| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立嘉義大學 === 視覺藝術研究所 === 92 === Abstract
Self-existence in the world of images
：Series of “Natural Appearance” by Yu-Lin Wu
It is difficult for one to avoid consciously or unconsciously endowing certain characteristics to what one senses in the external world. It is also difficult to avoid attaching a subjective element to the things one senses in order to facilitate the process of understanding and to organize one’s thoughts into a coherent framework. This is a personal sort of belief. One could even go so far as to say it is a subjective feeling; it is also an expression of the will. The will accompanies every step of one’s process of cognition. Whether or not one is aware of this, it is hard to totally break free from the influence of the subjective consciousness. This so-called will comes from and represents the subject “I”. It is because of every individual’s unique will that in his process of understanding, each person goes through a different experience of the world. Therefore, when one is in the process of comprehending the external world one is also in the process of understanding oneself. One’s sensations of the things and event in the external world reflect one’s private image and outlook of the world.
Similarly, in the process of artistic creation, the subject conveys this private image which is reflected via the functioning of the will by way of an awakening of the senses. This also reflects the focus of the subjective consciousness. The subjective consciousness in turn deeply reflects the subject─the so-called “self”. Therefore works that are produced in this spirit will on one hand express one’s own “personal world construct” framework of the subjective consciousness, and on the other hand document the path of development and progress of the subjective consciousness. Consequently self-consciousness unfolds itself in art; by way of and together with art it reflects an image of the self. This allows the constitution of the domain of art to able to correspond with the human representation of his world within, even involving itself in the process of sublimation of the spirit. Simultaneously in the creation of tangible objects, self-consciousness, by way of the concretization of artistic images, also creates a connection between the spirit and the real world, specifically realizing the private will and desires of man. This also gives meaning to consciousness, consequently being able to help in the self-consciousness of the subjective experience and actualization of the real world.
Summing up the preceding exposition, the research objectives of this paper are:
1. to examine the influence of subjective consciousness vis-à-vis personal artistic creation;
2. to study the expression of subjective spirit in personal artistic creation;
3. to explore the embodiment of artistic creation and self-existence;
4. to look within for a higher expression of self via artistic creation.
The research framework of this thesis includes:
1. examination of the foundation of theories of artistic creation;
2. exploration of the concepts of artistic creation;
3. analysis in three parts of a series of works; in which said series of works, Natural Appearance, which saw its
artistic development in Minsyong Township during 2001, is to be the main scope of research.
The theoretical foundation will be laid in the second part of the paper. This paper cites artistic creation and Naturalism, Gestalt Theory, Structuralism, Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Psychoanalysis, Existentialism, and Eastern Mind Philosophy as the systematic statement of creative progress from subject to form, from form to the conception of internal abstraction. This extends to the creative concepts in the third part of the paper. This paper then more concretely expounds on the stimulation of inspiration by realizations one gleans through life experiences. The vicissitudes of life generate changes in personal psychological makeup; this brings about an effect in artistic creation that produces a manifestation different from previous creations of the artist. Therefore this explains more exhaustively the meaning of the symbols of the depiction and formation of the structure of the art work. Gestalt Theory and Structuralism will be used again to supplement the above statements. This paper will then elaborate more substantially how the statements above influences personal artistic creation. This paper will then delve into the realms of the illusory and the real in the psychology of artistic creation. It shall explain how this writer’s personal outlook on life consisting of alternation between the real and the imaginary influences the expression of her art. This paper shall also explain how this alternation plants a seed of doubt into this writer’s mind about her being, and how it drove her to search inwards for the true meaning of existence.
The fourth part of the paper takes a close look at both the writer’s personal series of art works, Natural Appearance, and the points elaborated in this paper. In fact this is actually a documentation of the course of this writer’s personal growth and psycho mental changes during the process of creation. This writer incorporates Appearance of the Paddy Fields, Appearance of the Sea, and Appearance of the Mountains in her series of works because of her dealing with the creative theme of Natural Appearance. This advanced from realizations she made through comparisons of life experiences that gradually allowed her to see the inner essence of man; and in addition to that, realizations about self-existence revealed by art. This shows how art can accurately reflect man’s inner thoughts and beliefs. It also shows how it is able to simultaneously form concepts from artistic creation; and analyses and conclusions from creative progress. One can see the road traveled in the journey to personal growth after this mode of comparison and contrast.
Key words: Will, subjective consciousness, self- existence, nature, paddy field, sea, mountain.
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