Synthesis - Art Appreciation PDF

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A synthesis of knowledge gained in art appreciation...

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Atis, Ayana Dawn S. ARTAAP – B March 19, 2020

SYNTHESIS Art Appreciation was a whole bumpy yet memorable ride for me. I for one have a huge interest when it comes to arts and for it to be a subject was a privilege that I needed to partake. Due to this experience, I’ve come to encounter many things, wherein I’ve learned many exhilarating yet stimulating ideas in which I’ve never could’ve heard nor imagined before and as a result, it became lessons that I must embed within me and shall treasure it for a lifetime. For that reason, I’ve come to present the valuable things I’ve learned to be discussed through three (3) topics from all of the lessons and elaborate it properly all throughout this synthesis essay. The three topics that I chose are --- Painting, Music and Film (Animation). When we talk about art, what commonly unfolds to the minds of many would be something like a visually pleasant artwork in a canvass or in a blank space or surfaces as paper, glass, walls, etc. (rather than its other forms like music or films and such) and Painting is an example of it. Painting has been present and used for a long time. Even during primitive eras, painting was found in walls of caves or rocks as a way of communication or to convey a story and is still used even until today. What intrigues me the most is that how can or could a still image impart messages when it is basically motionless? How can it convey feelings or emotions? How is that even possible? These questions followed me all throughout the discussions we’ve had. Painting is a visual art and thus for an individual to comprehend the message in visual art communication, he/she needs to see the entire works in totality in addition to consider the significance of the theme, shapes, forms, and attempt to link the colours on the body of the art work to be able to be aware of their significance. For example, Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci has been written about, wherein interpretations provided by multiple art historian authors of today are not the same with responses of the writer on the work. The views held about a piece of artwork keeps changing to fit interpretations of art to that generation. While others are communicated, some messages aren’t readily understood. Jonathan Jones of The Guardian even remarked that Leonardo da Vinci thought and argues that painting is superior to writing because a powerful or beautiful painting can be understood immediately, while you have to listen to a poem for ages before you can judge it. But for any artwork to mean anything, the creator must rely on their lived experience, inspirations and aspirations in encoding within their work with messages that are significant to a wide audience and easy to decode. As from the words of Evan

Tublitz on his blog regarding Creative Expressions, Art is solely communication. Without the creator there is no Art and without someone to view or receive the Art, it has no purpose. Music is basically the language of love, at least that’s what it means for me, personally. Two points that I find striking regarding this topic is (1) how do artists or singers find inspirations to create amazing pieces of compositions/songs and (2) how they are able to deliver this with such overflowing feelings for the listeners to listen to it with much gusto. For the first point, Guy Garvey in his interview with The Guardian, said that nothing is more scarier or intimidating than a blank canvas that’s why limitations should be set, quoting; “Just start scribbling. The first draft is never your last draft. Nothing you write is by accident” and that “Don't be scared of failure. If it's all getting too intense, remember it's only a song.” An idea or inspiration doesn’t come out naturally or comes out of nowhere for most people. Most of the time, it needs a spark for it to blast or emerge. Inspiration is essentially the excitement of discovering something new, so finding inspiration is really about finding experiences that make us think differently. Few artists like Taylor Swift, Jay – Z and Kendrick Lamar to name a few shared their thoughts regarding this and collectively claimed that we need to give ourselves time, embrace spontaneity and to seize creative moments. To be truly inspired, I believe that we should trust our instincts and our creative empathy. Now for the second point, various artists perform on different stages and to a sea of audiences every time. What’s interesting about this is that these artists are able to deliver their feelings to these devoted audiences wherein it results to overflowing of emotions felt deeply by them despite the language and cultural barriers. An interview made to Japan’s Biggest Rock Star named Hyde where he said that “The audience are like lions. If the artist shows any weakness, they’ll bite, so if you don’t establish your dominance, you may be vulnerable to attack.” It’s totally the same with the audience – there are times when they’ll cry or laugh, if an artist can control those moments then that’s the time you can call a concert or performance good. For this I could truly say that Music is a language that transcends all barriers. It’s a form of communication that transcends space and time, touching the hearts of people worldwide. With just one note, a shred of hope, happiness and even sadness can be transmitted from one soul to the next. Last but not the least is Film, particularly Animation. Film Animation for me is basically a mixture of painting and music. These two should be present in order for a Film Animation to be great. They are essentially interconnected with each other and the absence of one would make it pointless. But what does a great animation film mean and what does it takes to make one? Aside from Disney, Studio Ghibli is one of the most profound and known animation studio that can be in par with the former when it comes to delivering great animation films. Through masterful animations and attention to detail, Studio Ghibli consistently crafts immersive, unique films that strike a difficult balance between fantasy and reality. Their films mostly have this sort of a genre or context called Immersive Realism wherein if you started watching you would get drawn or be completely immersed on that world as if it is your own. No matter how far – fetched and

imaginary the story, the world of a Ghibli film consistently feels tactile and realistic. To quote Hayao Miyazaki (one of the founders), “Anime may depict fictional worlds, but I nonetheless believe that at its core, it must have a certain realism. Even if the world depicted is a lie, the trick is to make it seem as real as possible. The animator must fabricate a lie that seems so real, viewers will think the world depicted might possibly exist.” This is the unique challenge of animation: to create a realistic world through an inherently unrealistic medium. From the word Animate which means bring to life, animators are themselves actors. They must understand and empathize with their characters. Movements must be used to convey a sense of relative scale and weight. Ghibli not only accomplishes this with grace but also conveys the emotions and traits of their characters through attention to details of their behaviour. With all of these details, it feels like there are untold stories unfolding in the background. This is the importance of proper world building in animation. It doesn’t feel like a cheap façade put up for the convenience of the story we are being told rather, there’s depth and richness to the world wherein it feels like it extends beyond the edges of the frame. A Studio Ghibli film is not complete without its accompanying music. The choices of music in every film are also exemplary. The songs or background music were truly chosen meticulously. Though the animation itself is wonderful, with the accompaniment of music, it just makes it more immersive and would seamlessly make anyone drown into that world completely. Most of these songs are composed and made by an orchestra, lead primarily by Joe Hisaishi. All of the music that follows through a single film of Studio Ghibli is majestic. It seems like that music particularly belongs just to that film and it would not suit if it would be inserted with other films. The music just creates a sense of belongingness yet a feeling of ambivalence at the same time. But that’s what makes it more remarkable. Not exaggerating but after watching tons of these films, whenever you a hear a piece of music from a Studio Ghibli film, you can immediately recognize as to what film it belongs to, even with blindfolds on, minding that most of their music is only orchestral and only few are with lyrics or with accompanying singers. Animation is a medium, not a novelty. It is valuable not only for its vivid expression of fantastical worlds and magic, but for communicating universal ideas and pure emotions in a way that only animation can. Art is something that I consider magical. Why magical? Well, it can move people’s hearts and can break it at the same time. It conduces people to think and imagine different perspectives just by seeing, listening or feeling it. It just simply colours our world without us even knowing or be aware of it. Art is magical for me because it makes me experience things both real and surreal at the same time. It somehow seeps through every inch of my body and let me see through a world so extraordinary. Art is also like a form of escape for me. Whenever I delve myself into art, it somehow makes me feel at ease and free. It’s like being transported in a whole different world, like a utopia.

CITATIONS:

Tublitz, Evan (2014, January 28). Creative Expression — How do Artists communicate their message? [Online Forum Post]. https://www.hudsonsounds.org/creativeexpression-how-does-an-artist-communicate-their-message/comment-page-1/ Jones, Jonathan (2011, February 7). Leonardo was right about great art's instant message. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/feb/07/leonar do-da-vinci-art-instant-message Stenham, Polly and etc. (2012, January 2). Top artists reveal how to find creative inspiration. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/jan/02/topartists-creative-inspiration Bather, Luke (2016, November 16). Here’s Your Starting Point for Getting Into Studio Ghibli. HIGHSNOBIETY. https://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/11/16/studio-ghiblibest-movies/...