Power of Representation Art
Moonrise - Goolwa | by Mike Barr
Oil on Canvas | 94 cm x 49 cm
To put it plainly, traditional or representational art is often regarded by the modernists and abstractionists as being rather dated, or worse still, has become irrelevant in today’s world.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. When it comes to affecting the senses of other people who may view our work, nothing works better than a bit of realism.
After all we are on an artistic path that seeks to highlight the wonders of our world, in whatever mundane circumstance or how ordinary it might be. It’s what people identify with, its what we experience in our lives and importantly it can be jolt our memories of times past or signposts in our lives of important events - things that can hardly be expected of a nice piece of wall art that is expressly made to go with someones decor but does not address an actual thing.
There is so much amazing matter to paint, gripping atmosphere and mood, that it all has to be painted and recorded in the best way we know how.
Even the most ordinary subject can be made special.
One of the most amazing things I have learned over the years, is that even though we have our own story when we paint, the viewer may have a completely different one.
One instance of some importance to me happened quite a while ago. I had entered a beachscape into an art show which featured a little girl walking down a beach path towards the sea. I was down at the exhibition after the opening night to have a look at what had sold. Immediately after arriving at the show the organisers grabbed me to meet a couple from interstate who had just purchased the painting and wanted to meet me.
It turns out that they indeed had their own story about this painting and it was certainly different to mine.
They had lost a daughter some time ago and the painting reminded them of her when she was younger walking on a familiar beach path near them. It was like a memorial for them.
I was certainly strongly affected by this, as the painting was put together from different references not related to the new owners.
How could I have possibly known their circumstances when I painted it? But sometimes it doesn’t matter, personal experience writes its own story and it always trumps what an artist may have had in mind. It is the wonder of realism. It is identifiable on so many levels - some we haven’t even thought about.
Whatever the subject, be it a still life, a portrait or some kind of landscape, everything can have a voice that a viewer can hear in their own mind. As long as we can impart our own voice first.
We may not produce impressive wall art to match the curtains, but we can arrest the attention of those who glance at our work. The glance can quickly switch on the imagination and lived experiences, that may invites a closer and more prolonged look.
There is nothing more rewarding for an artist than a painting that personally expresses what someone else has felt or feels. .
By Artist Mike Barr
Sept 2024