Realism Vs Abstraction

Not so very long ago i closely subscribed to the view that good art is realistic... at the very least representational. That was actually before i re-discovered the joys of painting on a regular, if not daily, basis. 5 years @ CET, Dept of Architecture was a revelation of sorts......it was a test of mental grit and imagination in equal measure. It was actually after my graduation that i began painting again seriously for the unlimited scope of FUN it offers....all paintings made during college years were done with one eye on the calender and another on the quantum of work to be finished...it was all about technical details and meeting deadlines....artistic pursuit took a backseat. After college when i took a certain life-altering decision i was given the benefit of time, above everything else.....(time had been an extremely expensive luxury item during college years)

When i got hold of some new art materials and a sketchbook i took to sketching again...though i was a tad doubtful about the outcome....I realised that there is a world of wisdom in the old malayalam film dialogue: "ellathinum athintethaaya samayam undu Daasa.." And everything fell into place like the pieces a jig-saw puzzle and by God's grace here I am still painting after a hiatus of about 10 long years!

And to come back to my dicussion on schism between realism and abstract genre of art.......

Realism has its merits....it has a near ubiquitous, universal appeal cutting across culture, class, language, time, gender, age etc etc...Why is that so? because realism is what it is....what the artist means to convey is put directly across to the viewer. It is representation in its truest, finest form....undiluted, natural and 100 % understandable!! There is no need to ponder about any mysteries or hidden meanings. Of course there are exceptions to this....several world masters of the genre of realism introduced very subtle elements in their artistic compositions that attain a different significance in the light of symbology.

But one aspect of realism is that while it delights the eye it does not engage the mind or the heart beyond a certain level .Now this is my humble opinion and should not be misconstrued as a slight upon the genre of realism. It is a very potent genre simply because of its accessibily and mass appeal. I've heard several people pooh-poohing realism as being frivolous. But I feel it is simplistic to dismiss this genre in those terms. Realism's greatest strength is perhaps, ironically, its greatest weakeness as well : that it is what is....no questions put, no answers sought! Realism is the flag-bearer of the "Art for art's sake" stream of thought.

In contrast the other 'isms' in art transcend the obvious...and thereby makes the viewers think beyond the obvious as well. One might wonder ( and rightfully so) why planes are disjointed, fragmented or contorted in an abstract. And that is where the viewer himself is able to delienate between the Good, Bad and Ugly. Because great always manages leave a tangible imprint upon the imagination of the viewer. Disturbing, some may be, or even plain controversial in its subject and execution but abstract art always make the viewers pause, in fact forces them to think. Whether it is appreciated or not is a total judgement call depending upon's one taste and aesthetic preferences. But there is one primal truth about art in general and abstract art in particular: Love it, Hate it, but you cant Ignore it!!

So long then...Keep smiling!