Essay About History Of Art                                              Linear And Painterly        Paintings

Linear Vs. Painterly
Joseph Mackenzie                                                                              John Jay CollegeFall 2015                                                                                               History of Art                                              Linear vs Painterly        Paintings can be classified in numerous different ways, sometimes concerning form, sometimes concerning content. Two famous paintwork terms known for their contrast to one another is “linear” and “painterly”. At times, they are difficult to separate, but sometimes they have obvious differences.   [pic 1][pic 2][pic 3][pic 4]Linear painting, as seen above, is based around lines and boundaries; the artist sees in clear shapes and the outline of form. Linear works can be identified when the piece looks like it has no movement of paint, the form is still and secure. In contrast, painterly style focuses on the interactions and will use shadows and merging to create movement and fluidity. Details are created in color rather than line and the entire painting is the focus. The painting has movement throughout which makes the person looking at eye take the entire painting in from top to bottom. There are many things going on in Linear paintings usually but due to the stroke of the brush that keeps everything in sync, all the objects/subjects fuse together as one. Some may even argue that this painting has both styles. The boats are linear because they are clearly outline and shown as separate forms, but the sky is painterly in that the form was created simply with color, not with line. Even the sea has movement like painterly but is sectioned like linear.  Linear and Painterly, or “closed vs. open form” according art historian Heinrich Wolfflin, can be intertwined or kept apart but that is completely up to the artist. Linear is for artist who prefer their art to looked sharp, defined, like a cut out and paste. Painterly offers a free flow of the wrist when painting. Edges are fuzzy while colors appear to dissolve into others. In essence, regardless of style, a painting will be beautiful long as the artist is true to his/her vision.