Impressionism is a way of seeing what is there to be seen, not what you think is there.
Lines around things, for example, are imaginary. They do not really exist except in art. I have heard that kind of linear representation called, “the felt object.” As the word is ordinarily used — meaning “realistic” — profile lines are not “realism.”
There is, of course, nothing wrong with not doing visual realism. What is so great about reality anyway? No one is obligated to merely copy, and there may be no virtue in verisimilitude in art. I find hyper-realism rather tedious, myself.
And sometimes the shape and shape alone is the most beautiful or interesting aspect of experience. But that is not my thing. Line representations were what I was interested in as a child, but it was effects of light and shade that soon captured my attention. Reality revealed by light is a billion trillion colored dots and dashes. That is the seen object.
However, the tendency of techniques used for those effects to break up form is a problem. It is a problem I have put a lot to time and energy into solving. Here we have my latest essay of the challenge.
Interestingly, the color effects here exceed the digital digital reproduction means I have at my disposal. Neither my scanner nor monitor can handle the subtlety of the layered affects. I have not attempted to photograph this piece, but I can predict the results. (It can’t be photographed with current technology.) The light gets behind the paint and bounces around before escaping. The resulting luminescence is too subtle. This gets interpreted as over-saturated colors with flattened contrast.
To get technical, getting blended color effects with translucent layers is one kind of optical mixing. Another kind is the traditional impressionist trick of juxtaposition of small touches that merge to the eye’s perception to greater degrees at further distances.
These new acrylic inks though! Damn. They pop. High pigment to media ratios! You can get both effects — and fast. I am already looking at this new work as models for larger oil paintings in the near future.
Supposedly, there are AIs that are able to imitate artists. But if it can’t be digitized, good luck with digital copies!
I do not think I need to fret about that competition.