Discussing Malevich's Thoughts on Intuition in Modern Art

I came across this passage written by Kazimir Malevich. For a brief history about him see this post: Malevich. He is of course one of the major artists of the last century to lead the way from purposeful utilitarian art into complete abstraction. The quotes below (in green) came from an essay he published in 1916. It's really quite fascinating and I recommend reading the whole thing by getting the book cited below, or finding another copy of the full essay.

 I have never been one to subscribe to the idea that philosophy can make a work of art stand. A work of art should always stand on it's own first. Background information is the bonus. But I do like the fact that Malevich has a massive amount of things to say on the subject of the birth of what we call modern art. From the cavemen's mind to the modern man's mind he philosophizes on the creative process on a variety of interesting levels. This is but one passage I like from his essay:

"Creation by utilitarian reason has a specific purpose. But intuitive creation has no utilitarian purpose. Until now we have had no such manifestation of Intuitions in art. In art all pictures emerge from creative forms of a utilitarian order. All the naturalist's' pictures have the same form as in nature. The intuitive form should emerge from nothing."

 (a short bit later Malevich goes on to say.....)

"Consequently the intuitive feeling did not speak clearly. And in that case, it's condition was not only subconscious, but totally unconscious."       

 -Kazimer Malevich From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism: The New Realism in Painting. 1916. Found in: Art in Theory 1900 - 1990 Harrison and Wood, 1992.

This idea goes along with another painter's quote that I like, this one from Amedeo Modigliani. For that post click here: Modigliani quote. Both men are speaking towards painting as a process for understanding the deeper, unconscious and subconscious aspects of one's own mind. For the first time being able to use painting not as a means of representation, but also as a tool of sorts for personal growth and understanding through the creative process. Something that I seek to accomplish with my own work.

More specifically I seek to use the dreaming mind and painting together, in an attempt to understand myself and the world better. Making paintings based on dreams and continuing the story in another painting, and perhaps then dreaming about the new painting. It's like a catch 22 of symbols and metaphors emanating from the subconscious and unconscious. This is what my new work is about. Exploring dream symbols and dreaming as a tool for understanding the mind, through painting and the creative process. To see some of my new work visit Ed's Art Workshop.

Large Acrylic Work: Visceral Composition #1

This piece is fairly recent - from 2006, and until this point unseen outside of what you would call my studio. (I'm kinda slow sometimes finishing and photographing my work). It's a large (about 4 x 4-1/2') acrylic painting with just a touch of collage. It's part of a bunch of large fairly experimental acrylic paintings I've done in the last few years, all in a very kind of raw and visceral style.

By the way, what a great word - visceral. The technical definition - it's the plural form of viscus; an internal organ of the body, (as the spleen, kidney, heart, etc). So it's like feeling something deeply; as if in the viscera. Or here is my own definition: earthy, primal, crude, elemental, intuitive, raw. Or defined as follows (dict.org):

1. Of, pertaining to, or affecting the viscera; splanchnic.

2. Having deep sensibility.

3. Proceeding from emotion or instinct rather than from
intellect; deeply emotional; -- as, a visceral reaction.

4. Dealing with coarse or base emotions; -- as, a visceral
literary style.

Visceral Composition #1 by Ed T. © '08

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Non-Objective Art, Intuition, and Expression

Now the following quote from Henri Bergson is one that really gets me thinking, there are a lot of different ways to interpret the ideas brought up by it.

"Intuition is a method of feeling one's way intellectually into the inner heart of a thing, in order to locate what is unique and inexpressible in it. If there is a way of grasping a reality in absolute rather than relative terms, of entering into it rather than taking up positions on it, of seizing hold of it without any translation or symbolism, then that way is metaphysics itself."

-Henri Bergson, Quoted in Ingo F. Walther, Rainer Metzger, Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings, 619. Slovenia: Taschen, 2001.

To me, (and I could be completely wrong, share your thoughts with comments) Part of what can be inferred from what Bergson is saying is that an expression that originates in the understanding of something through one's intuition is highly individual and subjective.

The ability to be awed by nature doesn't come from the material nature is comprised of, but from something inside us. The expression of reality or ideas is filtered through one's perception; spirit even, therefore the expression is a valuable legacy of the individual and the ideas/objects she is trying to express or was inspired by.