Art and Subjective Observer narrated by Ali Faramarzi
TEHRAN.(Iranart) –This note written by Ali Faramarzi is all about Iranian painting and subjective observer in art.
After writing an article entitled quiddity of artistic identity" in "Shargh" newspaper, in the second part of the article, I raised the issue of subject Subjective observer, which naturally was not addressed as much as necessary due to page limitations, and the issue needs to be opened and more explanation. Moreover, some friends reminded me of this shortcoming and wanted me to open the article as much as I could to make it clearer.
Among the contemporary philosophical critiques and debates about art, the subject is the observer and its role in creating an event and artistic understanding. Of course, it can be argued that a work of art, even if it has no audience, still creates a cultural event; because the experiences gained from it affect the creative artist himself. As a result, there is no work of art without an external observer, and hence it is a cultural event. This means that the artist himself is the first observer of his work of art. The whole theory, with all the variety of opinions about it, is subject to an external observer, and it means looking at the work of art from the outside.
What we want to talk about here is an internal observer (Subjective Observer). internal(Inner) means in the artist's brain that not only looks, but also acts on opinion and taste(manner). And throughout the process of creating a work of art, it affects how the work of art works, depending on how much the artist is influenced by it and how strong the concentration of the presence of the observer is. That is why knowing and being aware of it is crucial and also has multifaceted benefits for the creator of the work of art.
There are two ways for us to understand and receive this decisive presence. The first is to write and discuss its existence, how and its effect so that its dimensions become clear and we can obtain theoretical information about it. As a result, we reject or accept it. The second way is to go directly to the objective and practical experience and gain our personal understanding and perception. For me, as the author of these lines, the second way happened and after my personal experience, I searched for various theoretical cases and similar examples in other horizons of anthropological sciences such as self-knowledge, logic and philosophers as much as I could. Then i was happy to find important topics in line with my experiences.
This perception is by no means a strange and complicated matter. And some people have this experience on their own and can see or reconstruct their "mind images" and even observe them. Let me give you an example; What happens to you when you think of your father's house?
An image of that place appears in your mind, to the extent that you focus on it. We can visualize more details and watch. Those who have not had this experience before, succeed with some effort and practice. Understanding and seeing the objective world and the mental world is a special ability of the human brain and man is on the border of these two beings.
You are the two ends of both rings / in fact, you are joined together.
In the following, we will see how important these mental images are and how they play a decisive role in our lives and especially in the process of creating a work of art. Among the various disciplines of the arts, visual artists may find it easier and more relevant to their discipline in terms of seeing their mental images. Because lexically, the word visual is defined in these four terms: 1- In the form of an object visible in front of the eyes, 2- Creating an image of something in the mind, 3- Mental image and 4- Having possess an object.
As these definitions make clear, the word visual means to see the images of the mind and to become aware of the tools and equipment of the visual artist, and I will go on to say what a decisive role they play in the art product.
These images are not just a simple, fixed and ineffective image, but moving and dynamic mental elements that are constantly talking to us and interacting and reacting. Where they arise, where they draw their strength from, how they choose the subjects of conversation with us, and so on, is the subject of discussion in the sciences of philosophy, psychology, mysticism, and so on.
We have two mouths as if they are like reed/one mouth is hidden in his lips/
A mouth moaning towards you / and a passion in the air/
Nevertheless, he knows whoever his “perspective” is/ that whine of this is from that one too/
(Masnavi: Book Six)
I do not intend to interpret Rumi's poem here, but I will give this good news that in the following articles, the reader will find out why he says: A mouth is hidden in his lips and a mouth complained to you? What is "he" Who is constantly talking to us and we take from him and transfer him out and how is he? And how does it affect the work of art?
The stages of advancing the work of art until reaching the result accepted by the artist go through two parts. These two parts, while interdependent, have clear differences with each other. The initial or motivational feeling and inspiration stage and then the process of managing and advancing the work until the result is achieved. What is at stake is the initial stage, which may be somewhat the case. But not to the salinity that has crowded it and drawn aura around it. Because many motives here in the world, such as competition, jealousy, financial needs, orders, the need to raise, etc. can be the motivation to start works of art. Let's skip it and of course the creative personality is one of the important factors in this section. The next stage is a process in which the mind manages the initial feeling and moves the subject to the conclusion, which is the product of art. subjective observer is present in all these stages and is an important factor in shaping how a work of art works. Here we need to talk a bit about what a subjective observer is and how it affects the work of art. I do not believe, and I have not yet had the experience that during the performance of art, my mind was empty of everything, and only in myself, I experience the same initial feeling, and regardless of any other thought, I am alone with the angel of inspiration and to advance my work with him. I believe that someone who makes such a claim does not know enough about the functioning of his mind or brain. And under the influence of the do's and don'ts of the subjective observer, he is not self-aware of the events of his mind that have been going on throughout his artistic endeavor or censors it; Because mental images are flowing inside our minds. And we are constantly talking to each other by attributing traits and characteristics to them.
Purify yourself from your attributes / to see your pure nature
(Hafiz)
We may be constantly, constantly at all stages of creating a work of art with the subjective observer, discussing, commenting on and reviewing our work due to the teacher and professor we believe in or the artist who is our role model, the group of thought we want our work to be liked and accepted, the buyer we are considering, modeling a work through auctions, an art critic, or the whole of society from which we have made a mental image, and with the image we make of their desires through our mental words. But this is not all, and it is interesting that at the same time with every mental image and dialogue that arises from it, an emotion arises in us. This feeling plays an important role in making the next image; Because our brain immediately creates the next image with which the feeling is matched and the words are made again and the feelings arising from them and ....
Let me give you an example; Suppose I like works of art very much and in my mind I wish I could be a successful painter like him and draw such works. An image of him is automatically made in my mind or a picture of him is formed in my brain. And in the stages where I am painting or thinking about my work, that image is also in my mind and my brain judges and interprets what I am doing with words of my own making, but with the idea that these words are the judgment of that character. And it evaluates my work and with this evaluation, I feel a sense of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. And emotions, color, form, composition, etc. are based on this process. The extent to which a subjective observer influences a work of art depends on the intensity and concentration of the subjective observer image and the resulting dialogue.
In art, the presence of a subjective observer has a more direct and decisive effect than other human activities. Because with the feeling it creates, they determine the fate of the art product. And this feature can be an important help in recognizing the artist. And he will gain a deeper understanding of himself while paying enough attention to his mental images. Another noteworthy point is that the artist is able to move in reverse; That is, the subjective observer changes himself and produces a different feeling by changing the visual elements; Just as when we move, so do our emotions.