Gustave Courbet is the father of the realism movement. Emphasizing for the first time that the artist should be free in all aspects, this painter reflects the naturalness of inclusion of the lower strata of society into art in his works. Courbet is a persistent socialist artist. However, his other message was that the artist should reflect the freedom and realism of his inner world in his works. The insistence on the liberation of the inner worlds received a serious response from the Impressionists and created a turning point in Western painting. The impressionist artists of the period had serious problems with their eye health and sense of sight, but the current they were in allowed them to reflect the reality they saw as it was. The most famous artists of the movement were those who reflected what they saw (or could not see) as they were: Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh, and Wassily Kandinsky.
The answer to this question is clear as day. It is also awareness, that is, they were aware of their state of health. Monet was a cataract patient. He was aware and agreed to seek treatment, but it seemed unclear how long he had had a cataract. When you look at his works, it is obvious to what extent he reflects this discomfort in his art. Cezanne and Renoir are thought to be nearsighted. All three artists were aware of their visual deformations, but they did not give up their art and resigned themselves to their fate. They live with this and, on the contrary, identify the aesthetic understanding of society with this reality of the artist. On the other hand, the situations in Van Gogh and Kandinsky are associated with neurology rather than vision. Although Van Gogh has different psychotic states, it is known that he is Synesthetic. Kandinsky still has the same neurological condition. Both artists knew about their neurological condition. Van Gogh reflected this awareness in his art and tried to be understood. However, synesthesia is not among the medical discoveries of the period. With serious studies in the 1980s, this situation will be accepted as a variety of intelligence rather than a disease. This situation, which turned into a controllable awareness in Kandinsky, who is also a scientist (legal academic), turned into an advantage and led to the birth of the movement we call abstract art, which we now see even in digital art.
Awareness and acceptance of health problems is a groundbreaking personal revolution. Isn't that what being healthy is all about?
To tell the truth, the great artists above have taught us that there can be differences in today's plastic arts and even in the visual world. This is an undeniable fact. The sources of their differences come from accepting their truths. A large part of society still does not give up making various ascriptions for people with cataracts. Synesthetics, in particular, are severely reticent. However, when they speak their language, they fall out. As an art historian, as you listen to these experiences, it is impossible not to admire this brain structure. Richard Kytowic goes to dinner with a painter friend and says, “The chickens weren't cooked the way I wanted because I can't see the rings on them.” Shocked, Kytowic learns that his friend is a synesthetic, and is devoted to the subject. His problem is to explain to society that people with this type of brain structure are normal. Neurologist and writer Kytowic wants society to be aware of its health, in a way. To be a healthier society, this gigantic organism is expected to see its shortcomings and make peace with them.
Health comes from awakening awareness and acceptance. I wish everyone a healthy week full of awareness.
