to allow the use of visual images to promote doctrines. This kind of images was more popular in paintings in Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire.

Its basic method is to use some stylized concrete symbols to point to the unreal heavenly kingdom. Its scope is basically limited to icons and religious stories. Its concrete representation has no representational meaning, but only uses certain recognizable symbols.

: Its intention is not reality, but only for theological concepts, although later in some cases the painter inserted secular and vivid things.

This is very different from Greece, and its artistic appeal is profound and grand.

I point out this paragraph because art history in modern times has often downplayed it.

Medieval figuration is not realistic at all, but it is an indispensable part of the Western tradition and has a great influence on later generations.

The Renaissance was, of course, a rediscovery of Greek tradition.

But don’t forget that the early Italian Renaissance was obviously transformed from Byzantine art, and the so-called Northern Renaissance was inherited from Gothic art.

This is another big twist: Greek tradition plus a medieval transformation.

The Renaissance ushered in the modern period of Western painting. In terms of the significance of realism, it can be said that it has two points: highlighting human consciousness, which is the reality of spiritual inner nature; and meticulously studying perspective, anatomy, physical properties and space in the principles of painting.

Physical structure, this is the reality of the painting method.

——Some people tend to only focus on the perceptual vividness of paintings but fail to see its rational power, such as the great wisdom of Leonardo da Vinci, the mathematical structure from Masaccio to Francesca, and the harmony of Raphael

wait.

In fact, the harmonious pursuit of sensibility and rationality was the support for realism in the great creation of the Renaissance.

Human consciousness also involves a new understanding of nature as human living environment.

But we cannot attribute the Renaissance to realism as a whole, otherwise it will not be conducive to accepting this human cultural heritage.

Over the next few hundred years, there have been changes in many aspects, which can be roughly classified into two paths: one is the classical evolution through the old academic school, with development but not much new ideas; the other is the evolution through Mannerism (or "Mannerism", or "Styleism").

(not very accurate).

Classical art has always carried forward lofty spiritual ideals and developed formal norms and orders, such as Poussin, which was admired by Cézanne.

Mannerism is anti-Renaissance spirit, but it also contains opportunities for new changes, so it may transform into Baroque.

If we want to talk about realism, it will be more fruitful along the way.

Caravaggio's prominent role along the way was not only to establish the method of light and shade painting, but also to further promote realism, the realization of characters, and even the civilianization of characters.

It was not until Rembrandt (Dutch School) and Velázquez (Spanish School) that what can be called the glorious emergence of modern realist painting.

In the history of painting, discussions about realism often give high esteem to the Dutch of the 17th century (including their minor painting school), because under the social consciousness of the middle class in the newly independent country, they promoted a broad and diverse realistic vision of portraits, land and sea landscapes, still lifes, and life customs.

The theme is fully developed.

Rococo and neoclassicism both use similar representational methods, and the former is closer to human "life", but generally speaking, the painting style of the former is not as sophisticated as neoclassicism.

At that time, Latour had been forgotten for a long time, and the Renan brothers were regarded by future generations as the forerunners of French realism. Realism suddenly emerged in the current trend, with independent and high standards.

The predecessors of our country accepted Western art with a special emphasis on the 19th century, and mainly inherited the late 19th century in painting. The reason is probably because this is more directly related to the Chinese cultural situation after the "May 4th Movement".

The 19th century is rich, lively, and complex, and demands analysis.

Gombrich believes that the history of art at that time was a "history of struggle against schemas" with actual research on reality as the main weapon, which shows the significance of the emergence of realism.

Some key points are as follows: 1. "Authentic" and "typical" realism is represented and takes the lead by France, and Courbet is the first.

Courbet advocated "tangible language", "visible objects" and "beauty exists in nature", especially in the real life of contemporary society.

It has a distinct democratic consciousness, the so-called "democratic movement within the scope of art", but this consciousness has a dual character, it is both an expression of the middle class and a protest against it.

Its focus is to reflect the changes in the social status of civilians after the French Revolution in consciousness, and to speak for the "approachable" ordinary people.

They used large-scale paintings of contemporary life unprecedentedly, denying old historical paintings (in fact, not entirely).

Of course, these propositions are not "purely objective" attitudes. For example, in the "Manifesto of Realism" it is proposed to express the "ideal of the times" "according to the evaluation as a painter and as a person".

Second, they are diverse in the development of this artistic value.