The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Our first stop of the day was The Barber Institute of Fine Arts. We decided visit the Barber as it was a place that none of us had been to, and that the experience of engaging with the artworks contained within the Barber would hopefully enhance our knowledge and understanding of art history and art movements.

Prior to visiting the Barber, I did have some preconcieved ideas of what kind of art would contain and that it would just be full of 'pretty paintings' that would not interest me in the slightest. However, I kept an open mind to this thought and I was actually pleasently surprised.

The highlight of the visit for me was Rene Margitte's 'The Flavour of Tears' (1948):

Image reference: http://www.barber.org.uk/pommagritte.html

When I first came across this piece in the Barber, my first thought was 'what's this kind of work doing within a fine art gallery?' From looking at this piece of art, I immediately recognised that it was a surrealist painting, and that it seemed to be out of place in contrast to some of the other more 'traditional' fine art pieces. 

After standing there looking at this piece for a while, and trying to establish its intention, I was kind of struggling so the three of us had a conversation about it. I knew it was a surrealist piece, but I didn't actually know what surrealism was. So by talking about it and discussing the objects represented within the painting whilst referring to the artwork's blurb we came up with:

"Surrealism is familiar objects in unfamiliar circumstances or situations and the juxtaposition of these." (Arty Fartys, 2010). 

This became even more transparent when we added the artwork's blurb into the mix:

"Surrealist paintings stir the imagination by subverting our expectations and transgressing boundaries." (The Barber Institute of Fine Arts). 

The painting was created in the aftermath of WWII and it reflects the state of ‘peace’ at a time of destruction and hostility. Destruction is represented in the painting in a rather ambiguous way as its done in both a literal and metaphorical sense. 

In a literal sense we can consider the destruction of nature as a caterpillar is eating a leaf which forms the shape of a bird. By further exploring and looking into surrealism, birds were regarded as symbols of peace to surrealists whereas insects were actually associated with evil. Rene Magritte has portrayed the somewhat uncertain fate of the bird by representing it in a vulnerable state in the form of a tobacco plant leaf. This painting also depicts the metamorphosis of one object into another e.g. the image of the plant transforming its leaves into a bird. Magritte's painting also presents issues surronding human existence which remind us of the destruction of society within and during war. 

I wouldn't say that I like this piece, but I definately appreciate it. I have been able to appreciate it because of the information that I have been able to decipher from engaging with it.

As Crawford (1991, p.27) states,

"Art does not exist in a vacuum. Its origins and its acceptance or rejection are intimately tied to other aspects of society and culture."

So going back to my first thought of this painting seeming to be 'out of place' within the gallery, was surrealism considered as an art form in its time and context e.g. 1920s - 1940s?

Art has reinvented itself all the time during history and within cultures and socities. As a result of this reinvention, these everchanging views of art have also helped us to renew our perceptions of our ever changing world. Context has also defined what art is and isn't. This has been very much dependent upon dates, times, and places within history e.g. The Salon des Refuses. Therefore, the value of art has also changed, and what impact it has on us in an interpretation of a society/world in the current context.

Barnes (2002, p.8) states,

"Art can help them [children] to percieve the world in a greatly extended way so that they can begin to assimilate a variety of perceptions in relation to one another."

Barnes offers a view on the value of art that is particularly helpful in an attempt to recognise and understand the cultural and enriching capacity of art. The view that Barnes offers is also true for me as an art student, and as a teaching practitoner.

So from visitng the Barber I have really been able to develop my own understanding of surrealism with thanks to Rene Magritte and interpreting the context in which the work had been created. Our visit has also really changed my perception on fine art, and that it can be and is much more than just 'pretty paintings'. Coming to this realisation will allow me to engage with art within a much wider context.

References:  

Barnes, R. (2002) Teaching Art to Young Children 4-9. Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.

Crawford, D. (1991) Aesthetics and Arts Education. University of Illionois Press