Forming art: making and responding

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present ways of thinking about the visual arts from a wide perspective. It is a theoretical paper with important implications for those interested in understanding the deeper processes at work in art creation and art appreciation. It deals with issues such as complexity and information and goes on to show how they can be circumscribed under the general concept of relationships. It is maintained that ‘making’ and ‘reading’ art is essentially a search for relationships, which may be found in the form of the image, or the symbolism for which it acts as a ‘stand-in’. In dealing with the concept of form, special reference to two modes of form: the material form of the image, and the mental form of mind that the image instigates in the viewer. It goes on to show the interrelationship between sensitivity and skill, and the part they play in art creation and art appreciation. It ends by pointing out that as an activity given to seeking and resolving relationships, art can therefore be classified as a manifestation of intelligence.

Keywords:

• form and forming
• complexity
• relationships
• skill
• sensitivity
• perception