The influence of painting on the artist's visual perception

Abstract

Die doel van die tesis is om vas te stel of skilder die skilder se visuele waameming beinvloed. In die eerste plek om hierdie stelling te bewys, moet kousaliteit bewys word. Twee moontlikhede van kousaliteit bestaan. Die eerste moontlikheid wat oorweeg word is dat skilder die kunstenaar se visuele waameming beinvloed. As voorbeeld word Pablo Picasso se 'Guemica' bespreek. Hierdie skildery word deur die kunstenaar ervaar as 'n geldige visuele weergawe van die realiteit al is dit nie 'n realistiese weergawe van die gebeurtenis nie. Die tweede moontlikheid van kousaliteit wat oorweeg is, is dat die skilder visuele waarneming gebruik om die werklikheid te interpreteer. As voorbeeld word Hendrik Piemeef se werk bespreek. In die tweede plek word die ooreenkomste tussen skilder en visuele waameming ondersoek om te bepaal of analogiese gevolgtrekkings gemaak kan word ten opsigte van visuele waarneming deur middel van 'n studie van skilder. Ooreenkomste word gevind tussen die strukturele elemente van visuele waameming en die formele eienskappe van skilder. Albei bestaan uit lig, kleur, diepte en vorm. Verskille tussen die strukturele elemente van visuele waarneming en die formele eienskappe van skilder, behels die moontlikede vir interpretasie wat uitgeoefen word of nie noodwendig uitgeoefen word nie. Dus: wanneer die kunstenaar 'n voorwerp waarneem en die formele eienskappe aanwend om 'n skildery te maak, ervaar hy dit as 'n geldige interprestasie van die werklikheid. In kotras is die reaksie op die strukturele eienskappe van visuele waameming 'n fisiologiese proses en die waamemer is nie noodwendig bewus van 'n interpretatiewe proses nie. 'n Historiese oorsig van die ontwikkeling van skilder en die ontwikkeling van teoriee van visuele waameming word gegee. Elke era maak 'n bydrae ten opsigte van die analogie wat getref word tussen die twee onderwerpe. Die teorie van visuele waameming wat waameming beskryf as gefragmenteerd, is sentraal tot die skripsie. Aspekte van samevoeging ten opsigte van gefragmenteerde waameming word analogies aan die skilderkuns se integrasie van die formele eienskappe, onthaal. Die spekulatiewe sienings van Goldman-Rakic en Peterson ten opsigte van samevoeging in visuele waameming word vergelyk met die eienskappe van samevoeging wat analogies uit die skilderkuns afgelei is. Hierdie skripsie se gevolgtrekking is dat samevoeging in die skilder se visuele waameming 'n aktiewe sentrale meganisme is wat nierelevante detail uitskakel. Peterson se siening word dus ondersteun. Die bydrae van hierdie skripsie is dat eienskappe van binding in die skilder se visuele waarneming deur aspekte van die skilderkuns beskryf word. So is een aspek van die skilderkuns, naamlik die wisseling in die volgorde van die formele eienskappe, deurslaggewend in skilder en die konsep is analogies toegepas in visuele waameming. Hiervolgens word fisiologiese visuele waameming beskryf as 'n visuele gebeurtelikheid of die gevolge van sekere omstandighede soos wat 'n skildery 'n gebeurlikheid is wat omstandighede weerspieel. .The aim of this thesis is to determine if painting can influence the painter's visual perception. The nature of the research is exploratory. The possibility of causality needs to be proven. Two possibilities of causality exist. The first possibility is that painting can influence the artist's visual perception. Pablo Picasso's 'Guemica', for example, is experienced as a valid visual representation of reality by the artist although it is not a realistic depiction of the event. The second possibility is that the painter uses visual perception to interpret reality. The similarities between painting and visual perception are explored to determine if analogous inferences regarding visual perception can be made from a study of painting. Similarities are found between the structuring elements of visual perception and the formal properties of painting. Both the structuring elements and the formal properties consist of light, colour, depth and shape. Differences between the structuring elements of visual perception and the formal properties of painting are found in the interpretative possibilities that exist or does not necessarily exist. When the artist looks at a subject and applies the formal properties to make a painting he experiences this as being a valid interpretation of reality. In contrast the reaction to the structuring elements of visual perception is a physiological process and the viewer need not necessarily be aware of the interpretative process. Historical overviews regarding the development of painting and the development of theories of visual perception are given. Each historical era added elements to the field of visual perception and painting that contribute to an analogy between the two subjects. The similarities between visual perception and painting warrant an analogy between the two. Recent advances in the study of visual perception exposed the fractured nature of visual perception. This poses the problem of binding in the visual perceptual process. Analogous inferences drawn from painting regarding the binding mechanism in visual perception, favour one researcher's point of view rather than another's. The viewpoint held in this thesis is that painting influences the visual perception of the artist. The artist seeks meaning through visual perception. Painting necessitates visual differentiation and choice. Imaginative value is added to visual perception through the choices made by the painter in his depiction. This viewpoint is not valid when visual perception does not seek meaning. The particular contribution of this thesis as far as the artist is concerned lies in the analogy that can be drawn through physiological visual perception as a consequential perceptual happening and the consequential construction of paintings.