Watching And Performance

There are two main aspects of painting art,one is how to draw and the other is how to look at it.However,instead of regarding the leading role of viewing activities in the process of creation,most creators tend to pay more attention to technical knowledge which are applied as art principles.This phenomenon has not only existed in artistic creation,but also in artistic appreciation.The fundamental cause lies in the misunderstanding of the inner principles of visual cognition by both creators and viewers.It is believed that viewing is only the physiological process of mechanically inputting images,not the psychological activity of subjectively identifying the image.Consequently,it dilutes the importance of viewing in artistic activities and derives more inappropriate artistic ideas.What has to be emphasized is that the neglect of viewing activities by contemporary art creators has formed a "knowledge uselessness" and anti-elite cultural atmosphere in the art field,meaning the negation of techniques and norms in all traditional arts and flaunting the so-called "innocence" and "natural";In addition,the quality of ignorance and blindness is regarded as a role model and more as a source of creativity.In essence,artistic viewing is a process of creatively,it has formed both a way of understanding the world,and could be full of subjectivity and individuality.Just as H.Wolfflin said,there is never a pair of "eye-glasses" that can be applied to everyone.Hence,it is unlikely to equate among the form,style,and taste of oil painting art.Both creators and audiences are always prone to the perspective of self-interest,and subjectively discard artistic forms that mismatch their own taste,or are currently incomprehensible.Therefore,the artistic innovation achievements of any period need time to verify.Regarding the unusually complex issue of the process of viewing art,it has been detailed exposed by H.Wolfflin in his theoretical book,Basic Concepts of the History of Art.By establishing the "Five Pairs of Basic Concepts",he started from the inherent principles of art and profoundly revealed the nature of viewing and visual cognition.His intention is to break down the misunderstandings in historical studies since the 19 th century and guide the literary and art circles to form correct art ideas and historical research ideas.Through the establishment of this theory,it not only summarizes the work forms and styles of different artists,but also reveals a written and visual representation of the universal art viewing methods from the perspective of the artist and his era.So "how to look" is the essence of H.Wolfflin’s theory and his artistic style.Combining H.Wolfflin’s artistic thoughts and theory,it is concluded that “Taste” is the fundamental goal of visual activities,whether it is from individuals or groups,as well as nations or a time of periods.In extensive research on art history and theory,the representative works of top artists of a certain time period could indeed infer the current form of art viewing,nevertheless it is worth noting that for the entire era,individual cases are often not of universal significance,therefore nor can it be an absolute basis for studying artistic creation or appreciation during this period.There are two main conclusions in this paper as follows: First,it has not only valued the artist’s individual case study and painting practice experience,but also emphasized the role of viewing in the visual activity of art.Second,based on H.Wolfflin’s ideas and theories,it has derived from the actual process of creation and introduces the psychological activity of “Taste” hidden behind the artistic viewing process.Additionally,focusing on the visual perception and thinking concepts in art activities aimed to make the viewing angle of artists and audiences both Ideologically and philosophically.