The beauty of abstract art, both for the viewer and the artist, lies in its openness to interpretation. Any person can view art and decide on their own interpretation. Therefore, this art has a lot of freedom of exploration and breaks most art rules. The artistic, creative mind has more freedom to interpret whatever appears before the senses.
The viewer must have an open mind. They also need a big imagination. Abstract art explores formal qualities rather than telling a direct narrative. This type of art is personal. It speaks to the nonverbal parts of our existence. It often evokes feelings that are difficult to explain adequately in words.
In the arts, imagination is a crucial component of creativity. Artists use their imagination to create works of art that inspire, captivate, and move others. Without imagination, artists would be unable to conceive of new ideas. They would be limited to creating only what is already known.
Real is believable. But abstract teases the imagination. You don’t have to choose one of the two while creating. John Dowling mixes reality with abstraction. Whether it’s creating a portrait or manipulating a photograph, John Dowling’s scotomisaic masterpieces encourage viewers to push their imagination. They can take it as far as they are willing to go.
The purpose of John Dowling’s art is to generate and inspire conversation rather than convey a specific message. The angles used, and the superposition of different objects remove the simplicity of the scene. Sometimes, the reality captured is no longer understandable to the viewer. Incompleteness arises in these areas. Reality is left behind. The viewer needs time to adapt and separate the layers. They explore a new perspective of reality.
Scotomisation is a psychological term. It refers to the tendency to see what one wants to see. It also involves not seeing what one doesn’t want to see. It can also be described as the mental blocking of unwanted perceptions.
The term comes from the Greek word skotos, which means “to darken”. In ophthalmology, a scotoma is a spot in the visual field where vision is absent or deficient. The French psychiatrist Rene Laforgue is thought to have first used the term in a psychiatric sense in the 1920s.
Scotomisation can be a form of psychic reaction to illness. The severity of symptoms is suppressed or negated out of fear. It can also be a primitive defense mechanism.
Perception involves seeing and processing information through the filter of our intellect and our emotions. That’s why people often see the same thing differently. Scotomisation can be a false denial but also a false affirmation of our perceptions.
In Dowling’s montages, the mind also sees what it wants to see, not necessarily what’s there. The inability to observe certain phenomena or to recognize certain situations, though they are obvious to other persons. Denial of reality is a battle we can never win – so why do we do it? Fortunately, it is usually not something we have decided consciously. This often occurs because our ego unconsciously tries to protect itself. It shields itself from parts of reality it finds threatening. One way it does this is through a process known as ‘psychological scotoma’.
The brain’s emotional centers, such as the amygdala and the insula, are more active when viewing abstract art. This indicates that the interpretation of abstract art is more emotional and subjective than realistic art. In some cases, abstract art simplifies, John Dowling says. It reduces “the complex visual world around us to its essence of form, line, color, and light.” Abstract art challenges our eyes. It challenges our brains to interpret an image fundamentally different from those our brain has evolved to reconstruct.
It becomes impossible to think about it in the ways we typically categorize or label. Dowling believes that this is why people are more likely to dismiss or even feel somewhat intimidated by abstract art. It makes perfect sense. Our brains are hardwired to prefer images we can easily identify. Our survival on this planet has relied on our ability to distinguish between a threatening lion and a cute kitten.
John Dowling frequently incorporates faces and bodies into his montages. These elements are included to prompt us to find the face or the body. He even wants us to find the collection of faces or bodies. Scotomisation either makes this possible or impossible. Every viewing experience is very personal and different in every imaginable way possible.
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