Section outline
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1.7: Artistic Styles
We often expect art to depict something specific, such as when a portrait must resemble a certain person. We call this art's mimetic role, which comes from the Greek word mimesis and refers to creating a representation of something. But we also know that art often takes great creative liberties in representation. Many works impart all strong stylizations to the objects they represent. We call these artworks abstractions because their main goal is not to produce "accurate" mimesis. Finally, we have all experienced works of art that do not resemble anything at all from our everyday experiences. This kind of art may work with geometries, colors, or materials in ways that do not lend themselves to a clear interpretation. We call this kind of art non-objective because it foregoes any ties to objects we recognize.
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Students mustView
The search for truth in art is not limited to making accurate representations in the classical tradition of mimesis. After you view these examples that use widely-different approaches, you will see how individual artists use general and identifiable styles to communicate their ideas.
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