Seeing art like it isn't yours

Alex_J

You ever notice how when you look at somebody elses art, you just kind of see the whole thing? Like you don't pick it apart into pieces and examine them individually. You just see the whole thing. 

But when it's your own art, immediately your eye is drawn to pieces of it. I know that I have to make a conscious effort to look at my art the same way I look at other peoples art. Sometimes I literally even step back away from the screen to view it from a distance. 

There has to be a term for this, right? Anybody know what I am talking about? It's kind of the same thing about how other peoples food always taste better. You can make the same exact recipe as your wife, but somehow hers always taste better. Because when it's your own you are too analytical and break things down, missing the whole. 

zachagreg

My food slaps so can't agree there but there was this one guy who was calling it modified perfectionism? I remember reading about it a bit when i was studying photography. I think Simon Cade is his name.

Psychologically speaking I believe it is a mental defense mechanism that allows us to make sure that we are as in the right as possible to avoid any potential harm that might come to us either mentally or physically from doing things incorrectly. Obviously this is stronger in some more than others and why some can get stuck in that headspace easier. It just so happens that we have achieved a lot more in human time and not had so much time for that particular trait to evolve and strengthen. Basically we overload that defense mechanism because it wasn't necessarily evolved to handle the amount of decisions and input we receive today, I would assume this weakens the capability of it on the day to day much like willpower and causes mental fatigue and frustration.

I've heard it called Self Lensing and self-doubt but the latter goes more towards the unhealthy aspects of the behavior.

Taylor Brown

Sounds like the inverse of the Artist's Curse: "Believing your own work to be sub-par, even if it isn't, simply because you've been working with it for so long that you notice imperfections that no one else will."

Alex_J

really interesting @zachagreg.  there is some terms to google. exactly what I was looking for. I think getting out of this perspective is key to not wasting time and also improve the craft. But it takes a lot of deliberation. At least for me. 

Alex_J

Taylor Brown said:

Sounds like the inverse of the Artist's Curse: "Believing your own work to be sub-par, even if it isn't, simply because you've been working with it for so long that you notice imperfections that no one else will."

Yeah that is really practical way to put it. But it goes beyond just how you value your own work. It's like literally the way my eyes move when I look at my work versus someone elses. Like where and how they focus. 

zachagreg

Alex Javor said:

Taylor Brown said:

Sounds like the inverse of the Artist's Curse: "Believing your own work to be sub-par, even if it isn't, simply because you've been working with it for so long that you notice imperfections that no one else will."

Yeah that is really practical way to put it. But it goes beyond just how you value your own work. It's like literally the way my eyes move when I look at my work versus someone elses. Like where and how they focus. 

I learned a lot of how to analyze art and appreciate broader forms of art by going through art history with some phenomenal teachers. I would recommend grabbing an art history book it may serve you well in the same way. It kind of eases the burden off of just analyzing yourself and also being able to accurately analyze others.

Alex_J

Any recommendations there? (something I can grab on kindle would be great so I can easily read while in airport)

zachagreg

Alex Javor said:

Any recommendations there? (something I can grab on kindle would be great so I can easily read while in airport)

Ill look up some that are on Kindle as well, but my favorite ones that are not textbook style are, A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics by Donald Richie which is more of an easy short read. One thats good for technical aspects of traditional arts is, Designa Technical Secrets of the Traditional Visual Arts. This one contains several short segments and is an edited collection. The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich as well as Ways of Seeing by John Berger. 

A lot of my art history books are in textbook form but one that is a surprisingly easy read is Art through the Ages by Gardner if you ever feel in the mood for some deep studying. I've got the Volume 2 14th edition on The Western Perspective but The Non-Western Perspective is very valuable as well since there is an interesting dichotomy in the world of art and the traditions of Non-Western I find more empowering for the artist.

But like I said Ill look for some that are also on Kindle to recommend you

Alex_J

Awesome! Thanks so much. I got some airport time coming up so maybe I can kill off one of the shorter ones if it's on kindle. One thing that really interest me is this idea of efficiency. Saying the most with the least. That's what I like about a lot of old eastern paintings. So much empty space with a small subject. Opens one up to ponder deeper things beyond being overpowered by a realistic rendering full of every detail. 

zachagreg

Alex Javor said:

Awesome! Thanks so much. I got some airport time coming up so maybe I can kill off one of the shorter ones if it's on kindle. One thing that really interest me is this idea of efficiency. Saying the most with the least. That's what I like about a lot of old eastern paintings. So much empty space with a small subject. Opens one up to ponder deeper things beyond being overpowered by a realistic rendering full of every detail. 

That's actually a cornerstone of design, the principle of Economy. A lot of non-western art uses economy more in my opinion and to greater strength because horror vacui never really got a religious stranglehold like western art did during the early gothic to like the victorian era. But that style of "filling in" can also be seen in a lot of Islamic arts as well.

I personally am right there with on good economy, it interacts very well on a visual level and I like to keep some strong economic pieces in my office to ease tensions and help me relax.

Alex_J

Yeah I think it is much more natural. Most of nature is "empty space". And I think nature has the design that feels correct. Anything else will always have some tension in it. One thing that bugs me about a lot of games actually, is that there is just way too much stuff going on. Makes my eyes feel fatigued. 

poopipe

Standard procedure for painting is to step back a bit.  For digital art it's normal to mirror your painting to assist in taking a fresh look at what you've done. 

If you want free thought process advice watch feng zhu videos - everything is function first with him.

In general you want to look at and analyse concept and classical art  if your aim is to improve your artistic vision -  the stuff you see in game is usually heavily compromised and diluted

zachagreg

So Alex,

Tractate of Japanese is on kindle. So thats good. Was also able to find an etextbook by Jansen and one by Stokstad available on Kindle. Both of which I've read and will give you a more thorough understanding on the various subject matters and time periods. As well as methods of analyzing art.

This is also a surprisingly thorough article going over the steps to analyze as well.

https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/how-to-analyze-an-artwork