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The concept ‘visual perception’ in the context of this thesis
This study does not purport to explain the phenomenon of visual perception. It reflects on one of the current theories regarding the interpretation of visual perception namely fractured perception from the perspective of painting. Many aspects of visual perception are not included in this study or indirectly addressed because they do not clarify a specific issue on the hypothetical influence of painting on a theory of visual perception. For instance, two aspects that are omitted: firstly « the ability to fuse flickers of light into a continuous pattern, [and secondly] the ability to fuse the slightly different set of iriformation from the two eyes into one image » (Froman, 1969, p.5). Aspects that are considered to make an important contribution to the understanding of visual perception include eye disease and abnormalities in perception. For example, localized injury to a small area of the cortex was observed to lead to partial loss of perception. For example, only the perception of line will be lost or some perception of colour. The fact that only partial loss of perception occurred contributed to the better understanding of visual perception, which in turn lead to the formulation of the theory that perception is fractured. The focus of the study is also not the visual perceptual concerns that have already been extensively and scientifically researched and that pertain to the interest of both artists and philosophers of art. The perception of pictures is such an instance which is of interest to artists, philosophers of art and theorists of perception, but has been extensively researched. For example, paintings are two dimensional « but can represent three dimensional spatial arrangements of entirely different objects » (Turner, 1996, p.375). The question that arises from this is: how a two dimensional picture can be perceived to represent the spatial arrangement that occurs in the three dimensional world and also what this says about visual perception.
The contribution of formalism to the concept of painting
Formalism can be accepted as a constituent of art or as a complete theory or art. In this thesis formalism is engaged as a complete theory of art. The focus is then on the formal properties of art or also referred to as the visual elements [such as colour and line). The attraction of formalism in the context of this thesis is the dependence of formalism on essential and elementary principles, and a structural approach to painting which will allow for analogous references to the structure of a theory of visual perception. As such formalism can be regarded as utilizing an analytical method. Scientists, for example, will use analytical methods to obtain information about substances – in such an instance the analysis will typically isolate elements to aid scientists to obtain information. In another example analytical method can combine, rather than isolate, elements or properties. Twitchell cites the structuralism of Claude Levi-Strauss which combined linguistics and anthropology as an example. Analytical methods can thus rely on isolation and/or combination to obtain knowledge. Twitchell says that « analysis approaching the methods of science, when applied to the visual arts, is most often restricted to the appearances of the individual work of art; it entails studying the structural use of the visual elements as they function in composition, or formalism » (1983, p.1). In this thesis the formal properties in painting will be isolated and studied, their function in a composition will be analysed and the knowledge obtained will be, analogously, combined to knowledge obtained from a theory of visual perception.
CHAPTER 1
1.1 DEFINITIONS OF CENTRAL CONCEPTS
1.2 AN EXPLORATION OF THE CONCEPT ‘THEORY OF VISUAL PERCEPTION’
1.3 AN EXPLORATION OF PAINTING IN THIS CONTEXT
1.4 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 2 CHARACTERISTICS OF PAINTING
2.1 THE FORMAL PROPERTIES OF PAINTING FROM A TECHNICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINT
2.2 HISTORICAL INSTANCES OF THE ROLE OF THE FORMAL PROPERTIES IN PAINTING
2.3 THREE STRATEGIES IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE FORMAL PROPERTIES IN PAINTING
2.4 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF VISUAL PERCEPTION
3.1 REFERENCES TO VISUAL PERCEPTION
3.2 ART HISTORICAL REFERENCES TO VISUAL PERCEPTION
3.3 REFERENCES TO THEORIES OF VISUAL PERCEPTION
3.4 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4 AN ANALOGY BETWEEN PAINTING AND VISUAL PERCEPTION
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO AN ANALOGY BETWEEN PAINTING AND VISUAL PERCEPTION
4.3 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5 THE ANALOGOUS INFLUENCE OF PAINTING ON THE ARTIST’S VISUAL PERCEPTION
5.1 THE ANALOGOUS INFLUENCE OF PAINTERS’ PREFERENCE FOR HOLISTIC THINKING ON VISUAL PERCEPTION
5.2 THE INFLUENCE OF SEQUENTIAL EMPLOYMENT OF THE FORMAL PROPERTIES IN A PAINTING, ON VISUAL PERCEPTION
5.3 THE INFLUENCE OF PAINTERLY COMPOSITION ON THE PAINTER’S VISUAL PERCEPTION
5.4 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION
6.1 THE AIM OF THE THESIS
6.2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE THESIS
6.3 INFERENCES
6.4 CONCLUSION
6.5 CONTRIBUTION
6.6 CLOSING REMARKS ON VISUAL PERCEPTION, MEMORY AND INTENTION AND THE PAINTER
