Figurative Art: Recognition, Gesture and Transformation

A closer look

A recognizable body, object or setting can remain legible through altered proportions, simplified color or expressive marks; recognition and abstraction can coexist.

Recognition does not require literal imitation

MoMA's selection under “Figurative” includes markedly different works and media. The term is useful because it describes a relationship to recognizable subjects, not a common brushstroke, palette or level of finish. A distorted figure can still be figurative.

Begin by deciding what must remain recognizable. A posture, silhouette or relationship between objects may carry the subject even when smaller details disappear. This makes figurative work a field of choices rather than a test of how closely an image resembles a photograph.

Gesture provides an organizing line

In a figure study, establish the direction of the torso, the distribution of weight and the support beneath the body. A convincing pose depends on these relationships before it depends on facial detail. Hands and feet should participate in the action rather than appear as unrelated additions.

Try a quick version using only a few connected shapes. Then add information selectively. If the original gesture becomes weaker as detail accumulates, return to the larger structure and reconsider what the additions are doing.

Distortion can be purposeful

Lengthening a form, flattening space or exaggerating a color can emphasize a particular experience. Make the alteration consistent with the image's purpose. An accidental joint problem and a deliberate transformation are not the same simply because both depart from ordinary anatomy.

Compare a naturalistic study with one that changes only proportions and another that changes only color. This isolates the expressive effect of each decision. Avoid using the word “expressive” to excuse every unresolved relationship.

Subject and viewpoint matter

A figure is more than a vehicle for demonstrating technique. Pose, setting, crop and the viewer's position affect how the person is represented. Consider whether the image allows individuality or reduces someone to a convenient type.

For an original generated study, specify the action and spatial relationships before adding aesthetic adjectives. Evaluate the resulting silhouette, weight and interaction. Figurative work can be quiet, humorous, critical or unsettling; bright color and dramatic shadow are possibilities rather than defining requirements.