MAVA414 / 2013 Fall / Ouz Turan Buruk

Is Art a Road to Perfection?

It began with a man driven by his need for expression. He somehow wanted to express himself by not
making noises, but making something appeared. Igniting incident for an art was the impulsive
manner of an extraordinary caveman; it was his ambition in being different and maybe better than
the others! This is off course just a story I have just made up, yet in my opinion, intention of artists is
not different than what I indicated.
To understand the intention of the artists, one should be aware of the chorological progress of art
throughout the history. However, it is not conceivable to summarize the evolution of the all branches
of the art. Still, focusing on the plastic arts, preferably the painting, we can discuss the evolution of
the art predicating on the ideas of Andre Bazin (Bazin, 1960). Bazin expresses that the photography
and consequently the cinema changed the flow of the art of renaissance since they had satisfied the
need for the realism in art. According to him, the very reason for painting to diverge into more
expressive and subjective way is that the invention of photography saved the painting from its
shackles of reality. The hopelessness of the renaissance artists about acquiring the realism in the
nature, in the presence of photography, led them to produce in different way, express themselves in a
different way. The occurrence caused art to open a new gate towards to expressionism.
The ideas of the Bazin are not the ones which are to be stood up completely without hesitation.
However, looking up to the chorological order of the art and art movements, one should analyze the
realism level, intentions of the artist and intentions of the gaze bearer.
The first examples of the painting, lets say drawing, is going back until BC 25000. However, the
history of art lessons usually lean on renaissance period since it is a revolution for western art.
Henceforth, the painting evolved into number of different phases under the effect of both similar and
distinctive movements.
The movement at the very beginning of the Renaissance is named as Classicism. The artists of
Classicism preferred antic Greek and Rome myths as their subject and adopted the styles of these
eras (Little, 2004). The rationale of the artists was to loosen the bond to the middle age art and
revoke the style of Greek and Rome art which is appreciated. One of the famous painting of the

Figure 1: The School of Athens (1510)

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period was The School of Athens(Figure 1) by
Rafaello.

Figure 2: Secularism: French troops under

Charles VIII entering Florence (1518)

Another movement of the Renaissence which can

contribute to our discussion is Secularism. In Gothic
Art, before Renaissence (prolongations of the Gothic
Art which is named as International Gothic
continued its evolution together with Renaissence
(Little, 2004), the religious themes was quite
common. This also continued in Renaissence,
however, the new thinking patterns had opened the
gates for non-religious themes. Secularism was the
movement which takes account the subject of
everyday relationships between people instead of
relationship between religious figures.

Perspectivism, mentioned by Bazin in his article, had

introduced the illusion of perspective providing drawings which shows the distant objects as if they
are scaling down and disappearing. Contributed remarkably by Leonardo, the technique became a
distinctive one becoming one of the key definitions of
renaissance paintings. Perspective was an important
improvement in the means of which the painting had taken a
step away in expressing the reflected world of the artist in a
more realistic way visually. Leonardo contributed the
perspective with a technique called aerial perspective,
drawing the objects which are getting distant as if they are
getting lost in a mist (Little, 2004). He is known as the first
artist granting the realism in painting.
When looking for the realistic reflection of the outside world,
one of the movements which need to be emphasized is
Naturalism. The aim of the Naturalism is to reflect the outside
world with minimum subjectivity. Naturalism aims to use
light, tones, colors and textures in a harmony making it as
close as possible to what is natural.
Although Naturalism aims to reflect the outside world with a
perfection not manipulated by the subjectivity, it lacks the
motion. Eventuating from this point, Baroque (being a new
phase after renaissance), put the spot light on the motions,
emotions and expressions of the figures. In this way, Baroque
also intends to take the realism one step ahead. Baroque also
consists of number of waves which increases the realism of
reflected scenes in painting like Jestism and Caravaggioism.

Figure 3: The Madonna of the

Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci (1483)

Realistic Reflection is Fading Off

Mannerism came into existence in later years of renaissance. It is considered as a step backward from
the point renaissance reached. Mannerist painters did not give as much importance as the classic
renaissance artists gave to harmony and balance. Mannerism is characterized with its subjects, color
and poses while it ignores the line and harmony of Classic Art.
Another step back from the realism can be considered Rokoko which also causes Neo-Classism came
into existence as a reaction to this wave. Rokoko developed as a reaction to the strict rules of

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Baroque. Instead of realistic reflection of outside world, in Rokoko, ornamental figures and pastel
colors were dominant in compositions.
In 19th c., it is possible to see that the realism in the art fades off in an observable level.
Romantism, being one of the earliest waves in 19c., rejects the strict rules of neo-classism as well as
its incapability in understanding the irrational, emotional and spiritual. In this aspect, a romantic
painting does reflect a scene by also placing a layer comprising the emotional impression of the
subject. This creates a more different appearance then what we see in the real outside world.

Impressionism, followed by Neo-Impressionism, tried to reflect the emotional aspects of the painting
rather than echoing the myths or moral values. The utilization of shiny colors, scattered brush strokes
instead of equally applied light and color schemes was a result of this search for emotional

Figure 4: The Tree of Crows (1822), Casper David Friedrich, Romantism

impressions. Following impressionism, Neo-impressionism, occurred with the artists who stood out
from the impressionists by being indifferent about capturing the moment. Neo-Impressionists
constructed their art mostly on the design of the composition, preparation of color forms and other
technical issues. They developed theories about color and the perception of the eye about color.
After this point, art waves have gone through a shift through expressing the outside world blended
with the high level of subjectivity of the artist. Since the discussion of ours is about the realism level
of the painting, discussing reality in further art waves will be rendered unnecessary. However, still
discussing the Realism wave may contribute to our discussion, since this also will cast a light on the
concept of realism. In Realism, artists are focused on the real outside world instead of an idealized
one. In this wave, workers are reflected in their real environments which can be defined as filthy, dark
and cluttered. In this sense, the paintings expose how the social system shapes the life of the people
which considered unacceptable at this era. However, the visual language of the work does not reflect
the realistic light techniques and color usage of Baroque era. Considering the situation, should we ask
the question of What is the perception of realism?
We can consult to Andre Bazin again while searching for an answer to this question. As a matter of
fact, the later parts of his article start to mention about likeness instead of realism which he
emphasized at the beginning. It is true that in Renaissance, reaching the perfection means

MAVA414 / 2013 Fall / Ouz Turan Buruk

representing the real three
dimensional world as close as
possible to real on two
dimensional canvas.
Perspective was one of the
techniques for providing a
perception of perfect
imitation of outside world.
Later, the distinctive facial
expressions of figures
contributed to purpose.
However, in my opinion the
artists of Renaissance were not
looking for the real but for
the look like.
Remembering the claim of
Figure 5: Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnires, 1884, NeoBazin, the idea is that the
Impressionism
obsession about likeness in
Western Art is overcome by the occurrence of photography. In this aspect, photography takes the flag
from the Western Art and the style in the Western Art continues in photography. Subsequently, the
cinema is put in an appearance and fills the gap about motion which is the last chain of realism.
Considering the chronological order of the events, what Bazin indicates makes sense; however, the
claim that the transformation of understanding and styles in the painting depends on the occurrence
of photography and cinema remains insufficient which can also be supported by several reasons.
These reasons are:
1- The contrarian waves during Renaissance and Baroque
2- The perception of perfect
3- Films resembling the unrealistic waves of painting
The contrarian waves during Renaissance and Baroque
As mentioned above, the opposite ideas and styles against to Classism and Baroque occurred years
before the first serious examples of photography produced by Nipce in 1822. The idea for resisting,
the idea for reflecting the outside world not as it is, but as it is interpreted was not a new idea at the
time the photography invented. The artists tried to bend the rules due to their nature and since it is
also an obsession for human to try to see beyond what is real, the interpreted reflections of the
outside world are painted.
Bazin also brings this issue to the light by saying The great artists, of course, have always been able
to combine the two tendencies. They have allotted to each its proper place in the hierarchy of things,
holding reality at their command and molding it at will into the fabric of their art. However, in
Mannerism and Rokoko, it can be seen that it is more than just the touch of the artist. The styles
comes before realism in these two waves.
The Perception of Perfection
The transformations in the real world, either revolutions or art waves, occurs due to the
confrontation of strict rules or the change in the perception of perfection. In renaissance and
baroque the measurement of perfection was the realism level of the painting. The end of baroque era
and the start of 19 c. brings new subjects to the art. Rather than having unconventional styles, waves
like orientalism, medievalism, prerafaelismo search for different or old fashioned subjects.

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The perception of the Perfection is started to change with impressionism (no-matter if it is still the
obsession of an ordinary man). Impressionists gave importance to color theories and different styles
which intent to reflect the perception of eye in the painting. Henceforth, the subjectivity level of the
painting increased dramatically. The painting reflects what artist sees our wants to see after that
time. One of the reason for that kind of shift can be photography, yet it is not came across with a
evidence proving this. In circumstances, this can only be a good guess.
Films resembling the unrealistic waves of painting
It is true that the realism is aim to pursue for cinema also. Apart from its being a narrative, which
makes it related with literature also, cinema is also a visual art form. These visual properties, makes
the realism level an important element in operation of film making. Improvements in special and
visual effects increased the believability of what is seen buy audience. Nowadays, it even goes further
that the images pour out from the screen with the use of 3D technology. However, this tendency,
instead of promoting the art value of cinema, contributes to the economic value strengthening it as
an industry. All these improvements can be seen as tricks which are used for attracting the audience
to the box, making them spend their money.
Moreover, according to Bazin, cinema takes its place in a timeline whose beginning is Renaissance Art
followed by Photography and at the end reaching to Cinema. However, the relation of cinema with
performance arts, literature and animation is ignored. Is cinema really less related with theatre or
literature than the photography? Or can we ignore the desire for giving motion to images throughout
the human history? The first examples of the animated images goes back to the cave paintings of BC
25000.
I am not an expert on the subject of cinema. However, I can still come up with a reasoning providing
ideas about the resemblance of films and unrealistic art waves. What I will gaze upon will be some
films from French New Wave, since the French New Wave is an era when the rules of the cinema is
bent fiercely. Apart from that, Bertollucis The Conformist is really a great example to question what
is the place or realism in Cinema. Another example for our discussion will be After Hours of
Martin Scorsese since it is an example of how an unrealistic stories can arouse realistic feelings of the
audience.
Last year at Marienbad
Being one of the narrative structures, the Freytags Pyramid is a formula which works even for the
most complex stories (Meadows, 2003). Dramatic Arc,
first mentioned by Aristotle and improved by Gustav
Freytag with his pyramid, have been being used for most
of the stories told since the story telling had begun.
However, you can come across with films in French New
Wave, which really does not care about the story telling
structures or about other techniques. Last Year at
Marienbad is one of them. Last Year at Marienbad, shot
in 1961 by Alain Resnais, is really an unconventional film
which is claimed to be about memory. I also watched
the movie, yet it is not the easiest thing to define the
concept or subject of film at first glance. Motionless
people at the beginning of the film, appearing after a
long scene which we listen the narrators unintelligible speech while looking at the walls, pillars and
doors of the hotel and followed by the conversations between people whose voice is muted time to
time just before jumping to another scene, are struggling ones mind to be able to keep up with the
film. The subject of the film is not open but compulsory to interpretation.
Figure 6: Freytag's Pyramid

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Last year at Marienbad is a journey in a different perception of time where it is not linear or
chronological. The story seems like a love story when contemplated superficially. The narrative of the
movie gives the hints of that love story, however; the visual language, music and the structure of
narrative leaves you thinking to interpret the movie to find further meanings. Being compulsory to be
interpreted can also be considered as a property of Modern Art as it usually reflects the abstract
concepts. Last Year at Marienbad making the same while telling the story of A, X and M, the
characters of the film whose names are unknown.
The idea here is that the kind of film occurred in an era when the techniques for film making was very
weak compared to today. How can it be possible to consider Last Year at Marienbad as a step
towards realism? Or is it a step towards perfection? In a time, where the perfection for art is thought
as its capability of opening gates in ones mind, is it possible to decide what is perfect? Would
Resnais direct Last year in Marienbad in a more realistic way if the technology was better? My answer
to these questions is that the art is not a road to the perfection. Art is being on the road, searching
for meanings, searching for a way to reflect meanings.
The Conformist
The Conformist is another movie which can be shown as a counter argument to Bazins Realism
Theory! The Conformist (1970) is one of the classics of Bertolluci whose story is about a man, Clerici,
who dedicated his life to Fascist Ideology and as a result to that, made after his old teacher from
university to murder him. Bertolluci elaborated the story around Clerici creating an amazing character
who really do justice to the name of the film. Throughout the movie, Clerici has to face with many
double binds and fascinatingly almost every time he runs out from the situation by choosing the

Figure 7: Sur-realistic Asylum in The Conformist

both.
The story of The Conformist is actually a very real one. Clerici is not an exceptional hero, the opposite,
he is the one whom can be came across in the street every day. I am sure that we all can find some
pieces fitting to our lives. Not maybe the extreme parts like he is abused by a homosexual man but
his talent of conforming every side is not a property of super hero. This is something we all do or be
obliged to do in our daily lives. He is so much realistic that every single person in the film is more
likely to fit for the main character role. Every character in the movie have exceptional behaviors which

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are capable of putting them to somehow an unreachable place. Yet, Clerici by the virtue of fascinating
performance of Jean-Louis Trintignant remains really passive among all these characters, being a real
conformist. Apart from this realistic character creation, the ideological perspective of the film is also
something factual, a real period which takes place in the political history of Italy. The story line of the
movie propose us a real life maybe just because of that it sometimes has difficulties about feeding
the hunger of our curiosity.
It is possible to ask that How can a movie whose story is full of realistic concepts be a counter
argument for Bazins Theory? The answer lies within the visual language of the movie. This supports
my counter argument even further, since Bazin also did not evaluate the other aspects of the cinema
but the only the visual part of it. The Conformist gives the signals of an unconventional visual
language just in the beginning scene when we see the bizarre red lighting of environment. This is not
the only eccentric scene of the movie as it continues with the huge abandoned lobby where a
reception desk is placed in the middle or the mental asylum having a huge courtyard which gives the
impression that it is constructed on the clouds. On the other hand, the realistic scenes which does
not capture any unnatural moment also exist in the film. Bertolucci, in my opinion, aims to conform
both abstract and real by use of this kind of visual language.
Questions to ask here are that What is the use of realism? in The Conformist. Does the director
approach to reality as a phenomenon to be reached or is it only an instrument for supporting the
narrative of the film? Does realism in The Conformist have any difference from the red lightning at
the beginning scene? If the photography ignited painting to change its way through abstract realms,
which invention would have given Bertolucci this idea about casting a movie like The Conformist?
When technology of hologram is integrated in our daily life, will cinema be composed of abstract
waves since it is replaced with a more realistic representation of image?
The answer to these questions is already present in the first paragraph of this paper. The art is likely
to be born because of an extraordinary man who wants to express himself in a different way. The first
cave painting was a riot against the verbal communication. All art waves arise from a reaction to
other waves either by breaking the rules or improving them. Bertollucis intention was, in my opinion,
to create a visual language which fits the main concept of the film entirely. He has chosen to create
his own method of representing a world. A conforming world!

After Hours
After Hours, in my opinion, is a film which shows intense similarity with the Realism wave. To
remind, in Realism, artists had chosen to reflect the outside world with its absolute reality, without
idealizing, however; they were not obsessed about the absolute realism in visual properties. After
Hours is really impressive about the feelings that it arouses in the audience. It is not likely to believe
in any part of the story. It obviously exposes itself as a fictional story and such events and characters
are not the ones which you may come across during your daily life. Although, it is quite unrealistic in
the aspect of the story, the anxiety feeling it evokes inside my stomach towards to end of the film
was one of the most realistic ever. Scorsese ordered the events and organized the story in a way that
it achieves to touch the emotions successfully making audience experience believable feelings just
like realism wave which does not give importance to realism in visual aspects but in content.
Another thing which Scorsese achieved was to simulate our visual perception of world by using
camera in some unconventional ways. The first thing to mention is the dolly forward + zoom
movement of the camera when the main character is focused on some objects in environment. This
movement is quite interesting, since when you try to place the meaning of it in the mental map,
although we do not experience such interesting vision in our daily lives, we do it cognitively in our
minds. When we focused something in real world, we perceive this object isolated from the others

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around. In our minds, it is more than just blurring the other objects, but taking a somehow closer
look by examining this objects details. This kind of movement is not realistic in aspect of imitating the
real world visually, but it is quite realistic in simulating the real perception of our minds.

Figure 8: The scene where the main character is captured in the paper statue (After Hours)

The POV shot of the keychain is also worth mentioning for Scorseses intend of simulating the
perception of vision. In the famous keychain scene the main character look towards the keychain
while it is falling down from the upper floors of the apartment. Besides making the keychain only
focus of the scene, the camera skips between third person and first person point of views very
rapidly. It actually resembles to our perception while experiencing the same situation. In our real life,
if we want to catch a keychain we do not only focus on keychain but we change our looking angle
with very rapid eye movements to perceive the environment around for making the right move not
only with our arms but with also our legs to be able to catch the keychain. The only difference here,
we do not see our body but our surroundings opposite to movie. Nevertheless, no matter it is
unrealistic, it works better for the movie to see the main character instead of seeing the environment.
Here again comes the question about the definition of realism. Scorseses intend for realism is quite
different from what the general meaning is. When we are watching a movie, all we experience usually
exaggerated romance, pity or thrill. However in Scorseses After Hours, although the story is not
realistic, by the use of unconventional camera techniques combined with sophisticated acting the
meaning of realism changes and becomes more about feelings instead of story or visuals.
Conclusion
The discussion started with Bazins argument about the evolution of art, especially the painting, its
relation with photography. Bazins claim was that the invention of photography break the shackles
bound by realism to Western Art and derive it to a journey towards expressionism. However, the
contrarian waves in Renaissance and Baroque shows that the tendency for breaking rules which
strictly dictates painting to be realistic started years before the photography invented.
The obsession about realism in painting can be considered as a perception of perfection in this era.
Towards the end of Baroque era, due to the rules about realism, realism level in painting was in a
remarkable condition. After this part, the search for different or old fashioned subjects started. The
period was the one when the perception of perfection started to shift from realism to different
concepts and subjects.
Last Year in Marienbad is another example about the perception of perfection. 1961 was not the time
where the filmmaking technologies stopped or the cinema industry started to fade off. It was an

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experiment for reflecting the mind. It was a search for a different kind of representation about what
the mind and what the memory is. It was not one of the last products that the cinema produced,
however it still considered as one of the best films about memory. The Conformist and After Hours
also is not different in this aspect since they have different interpretations of realism. In this
circumstances, after 53 years from Marienbad, can we mention that the art has a point to reach? All
these three films have different aims to reach and different perception of real. In this sense, may we
have any guess for a new art branch which transform the cinema? Is it even sure that the modern
painting is the successor of Classical painting or are they completely different waves which uses the
same visualization technique? What Art is there not to touch I reached the perfection button but to
make people think and question about the existence of self, earth, life or any other thing which I am
not articulating right now. Then Why did the artists of renaissance reflect or try to reflect the outside
world with no mistake? According to the Mary Anne Staniszewski, art is a concept named by modern
man. It was not art or considered as art at that era (Staniszewski, 1995). Even this fact contributes to
the discussion.

References
Bazin, A. (1960). From What is Cinema? The Ontology of the Photographic. Film Quarterly, 13(4), 4
9.
Little, S. (2004). Isms: Understanding the Art. In S. Little, Isms: Understanding the Art (p. 160).
Meadows, M. S. (2003). Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative .
Staniszewski, M. A. (1995). Believing Is Seeing: Creating the Culture of Art.