Corresponding Author: Sana
Shabir
E-mail: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
Since it gives
people a way to express their deepest feelings, thoughts, and experiences, art
is frequently referred to as the expression of the soul (Schiller, 2016). A variety of artistic mediums, including painting,
sculpture, literature, music, dance, and more, allow artists to express their
distinctive viewpoints and forge deep connections with audiences. When creating
their work, artists frequently draw from their own life experiences,
convictions, and values. They invite viewers or audiences to engage with the
more profound facets of human existence by incorporating their own soul into
their art, which provides glimpses into their inner world (Sochacka et al., 2016). This connection can be very intimate, enabling
people to connect with the artwork and feel a variety of emotions or engage in
thought or reflection (Hyde, 2014).
�Different
methodologies are used in research according to Sarah pink and approaches can
be used to analyze and interpret paintings when explaining them. Here are some
frequently employed methodologies.This method concentrates on the painting's
visual components and formal features, such as color, line, shape, composition,
and texture (Matlin, 2013). It looks at how these components interact to produce
aesthetic effects and convey ideas. Studying symbols, motifs, and subject matter in paintings
is known as iconography (Mugan & MacIver, 2020). It examines the significance of the elements shown and
possible interpretations of their cultural, historical, religious, and
mythological connotations. The meaning of a painting can be better understood
by being aware of the historical, social, and cultural setting in which it was
made. In order to clarify the intended message of the artwork, this method
takes into account elements like the artist's background, the dominant artistic
movements of the time, and the intended audience (Pink, 2019).
Psychological
Interpretation: This approach explores the psychological elements of the
artwork by looking at the artist's mindset, feelings, and unconsciously
influencing factors. It investigates how a painting might be a window into the
mind of the creator or cause viewers to feel a certain way (Pink, 2019).
Additionally, art can be viewed as a way of
discovering and expressing oneself. In order to explore their own identities,
challenge societal norms, or express their opinions on a variety of topics, artists
use their creativity. They explore the complexities of the human condition
through their artistic endeavors and share their distinctive insights,
fostering empathy and understanding among various audiences.
Realism
movement
Realism movement began in France in 1850s. Realistic artists
rejected the ideas of romanticism, as it comes to dominate on all art forms.
Realism represents the precise and perfect presentation of the visual
appearance of a scene and object as it is drawn in photographic accuracy (Miles-Cohen et al., 2020). �In a broader scene it depends on the
technique, style and training. Before realism there was romanticism and they
used stabilization in their painting in Europe, artists used to paint the
historical scenes with the stabilization of the angels which human eye cannot
see but realism is more likely the real visuals which human eye can see and it
is all about the pure �Academic painting �like drawing, composition,
perspective, technique, skill and the accurate version
of visual appearances. In 1900s the term realism expended in more specific term
likes Aesthetic Realism, Capitalist realism, American realism, Hyper
realism (visual arts), Contemporary realism, Magic realism, Photorealism, Romantic realism, Pseudo realism and
Social realism (Runco & Albert,
1990).
Social realism
Social realism in 1930 social realism was
introduced by some artist, in realism artist try to attain the realistic
approach. Artists take more steps forward; they try to realize the emotions
behind the painting. As a
response to the difficulties and issues faced by regular people after the Great
Crash, social realism evolved during World War I. Artists transformed their
works into realistic representations of anonymous laborers and famous people as
heroic figures of strength during difficult times in order to make art more
approachable (Rogers et al., 2015). The artists' goal was political since they wanted to
hold the current social and political systems accountable and bring attention
to how the poor and working classes' conditions were getting worse. Social
realism differs from realism in that it conveys conflicts between opposing
forces, such as those between farmers and their feudal lord, in addition to
depicting the plight of the impoverished (Eagly & Riger,
2014).
Hyper realism
Hyper realism is
seen as a development of photorealism because of the techniques employed to
produce the paintings or sculptures that come from them. A new movement known
as hyper realism was established by the art of realism, which was linked to the
invention of photography because both involve the creation of representations
of the real world. In 1970, the term "hyper realism" was primarily
used to describe a distinct artistic movement and visual aesthetic in the
United States and Europe. The subjects and details are highlighted in the
hyper-realistic approach. Hyper-realistic sculptures and paintings are not
perfect replicas of images or representations of a location or subject.
Instead, they are added as subtle, extra graphical pieces to provide the
impression of a reality that isn't really there (An & Runco,
2016).
The
fundamental prescribed doctrine is the initiating point of this analysis of Ali
Azmat�s recent work. A better thoroughly indulgent should be developed to
understand the connotation of his work such as large scale native female
portraits, body gestures, facial expressions, and highly detailed female
portraits (Heller & Oborne,
2016). In 21st century it is so hard to handle a
realistic work with tradition medium like charcoal because after all digital
media (modern cameras) gives a tuff time to an artist approach towards his
painting. A recent solo show of Ali Azmat at the Canvas Gallery Large-scale,
realistic black-and-white depictions of women were possible in Karachi and are
now prevalent in the modern art community. There are traces of these three art
movements visible Azmat ail. This exhibit
is a powerful testament to Ali's meticulous attention to detail and his
perceptive examination of human nature (which in this presentation uses the
proverb "the face is the window to the soul").
A
glimpse of Hyper realism in large scale portraits
Azmat
has revealed the deliberate nature of the approach he used to produce his
colossal hyper-realistic charcoal depictions. These portraits are so related to
photograph as Ali handle the background and the shadow and light. Ali has the
grip on charcoal portraits so well that anyone can feel the softness of the
skin or the impact of hyper realism in his large-scale portraits. The full
painting gives you an effect that you are seeing a photograph (Nelson,
2018).
Academic
painting techniques are purely realistic approach
Realism
is more about �Academic painting �like drawing, perspective, skill, technique,
and the accurate interpretation of visual appearances. The majority of Azmat's
20-year career has been devoted to using oil and canvas as his preferred
medium. His work displays an appeal with a dynamic play of light and colors to
produce arresting and thought-provoking imagery.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Subject Matter �Larger Ten Life� Is Purely Lying In Social
Realism
Azmat approach to portraiture
was doing not only make his subject massive in size, but to represent then in
an extremely realistic way. In his present work he highlights the social issues
through facial expression because these issues are exist in our society, so
Azmat uses a large scale to show that these issues are not small in our
society. His large scale painting creates an impact of power and prestige to
impress their audiences.His subject matter is social realism; similar to his
earlier works, he explored themes of solitude, segregation, and loneliness
through composition and space, using figures that were curled up, facing away,
looking down, or otherwise concealing their faces. However, what we see over
here is essentially brand-new (Dijkstra et al.,
2019). The pieces in this series
return to drawing as an exploratory and meditative tool, according to the
artist. The women command the viewer's attention with assurance. Women in this
painting stand straight and face the viewers, unlike earlier paintings where
the bodies creased themselves in a vulnerable gesture. In almost all of the
works, the arms are folded across the chest in a daring gesture (Eagly & Wood,
2013). In addition to depicting a real subject, Azmat's
figurative artwork can also convey the cultural ideals of the time it was
created.
He Himself Stated About His Solo Show That
�Passion
for the drawing was prior as medium from the beginning of my career, debuted in
1999, with a solo show at Canvas Gallery. After twenty years it re occupied my
soul to meditate through large-scale drawings that emphasize the subjectivity
and form details of hyper realism by pronouncing smaller elements of the
drawing with different syntax. It has derived me to express the mystical
dimension of reality which cannot be voyaged by naked eye. I also tried to
depict emotional attachment of the sociolect-cultural norms with thematic
element, avoiding the literal illustrations of the Photorealism, to formulate
the monochromatic visual impression.�
Look at what Azmat has to say
about his work first. After 20 years, the artist's passion for drawing has
resurfaced through a massive scale of works in which the smaller elements are
marked with a different syntax to experience fresh social realism explorations
that place an emphasis on form, expression, and subjectivity. It's intriguing
to hear an artist who uses a visual medium to express himself describe his
creative process using the word "syntax," which refers to the
arrangement of words in a sentence. It has more to do with the written or
spoken word. Azmat clearly views painting and drawing as creative endeavors
where "arrangement" serves as the fundamental element for message
transmission, arranging all those elements that cannot be expressed through the
use of words. The untitled works by Ali (charcoal on Fabriano academic paper)
suggest a society in which silence is valued more highly than speech. He
succeeds thanks to the use
of charcoal. What his protagonists are experiencing
(the range of their feelings) is made clear by the shades that convey facial
expressions (Smith, 2017).
Now it is hard to define
hyperrealism. But Azmat�s work pushes social realism to a point where A
character's physical appearance is secondary to his or her emotional state.
It's also convincing.
Only women are portrayed in his
charcoal artworks on Fabriano academic paper. His masterpiece is a reflection
of the charcoal medium, which was instrumental in creating texture and balance
in the theme and composition. The use of black and Grey has made it possible to
highlight the suffering caused by other people. Azmat employs line and form
carefully to create the images he wants, and he wants viewers to interpret the
forms, lines, and expressions as dialogue. His body of work demonstrates his
insight and ideas, which he uses to develop and produce the current series.
Azmat has been successful in
conveying his emotions through this medium by producing images that capture the
characters' expressions and serve to illuminate their experiences with anguish,
distress, and mental anguish.
Painting
1
Figure
1. Untitled Charcoal on paper 152 by 102 cm
This, in my opinion, is one of the best female
figures in the show by Azmat. The rendering technique is realistic in
monochrome. It is a sizable charcoal painting that was made on Fabiano academia
paper. A woman is depicted in the painting standing with her arms crossed. The
softness of her skin, hands, and hair is what I find so beautiful about this
painting. It almost seems as though you could touch the woman's face and feel
the softness of her skin thanks to how smooth and delicate Azmat made the
charcoal shading look. The use of dark and muted tones has helped highlight the
suffering caused by other people. The painting is accurate not only in terms of
color but also in terms of the highlights and shadows that the light is
casting. I feel as though I'm looking at a photograph when I look at this
painting. Background appears blurry and less in focus when it is not focused (Haberkern &
Jayaraman, 2016). He has a stunning ability to capture the way the
women's clothing is draped. Azmat effectively depicts the folding of the creamy
white fabric by using shadows. This painting, in my opinion, is one of those
pieces that you can keep looking at and discover something new in. As a viewer,
you can really appreciate the time and effort put into creating this piece,
which is why I adore this painting so much and am in awe of it. Women in
portraits appear to be contemplating something while maintaining a relaxed expression.
They appear to be troubled by something they can't seem to express or share,
and as time went on, this emotional disturbance began to show on their faces.
There are many ways to interpret arm gestures. When
participating in a conversation, folding one's arms while standing, sitting, or
even walking is typically not a friendly gesture. It might imply that they have
a closed mind and are unlikely to be receptive to the speaker's point of view.
An additional arm gesture that conveys insecurity and lack of confidence is
crossing one arm over the other.� Crossed
arms on the chest. To create a barrier between themselves and something or
someone they don't like, both arms are folded across the chest. Even if the
other person is verbally agreeing with you, it might be pointless to keep
arguing your point. All of these emotions�barriers, lack of confidence,
etc.�are connected to our environment, so the body language and expression that
Azmat uses in their paintings reflect the social realities of our culture.
Painting
2
Figure
2. Untilled Charcoal on paper152 by 106 cm
This is also very fascinating painting in the
collection of Azmat recent exhibition larger than life. In this painting two sisters
are standing and elder sister put her hand on the shoulder of the younger
sister. The other hand of younger sister holding by elder sister, their facial
expression is happy. Our social norms are like our elder sister is like mother
who take care the re sisters or brothers so in this painting their facial
expression and hand gesture show that elder sister love for younger sister and
hand gesture show that she takes care her. The expression of little girl was
confident and her body language or standing posture is confident. Elder sister
expressions are humble and kind and she is also happy to hold her hand and her
tilted head show her affection towards her sister. His painting is like a
photograph that capture the emotions and expression that is called social
realism. Our social norms like motherhood relation or with our father and
brother and sister is so natural. Our learning process start from our house,
family relation is most important in our society. When we live in this relation
we learn how to love, how share, how to tolerate like any human behavior which
helps to communicate with society.
Painting
3
Figure 3. Untitled Charcoal on paper152 by 101 cm
One of Azmat's paintings that I find particularly
appealing. The works' larger-than-life scale allows for the capture of details,
but these charcoal renditions are extremely tidy and sterile. The way Azmat frames
the figure and employs the medium is quiet. However, because of the scale, one
can detect some subtleties in some of the works. A hijab-clad woman's cheek is
caressed by a curling strand of hair in a portrait of her.� While the headscarf completely envelops the
head and even overpowers the face, hiding the rest of the body from view, the
lone strand of hair acts almost as a silent protest. The work's approximate
5x3-foot scale enables the subject to draw the viewer in with her commanding
gaze. Most of the time, the artworks appear to be an attempt by the artist to
go back to the beginnings of art-making and savor the pleasure of conjuring up
illusions by simply applying charcoal to paper rather than making any overt
political or social statements.
Painting
4
Figure
4. Untitled Charcoal on paper152 by 124 cm
This painting is also the part of exhibition the
�Larger than Life�. A large-scale portrait of a girl with full of emotions and
expressions that how she feels. In this painting banded eyebrows and slightly
bended eyes from edges show her feelings of sadness which show the social
realism
A person's eyes reveal much about how they are
feeling, or what they are thinking. Azmat has been able to convey his emotions
through this medium by creating images that mirror the characters' facial
expressions and tell the tales of their anguish, distress, and mental anguish.
Face-to-face communication is crucial because facial
expression conveys vital social and emotional information. When communicating,
the face and eyes are the main focus, and along with our ears, our eyes are
what receive the majority of the communicative information from those around
us. "The eyes are the window to the soul," is a proverb.
Lowering the corners of the mouth and raising the
inner part of the brows are two facial expressions that signify sadness. The
person who is depressed has drooped upper eyelids.
Painting
5
Figure
5. Untitled Charcoal on paper 152 by 101 cm
This is also one of my favorite paintings. Each
painting has different type of social expressions, emotions and reactions. In
this painting a girl is standing in a definite posture. A girls show hope, happiness,
and pleasure. With the aid of lines, marks, tones, textures, and blank spaces,
he has captured his interpretation of feelings and emotions. She displays a
serene demeanor. She closes her arms with assurance. The artwork resembles a
photograph. It is possible to see how soft the skin is. Every painting or
photograph contains a facial expression. When the arms-crossed position is
accompanied by a slight body tilt or twist such that the right side of the body
is not a mirror image of the left side, it means that the person is feeling
dominant (Swargiary, 2022). Her folded arms are like self-hugging, and she has
her head tilted slightly. He may take this position with a slight backward
lean.
Self-hugging can be done by clasping one arm onto
the arm, elbow, or shoulder on the opposite side, grabbing both arms across the
body, or in extreme cases, to each shoulder (Puglisi &
Ackerman, 2019). Self-hugging eliminates the need for external
comfort. This is why her posture is confident and she doesn't want to depend on
anyone. It is to be used when one does not want to rely on the care of others.
When you use the socio-political realities of the working class as a starting
point for criticism of the institutions that underlie these realities, you are
engaging in social realism.
CONCLUSION
A facial expression is made up of one or
more movements or facial muscle positions. One controversial theory claims that
these movements reveal an individual's emotional state to spectator. Gestural
communication can also take the form of facial expressions. One of Pakistan's
top artists is Ali Azmat. Art lovers have always responded to his work with
enthusiasm and praise. In his most recent show, he was able to use this medium
to convey his emotions by creating images that capture the characters' facial expressions
and tell the tales of their anguish, suffering, and mental anguish. Pictures of
girls, excluding women, convey optimism, joy, and pleasure. With the aid of
lines, marks, tones, textures, and blank spaces, he has captured his
interpretation of feelings and emotions. Only a few portraits of women have
serene expressions, while the majority appear to be thinking. They appear to be
experiencing some sort of emotional disturbance that they have been unable to
verbalize or share, and as time went on, this emotional disturbance began to
show on their faces. Azmat's works elicit pure contemplation in the viewer
because they are directly inspired by observations of society. This method of
his work was rooted in social realism, and the paintings examined the journey
of a woman's life based on societal conditions and factors.
Typically, the artworks don't try to
make any strong statements, but the artist's attempt to go back to the
beginnings of art-making and enjoy the thrill of creating illusions by simply applying
charcoal to paper is more akin to realism. Hyper realism is also present in
some of Ali's works. The hyper realism in this show shifts toward social
realism. According to my analysis Ali�s works automatically fall in realism or
hyper realism just because of his traditional training in drawing and academic
training in painting. In this show he uses portraits of ordinary women, the
subject matter purely lies in socialism So Ali Azmat recent work inspired or
lies in these three-movement realism, social realism and hyper realism.
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