What Is Your Artistic Style?
Abstract, realist or impressionist. If someone were to ask what your artistic style is, what would you say? Working out exactly what your painting style is can be difficult, especially if you are a beginner.
We are very fortunate today in that pretty much anything goes in art. There is value in lots of different artistic styles. That means you have the freedom to render a painting any way you like and still be considered a talented artist. Of course you may to want to know exactly where you fit into the grand scheme of things, that’s only human nature. Ask yourself, though, is it important to be able to be able to name your style? I think not.
Before I go further I just want to make it clear that the opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own thoughts and not based on any formal art training. It’s just the way I like to figure things out in my head. I have found that sharing the way I think helps others like me, who don’t have an arts degree, to make sense of painting.
The Artistic Style Scale
If you were to measure all paintings on a scale ranging from photorealistic at one end to abstract at the other, every artist’s own style will fit in somewhere along that scale. As the scale moves from left to right all the other styles of painting would fit in somewhere along that line. However, in the most simplistic of terms, it would be logical to suggest that everything on the left hand side of the scale could be called realist and everything on the right abstract, to some degree.
In other words, there are degrees of realism.
Degrees of Realism
There are many different artistic styles in between the two ends of the scale that the art world has given names to such as Expressionism, Modernism, Cubism, Surrealism and Impressionism. As these styles are not termed abstract I would argue that they must then all have some degree of realism.
To illustrate my point, I want you to think about impressionist artists. When you view their work you can see straight away what the painting is meant to represent. However, when you look closely it becomes apparent that the artist has not painted every single detail. Through the very clever use of abstract brush strokes they have given an accurate impression of a scene without the need to replicate it faithfully. The work is neither realistic not abstract, therefore I would say that impressionism sits somewhere near the middle of the scale.
If impressionism is in the middle of the scale it makes a very valuable guide to figuring out where your style fits in. All you have to do is determine if your work looks more or less realistic than an impressionist painting. If it’s more realistic then you are a realist artist and if it is less you are an abstract artist. If you can’t decide which, then you are likely in the middle and could consider yourself an impressionist artist.
Pioneers of the impressionist art movement were criticised for their unique style by the so-called “experts” at the time. However, the public embraced it and a new artistic genre was born. Imagine what a loss to the art world it would have been if impressionist artists such as Monet, Manet, Degas or Picasso had listened to their critics.
Photorealism
I consider myself to be a realist artist because that seems to be the closest fit for my artistic style. That does not mean that my work is necessarily photorealistic. In fact, if I am working from photos, I aim to add something extra to the image by the use of artistic licence. I try to paint the colours, shapes and textures of a scene as I remember them in my mind’s eye. The goal is to capture the feeling I had when I viewed the scene for real. For me, a photo cannot do that.
Let me be clear, though, I am not in any way trying to denigrate the art of photography. Many photographers are able to inject plenty of feeling into their work and I admire them greatly. For me, though, it is the art of painting that serves me best as a way to capture a memory.
I also have the greatest respect for artists who choose to paint in a hyper-realistic way. It takes a very unique skillset to be able to do that, skills that include having great powers of observation as well as lots and lots of patience.
In fact, when I first started painting in 1996 I did try to paint in a very realistic way. Copying from photos was how I learned to paint in the first place. I would highly recommend anyone who is learning to paint should also try this as a way to develop your painting skills. In order to paint representationally, though, you first need to learn about the basic elements of art such as line, shape, tone, form, perspective, focus etc. and how to use them in your paintings.
Once I understood these concepts I then had the skills needed not only to copy from a photo but also the confidence to be able to inject a bit of my own personality into my paintings. The result was more impactful artworks that give me much greater satisfaction. The fact that are a little further down the scale of realism is irrelevant.
Freedom to Experiment
With confidence in your technical abilities comes the freedom to experiment. The skills I acquired by enrolling in a painting course way back in 1996 have served me well as a realist painter. Those skills continue to assist me to achieve whatever artistic style I now choose to pursue. Some of the styles I have adopted over the years probably don’t even have a name but I don’t care. I have enjoyed success with all of them. Once you understand how to create something that is pleasing to the eye it translates across all visual art forms. I don’t think there is any need to get hung up on whether your unique style is called realism, impressionism, abstractionism (I don’t even know if that is a real word) or anything else.
The ability to paint in different styles was also what first led to me to becoming an art teacher. When I was approached by Artable Studio some years ago to teach one of their acrylic painting classes I was told that this was one of the reasons. Being able to adapt to the different styles is necessary in teaching because each student is inevitably going to have a unique style of their own.
That’s why in my online art courses, as well as demonstrating the techniques, I focus quite a bit on the explaining the elements of art rather than just having students try to copy my brush strokes.
By the end of the course, students do end up with a painting a lot like mine but what is more important is that they gain an understanding of how to use both the techniques I demonstrate and the elements of art so they can go forward and create their own, unique, amazing artworks in the future.
The Most Important Thing
Another thing I think is really important and this is probably the MOST important thing. Every painter, beginner or otherwise, should aim to create artworks that give them pleasure, something they can be proud of. It should never be a frustrating experience. Art is meant to be fun. Learning a few technical skills in the beginning was instrumental in helping me to eliminate much of that frustration. That is why I now share all that I have learned about painting over the last 25 years in the hope that others may do the same.
I understand that many people do want to be able to define their painting style, if only for their own satisfaction. If that is you then I hope you find my explanation of the artistic scale to be of use. However, it doesn’t really matter where you fit in, there is a place for everyone.
Never be afraid to embrace your own unique artistic style, whatever it may be.
Jen
PS:
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