All art, as well as our experience of the world, rely on our experience of reality: therefore, there is no art without some form of realism.
However, there is no such thing as experiencing every single aspect of reality at the same time. Our mind filters and selects some aspects of reality to focus on at every given moment. Art does something similar. Different styles are ways to express certain aspects of reality through a human filter. Let’s look at some examples to see how different styles filter realism differently.
For instance, in this painting, the connection and completion of opposites is the theme. The contrast between light and dark, between cool and warm, male and female. The two opposites complement each other. The idea is simple and is well expressed through a simple, symmetrical, and graphic style that focuses the viewer on the central idea. The painting uses certain aspects of realism: the shape of the human body, the shape of the sun, moon, and stars, the abstraction of the movement of the fabrics. The painting has more stylized, “graphical” elements than realistic, 3D ones, yet without realism, the painting wouldn’t be complete. If the man and woman looked like a stick figure, or a balloon person, for example, the concept would still be charming, but the execution would be lacking. Therefore, a flat, graphical style, filters 3D reality through the lens of shapes. It still employs the 3D information, but simplifies it.
In this painting, again, we have two figures, but this time the realism is a bit more realistic. The figures and background have a three-dimensional style, the woman is drawn with more muscles and realistic anatomy, and there’s a slight indication of light and shadow. But the painting is still designed according to shapes; the trees and other elements in the background are presented as textures. For the scene to mimic reality more carefully, the background would be more random and full of details, the shape of the trees wouldn’t be so straight and designed, and overall it would draw too much attention and ruin the drama. Here we see how simplification and stylization serve to enhance the theme of the drawing.
They are one step more volumetric than the painting above, but still don’t mimic reality fully.
Now let’s take it a step further, to realism that describes full three-dimensionality, including nuances of shading. Even here, certain aspects of reality are simplified and designed to highlight the figures in the best way possible, for the sake of the story. The background is highly simplified into large masses with soft edges, the light on the toddlers and their poses are chosen and designed to show the “drama” 🙂 Because art is not a copy of random reality; it uses reality to tell a story or convey a message.
So what’s the conclusion from all this? First of all, there’s no single “correct” formula for how much three-dimensionality and how many light and shadow or other nuances to include in each painting. Each subject and style has its own charm.
Creation requires courage – to put your preferences and personal style on the canvas, to give tangible expression to your soul, to expose yourself to deep understanding, or criticism; success or failure – in your own eyes and in the eyes of others. These are not easy things.
Art is, first and foremost, a means of communication, a way to tell stories, to convey some meaningful message and emotions that add value to life. Realism is a tool in the artist’s hands, not a test to pass to obtain a badge of excellence.
Realism is a tool for artistic expression and can provide us with enjoyable, rich and impressive detail that draws us into the special feeling of the work, and enhance our immersion in the depicted scene. But realism can also be a way to hide from vulnerability, making “mistakes,” and from exposure and rejection. Why? Because by including every aspect of reality in the painting, we avoid making a personal statement. In fact, we transfer the responsibility for the quality of the creation to the reference or the object in reality that we painted. “If we just draw it exactly as it is, no one can say we made a mistake”. “And at least we are assured that others will appreciate the accuracy and realism in the painting, even if they don’t see the inspiration or experience we wanted to convey”. And that can be a very emotionally safe place to create from.
But what if the source of inspiration for the creation is precisely the richness of details down to the smallest “pixel”? Well, yes, that’s also a possibility that can work when that’s indeed the source of inspiration, and when the message in the painting is still conveyed and not drowned in chaos.
So what’s the story with realism? It’s not good, it’s not bad – so what? What am I trying to say here? I’m trying to show that in art, there’s immense creative freedom. And the main requirement to create good art is to confidently embrace self-expression.
A mentality where the artist is a slave to the reference, versus a mentality where the artist is the composer of the creation, are two completely different modes of being when creating a work of art.
So why do we, as artists, have such a complex relationship with realism? Why does it sometimes feel like the success or failure of a painting depends on its level of realism??
Well, this question has several facets. When a certain type of realism is a skill one wants to acquire, it does set objective criteria about what’s right or wrong. The learning process can feel tedious, like first grade schoolwork, or like a challenging and enjoyable journey. We’ve had about 12 years of school with tests that make us feel like we always need to strive to get “the right answer” and avoid failing. This is already a psychological way of being that confronts us with very personal aspects of ourselves.
On the other hand, there’s the external world that sometimes confuses art with science. Many teachers treat drawing as a journey to accurately reproduce reality – from shapes to shading and colors. And in some places, realism is taken as the sole criterion for the success or failure of a painting – and this can fixate the artist’s thinking. On the other hand, many places also dismiss realism altogether under the blanket assumption that it will necessarily hinder an artist’s creativity. So no, I’m not saying realism is bad. I’m not saying realism is good. Sometimes we need to let go of the need for such simple answers to understand a certain message in all its nuances. There is knowledge, and there is choice, and they require selectivity and personal expression as well as the need for knowledge and tools that demand investment, experience, and learning.
It’s always important to approach art from a place of self-awareness – what do you truly feel? What do you want to express in your work? What sets your soul on fire that you wish others could see through your work? That is at the heart of being an artist. The rest of the choices like what skills and knowledge to acquire, proceed from there.
