Monday, 31 December 2007

• Art: Essential Qualities

      Depending on one’s idea of art, different essential qualities define a work of art. Emotionalism states that art should communicate emotion. Formalism states that art should emphasize principles and elements of art, like texture, color, or line. Imitationalism states that art should imitate the object in the real world. An ideal piece of art satisfies all three of those ideals. My ideal piece communicates emotion through the use of texture, color, line, and other principles and elements of art while being reasonably realistic.

      One masterful piece that satisfies all three of those requirements is The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The contrast between the light of the windows and the darkness nearby are used to emphasis the holiness of Jesus. The line forming the arch above Jesus implies a halo. You can see and feel the distress and trouble of Jesus’ disciples as well as Jesus’ acceptance of his fate. Furthermore, all of The Last Supper is realistic. You can distinguish every entity da Vinci was trying to recreate in this painting. The only unrealistic article being the disembodied hand purposefully painted to represent the hand of Judas betraying Jesus. The true downfall of The Last Supper lies only in its short life. Nonetheless, The Last Supper is an exemplary piece that satisfies all three ideals regarding art.

      Different people have different ideals. To me, an admirable piece of art fulfills the provisions of all three beliefs of art: formalism, emotionalism, and imitaionalism. Certainly this is a lot to ask for, but this is an ideal piece, non?

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