Perceptual art
Encyclopedia
Perceptual art is a form of art
that can trace its roots to the art history concepts of perceptualism as well as to twentieth century inventions of conceptual art
and performance art
.
, thus it forms an innate relationship between the artist
and philosopher. Norman Bryson discussed perceptualism in terms of optical truth, as opposed to constructivist
interpretations that take into account the social values of any given era's zeitgeist. Ernst Gombrich
discussed perceptualism in terms of universal perceptual and psychological responses that govern the reception of images across time and differences in culture.
, with his massive land-based creation entitled Spiral Jetty, began to break down barriers between art medium and subjective interpretation. Christo and Jeanne-Claude
's wrapping of the Reichstag was another milestone in this succession. Andy Kaufman
utilized television as his primary medium in the 1980s, creating intentionally unusual and sometimes confrontational situations that left viewers unsure of their nature and meaning (Sometimes Kaufman's intentions were even undisclosed to fellow performers). A new generation of artists have continued stretching definitions and boundaries between performance, intent and meaning, such as Karen Finley
, whose controversial performances were criticized by a U.S. senator, Joey Skaggs
, who creates artificial news stories that are often reprinted by major media outlets, and Paul Rebhan
who charges a fee for his friendship, smuggles his own paintings into museums, and hosts dating events where no one is allowed to speak.
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
that can trace its roots to the art history concepts of perceptualism as well as to twentieth century inventions of conceptual art
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
and performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
.
Perceptualism
The concept of perceptualism has been discussed in historical and philosophical explorations of art and psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, thus it forms an innate relationship between the artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and philosopher. Norman Bryson discussed perceptualism in terms of optical truth, as opposed to constructivist
Constructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
interpretations that take into account the social values of any given era's zeitgeist. Ernst Gombrich
Ernst Gombrich
Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich, OM, CBE was an Austrian-born art historian who became naturalized British citizen in 1947. He spent most of his working life in the United Kingdom...
discussed perceptualism in terms of universal perceptual and psychological responses that govern the reception of images across time and differences in culture.
Practice
In practice, perceptual art may be interpreted as the engagement of multi-sensory experiential stimuli combined with the multiplicity of interpretive meanings on the part of an observer. Sometimes, the role of observer is obscured as members of the public may unwittingly or unknowingly be participants in the creation of the artwork itself.Examples
In the late 20th century, visual artists such as Robert SmithsonRobert Smithson
Robert Smithson was an American artist famous for his land art.-Background and education:Smithson was born in Passaic, New Jersey and studied painting and drawing in New York City at the Art Students League of New York....
, with his massive land-based creation entitled Spiral Jetty, began to break down barriers between art medium and subjective interpretation. Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Christo and Jeanne-Claude were a married couple who created environmental works of art...
's wrapping of the Reichstag was another milestone in this succession. Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman
Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one...
utilized television as his primary medium in the 1980s, creating intentionally unusual and sometimes confrontational situations that left viewers unsure of their nature and meaning (Sometimes Kaufman's intentions were even undisclosed to fellow performers). A new generation of artists have continued stretching definitions and boundaries between performance, intent and meaning, such as Karen Finley
Karen Finley
Karen Finley is an American performance artist, whose theatrical pieces and recordings have often been labelled "obscene" due to their graphic depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement...
, whose controversial performances were criticized by a U.S. senator, Joey Skaggs
Joey Skaggs
Joey Skaggs is an American prankster who has organized numerous successful media pranks, hoaxes, and other presentations. He is considered one of the originators of the phenomenon known as culture jamming. Skaggs used Kim Yung Soo, Joe Bones, Joseph Bonuso, Giuseppe Scaggioli, Dr. Joseph Gregor,...
, who creates artificial news stories that are often reprinted by major media outlets, and Paul Rebhan
Paul Rebhan
Paul Rebhan is an author, musician, and artist living in New York City. He is known for hanging one of his own paintings in the Museum of Modern Art, and as the inventor of Quiet Parties, also called Silent Dating, where people communicate by writing notes instead of speaking...
who charges a fee for his friendship, smuggles his own paintings into museums, and hosts dating events where no one is allowed to speak.
Sources
- Clayton, Richard, Anti-realism and Scepticism, Realism and Common Sense retrieved July 17, 2007
- Chandler, Daniel, Visual Perception 3 retrieved July 17, 2007
- Christo and Jeanne Claude: The Art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude retrieved July 17, 2007
- karenfinly.net defunct July 17, 2007, see also: karenfinley.com retrieved July 17, 2007
- JOEY SKAGGS retrieved July 17, 2007
- Rebfile.com - portal to the projects of Paul Rebhan retrieved July 17, 2007