Critical Analysis- Fine Art and Illustration

Abstract

I am a traditionally trained illustrator. My greatest interest is in figurative art. In searching for my future direction, I found that illustration was dismissive and down graded, especially during the early twentieth century in America (I will further describe this in the later paragraph). Marshall Arisman, an internationally known illustrator and painter, also the chair of MFA degree program, “Illustration as Visual Essay” at the School of Visual Art, N.Y., in his article “Art and Illustration” offer a brief history of the relationship between illustration and figuration, by this hoping that he will reaffirm the value of illustrator, also describe the work of an contemporary artist.

Keywords: Art, Illustration, Figuration, Painter, Twentieth Century, America, Illustration as Visual Essay, SVA

Art and Illustration

Arisman started the article with a big question: Is illustration dead? This is one of the pessimistic conclusions voiced by a lot of illustrator today in America due to the use of illustration in editorial and advertising has decreased tremendously. The market for illustration and fine art rely highly on the economy and today’s economic uncertainty doesn’t bode well for illustration or fine art. And it results in illustrators hardly get works. After a long discussion, he said that today’s technology- digital cameras, computers, low-cost printing methods, the Internet- and a less defined art environment makes it possible for figurative artist to find many outlets for their works. And the turn of the century in 2001 saw the landscape of art cross-referencing imagery from everywhere. Mechanical reproduction has levelled the playing field for figurative artists. Which he conclude that figurative art and illustration is not dead, but in contradiction, the invention of new technology, especially the game, movie and entertainments industry have broaden the playing field for illustrators today.

I agreed with the saying that editorial illustration is not doing as good as it was during the Golden Age. What was not mention in the article is that this is happening because first, photography has replaced illustration in most editorials; second, painted illustration was once used to decorate and narrate books but now looks out-fashion; the invention of computer make the work of illustrator and designer became blurry[1]; third, this is the age of visual, we watch the monitor or TV screen more than we read a book sometimes.

Arisman disagreed with the pragmatic solutions of art education circles to solve the problem of a shrinking illustration market by encouraging the illustrators to be more flexible in their design skills. He said from his experience, there is only one other career choice for most illustrator and that is figuration in a fine art context whether it is in video, film, painting or sculpture. This claim sounds contradictive because most contemporary use different form to give illustration a newer look. Some combine typography with imagery, some use photo montage, and some combine traditional painting with digital touch up. The job of figurative illustrator is to be creative in ways of narrating, describing and decorating. Illustration students should be given the free-will to choose their area of profession.

History of American Illustration

Later in this article Arisman spent most of the pages offering an overview of the issues of illustration and art from early twentieth century to present day. Thought the chapter was far too short to offer a full history, but he had mentioned some of the key incidents during the early age. First, figurative painting which was once de rigueur for artists during the nineteenth-century was facing a dynamic change. The movement was dismissive of the figure and enamoured of both conceptual and abstract artistic direction. The narrative and descriptive function of figurative painting was questioned by Modernist in Europe. Second, Howard Pyle, the father of illustration America, was convinced that his own Quaker beliefs in the importance of upright morals, good character, solid citizenship, religious upbringing, hard work and patriotic duty-characteristic imbued in the great classics in American literature-could be translated into a new American fine art form. Third, the invention of photoengraving allowed painting to be reproduced easily. The sudden increment of publication printing in year1893-1900 increases the need for illustration and has made Howard Pyle and his students rich. Howard Pyle because of his fame and success believe that his National Art Spirit is the new way of America art. Forth, In 1912 Malevich painted a white square on a white ground, declaring he had destroyed the “subject” forever in painting. In America, Pyle’s new American vision collapses due to the death of illustrated-book market in America. His illustration was replaced by trendier look artist works. This is an important turning point as the illustrative imagery was devalued and fine-art critics started to apply the word “illustration” as a term to down grade figurative art[2]. Fifth, with the rise of American Modernism, art critics declare that figurative art is dead. Illustration in America was severed its connection to fine art. Anything figurative and narrative is claim as illustration. Any artwork done for the purpose to serve the commercial market, its value is automatically down-graded. On one hand, figurative artists continued to serve the consuming market; on the other hand, Jackson Pollock revolutionized American painting with his abstract expressionism works. Sixth, the rise of new Pop Art declared that everyone can be artist and everything is art. There is no high art or low art. Andy Warhol said that “the finest art of all is the business of art.” Artists been freed to create figurative again. Indeed, artists at this time did almost everything. The famous claim “Everyone is an artist” and “Everything is Art” has blurred the line between fine artists, illustrator, audience, art critic and everyman.

Through the reading of the history, I found that standards that early American art critic used to differentiate fine art and illustrations are as below:

First, it’s subject matter. Fine art has no subject or it’s abstract. Illustration is figurative. And the invention of photography has freed panting from its narrative and descriptive function. Whatever arts or artefact that done for the purpose of narrating or description is claims to be illustration.

Secondly, where does it hang? Those that been hang in the gallery are claimed to be fine art. And those that appear on the print are illustration.

Thirdly, it’s intension. Works that created with the intension to serve the commercial world are claimed to be illustration. Fine art is pure self-exploration.

Fourthly, the job of the artist. Fine art artist should create only “fine” and “pure” art, artist who did cross-over project are claimed as illustrator.

Arisman concluded that the work artist to is in an attempt to clarify or illuminate our relationship to the world and whether we create it abstractly, conceptually, or in a narrative form, define us, our philosophy of life and our aesthetic and intellectual preference. And the business of illustration is the business of making strong, effective, discovering your personal vision as a figurative artist and finding outlets for the work that you produce without falling victim to the false-defined or down-graded ever-changing labels. In his opinion, fine art can be in any form as long as the artist expresses his own opinion and do it for himself. Where else an illustrator is a story-teller, with the ability to write increase his value. All artists illustrate (in hopes of clarifying our views), but not all artist are illustrator. His meaning of “illustrate” here is not only referring to the “painting-action”, but also referring to “conceptual visualisation”. There isn’t any low art or high art; there is only good or bad art. And not every figurative artist is an illustrator.

By examining the standards above, some standards are made too timely and too enamoured of both conceptual and abstract art direction. The subject matter was a main argument. It’s impossible that the subject will be disappearing from art forever. If subject has no longer carried any means, then what is the purpose of seeing? Second, the technology has make art reproduction easier and faster. We see photograph of a fine art piece printed on book, and we also see traditionally painted illustration been hang in the gallery. Third, no doubt most illustration works are created with the intension of selling it out, we cannot deny that when a fine artist create an art piece, he also think about who might buy it from the gallery or auction. Fourth, more and more fine artists doing cross-over job. You will find some artist appear in movie, think Liu Xiao Dong; some do painting and photograph, think David Hockney. The jobs of fine artist become indefinable. Artist nowadays almost do everything.

The debate of illustration as fine art was a big issue in the twentieth-century in America because the new America was searching for her own new art movement. Artists were on the cross-road of whether to choose figurative or abstraction. As what was mention in the article, Arisman tried to describe the dilemma situation of artists and illustrator during that time. Interestingly, while the American are struggling between the figurative and abstract, Modernism artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse continue to expressed themselves through painting and create illustration for commercial books. Terms like “illustration” or “decorative” did not become a taboo credit on their curriculum vitae as a serious and radical artist. The American during that time are too sensitive to be labelled due to the fast-changing movement and “ism”.

Conclusion

After all, it is still hard to define what contemporary “fine” art is. Today, contemporary artists like Lucian Freud in U.K., David Hockney in the United State, Fang Li Juan and Liu Xiao Dong in China continue figurative painting and the value of their works is increasing every year. In last year Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong, Liu Xiao Dong’s battlefield realism painting: The Eighteen Arhats sells for HK$61,927,500 (US$7,949,014), a record for the artist at auction and also the second highest among China artists. The new China did not face the same realism crisis as what American artists and illustrators faced during the twentieth-century. Arisman article has given us a brief understanding of the challenge of American during those days, but that same situation is not happening in the new China today. I personally think that the reason is because during the early twentieth-century, “Art for art sake”, “Abstraction or figuration” were at its most heated debate. But take a look at today’s Art scene, we hardly define what art is, what form art should be, who the artist is and even who the audience should be. The spirit of post-modern age is “everything goes”.

Personally I think that despise of blurriness and uncertainty, the main function of the illustrator is to represent, interpret, and heighten the meaning of a selected passage of text (in a complementary way) by means of pictures, with the aim of contributing to the reader’s or viewer’s appreciation of the narrative.

This is a timely writing written to fight with the misunderstanding of fine art and illustration. The author tried to use this article to express his point of view about developing personal vision, especially stress on figurative drawing. He ended his article by saying: ‘It is the challenge and the underlying secret to working at something you love for the rest of your life.’

---

[1] The reason for this blurriness is because the whole complexion in the design field has change in just the past eight to ten years. Back in the earlier days, designers used to sketch out what they wanted. Then the sketches would be handed to a typesetter, who would do the type size and style; and to an illustrator for illustration work. Then the designer would collect all the components and combine them together for layout for printing. However, computers have changed all of this. Designers nowadays usually combine design, illustration and typesetting into one continuous process which they dot hem all by themselves. With the help of the elaborately changing computer programs and technology, visual communications become handy in the internet world, artist are becoming more and more active, thus illustration becomes trendier, more mature and delicate. As a result of all these, artists become illustrators; illustrators become designers; and maybe the other way around.

(Amatterofdesign™. (2006). It’s A Matter Of Illustration. Victionary.)

[2] Illustration as fine art had its decade of fame. Illustrative imagery was devalued by 1910 and fine-art critics applied the word illustration as an all-encompassing, easy, punitive word for any imagery that featured the figure or realistic elements-a practice that continues through today. (Steven Heller, Marshall Arisman, Inside The Business of Illustration, NY: Allworth Communications, Inc.2004, pg 36)

Arisman also commented that the art critic and curator of Drawing Now: Eight Propositions in year 2002 has again devalued and mislead the audience of the definition of illustration. Arisman stand is that illustration was not flowering from 50s to 70s was because of the Zeitgeist but not as what Ms. Hoptman , the curator said:” Any readable imagery implies lack of complexity; illustration is defined as graphically lively, colourful, entertaining, and commercial. And all these are reasons that have banished illustration from fine art discourse.

Originally posted in http://sioyean.wordpress.com/ by sioyean on May 5th, 2008