Folk Art
Beyond the Canvas: Decorative Art by Kathleen Karlsen
Decorative painting is an approach to art that spans the globe and traverses countless centuries. Paintings and murals were used in both ancient Egypt and Greece. Tombs and temples were lavishly painted with a combination of faux techniques and mural-like frescoes.
Originally an art of the common people, decorative painting has its origins in the folk arts of every nation. Artisans and peasants painted the walls of their dwellings, furniture, doors and various household objects with simple patterns based on nature, most commonly depicting flowers.
These artisans used paints made from natural pigments and their designs often utilized a limited palette. Their equipment was simple, consisting only of a single round brush made with animal hair.
In the middle ages, painting was concentrated in churches and in castles. Most images were religious icons and illustrations of Biblical scenes. As travel increased and cultures merged, the particular forms practiced in a region or country helped people to maintain their ancestral identity. Rosemaling, for example, is a traditional form of Norwegian art that is still practiced today.
By the 17th century, decorative painting was used extensively in palaces across Europe. Not only royalty, but also the middle and upper classes began to employ the growing ranks of artisans to embellish their homes and furnishings.
Idealistic artists in the late 19th and early 20th century revived the belief that art should not be restricted to great halls, museums, and canvases but should grace the life of every man. Every household object could be a work of art that would uplift mankind. Decorative painting became a “modern” art.
Soon jewelry boxes, Hand Painted plates, letter boxes, keepsake boxes, mirrors, vases and a vast array of other utilitarian objects were graced with paintings of all types. Distinctions between the major arts of painting and sculpture and the minor arts of decorative painting, fabric painting and ceramics were at least partially obliterated.
By this time, the new generation of artists were using modern materials and techniques to produce decorative paintings. In addition to an almost endless choices of brushes, artists could use mediums like gels, retarders, extenders and glazes to create decorative paintings that would adhere to almost any surface.
These artists began to identify themselves with various techniques and the artists who had invented or popularized them rather than with the folk arts of specific countries or regions. At the turn of the century in Paris, a group of artists known as the Nabis (meaning prophets) painted on all types of surfaces and in both extremely small and unusually large non-traditional sizes.
Their egalitarian approach included designing wallpaper, stained glass and assorted works in the new print mediums. They sought to produce paintings that were personal to the viewer and suitable for domestic interiors. Women, cherubs and flowers were common themes. Artists began to abandon the historical emphasis on perspective in deference to the more personal need for texture.
In England and America, the arts and crafts movement flourished between 1880 and 1910. This reformist movement was a reaction against both the overly ornate Victorian style and the machine-made products of the industrial revolution. The personality of the artisan was central and designs could be drawn from nature, historical styles or folk styles at the discretion of the artist.
Contemporary artists eventually adapted the patterns and ornamentations of decorative painting and applied them back to works of fine art created at the easel on canvas. Modern artists again challenged the boundary between fine art and crafts. Artists such as Monet and Matisse are two of the more prominent heirs to the accumulated values and styles of decorative painting. The art forms that had escaped the canvas had now come full circle.
Decorative painting has experienced a resurgence of popularity in recent years. Faux painting and murals have become common in businesses and in homes. Decorative painting can create a theme in your interior design that includes every aspect of the environment: walls, curtains, furniture and other accessories can be coordinated for a stunning effect in any room.
About the Author
Kathleen Karlsen, MA,is an artist, writer and instructional designer. See floral art paintings by Kathleen at http://kathleenkarlsenart.com/gallery-floral-art.html. See paintings based on nature themes at http://kathleenkarlsenart.com/gallery-nature-spirit.html. See modern arts landscape paintings at http://kathleenkarlsenart.com/gallery-landscape-art.html.
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