In Academy's genre hierarchy, genre art is one of the genres, together with other types, for example, landscape and portraits. The main subject on these artworks are people, and they have to do something. If they don't, the painting is actually a portrait. Both figurative and genre art have people as their main subject, but these terms aren't synonyms. All genre art can be considered as figuratism, just like most other non-abstract works.
Figurative art is best described as artworks that obviously represent something that exists in the real world. This art usually has volume, shape, perspective and structure, and this is achieved using colors and lines, different materials and techniques, depending on the particular artist. All techniques and medias are accepted, but the subject is something that comes from the real world.
Although figuratism may contain different simplifications of the form, especially when it comes to paintings, this type of art is basically representational rather than abstract. Generally it may be said that figurative may be applied to all art before abstract. Today, this term is mostly used to define any art form that isn't abstract. In short, if you can tell what it is, it is definitely figuratism.
It doesn't matter what media is used. All are accepted, including oil, watercolor and pastel. People are the main subject, whether they have their clothes or not. Of course, some artists are more interested in describing particular emotions or moods, while others might be more focused on reality. Generally, all portraits that are recognizable are certainly figurative artworks.
The best example for this art-form is expressionism, but all other types can also be considered as figuratism, as long as they aren't abstract. For example, cubism. Although it belongs to abstract form, numerous artworks are actually figurative. Picasso is the best example for this. Although his artworks can sometimes be really distorted, you can still recognize the main subject. There are no special limitations.
So, there are two poles of figurative art. On one side there is the photo realism, where everything has to be exactly as it really is. Other extreme is almost unrecognizable figuration, which is nearly abstract. Cubism is a very good example of this second extreme. Take for example Picasso's work. When it comes to his analysis of woman's face, it doesn't look exactly as a face, but you can tell that it is.
Contemporary artists became more interested in this form in last few decades. Some of them can really offer something extraordinary. For example, John Currin, Jas Knight, Gillian Carnegie and Jenny Saville. If you aren't familiar with their work, you should definitely correct this mistake. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Different abstract art forms popular in twentieth century made figurative arts a little bit neglected. They tried to improve the art. In the eighties, this forgotten art form became popular again, thanks to numerous enthusiasts such as John Currin. Contemporary figurative art reflect modern world and definitely has something to offer. Maybe art cannot be improved, but it can offer something new and exciting.
Figurative art is best described as artworks that obviously represent something that exists in the real world. This art usually has volume, shape, perspective and structure, and this is achieved using colors and lines, different materials and techniques, depending on the particular artist. All techniques and medias are accepted, but the subject is something that comes from the real world.
Although figuratism may contain different simplifications of the form, especially when it comes to paintings, this type of art is basically representational rather than abstract. Generally it may be said that figurative may be applied to all art before abstract. Today, this term is mostly used to define any art form that isn't abstract. In short, if you can tell what it is, it is definitely figuratism.
It doesn't matter what media is used. All are accepted, including oil, watercolor and pastel. People are the main subject, whether they have their clothes or not. Of course, some artists are more interested in describing particular emotions or moods, while others might be more focused on reality. Generally, all portraits that are recognizable are certainly figurative artworks.
The best example for this art-form is expressionism, but all other types can also be considered as figuratism, as long as they aren't abstract. For example, cubism. Although it belongs to abstract form, numerous artworks are actually figurative. Picasso is the best example for this. Although his artworks can sometimes be really distorted, you can still recognize the main subject. There are no special limitations.
So, there are two poles of figurative art. On one side there is the photo realism, where everything has to be exactly as it really is. Other extreme is almost unrecognizable figuration, which is nearly abstract. Cubism is a very good example of this second extreme. Take for example Picasso's work. When it comes to his analysis of woman's face, it doesn't look exactly as a face, but you can tell that it is.
Contemporary artists became more interested in this form in last few decades. Some of them can really offer something extraordinary. For example, John Currin, Jas Knight, Gillian Carnegie and Jenny Saville. If you aren't familiar with their work, you should definitely correct this mistake. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Different abstract art forms popular in twentieth century made figurative arts a little bit neglected. They tried to improve the art. In the eighties, this forgotten art form became popular again, thanks to numerous enthusiasts such as John Currin. Contemporary figurative art reflect modern world and definitely has something to offer. Maybe art cannot be improved, but it can offer something new and exciting.
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