How does abstract illustration communicate ideas to an audience? Discuss. Abstract derives from a Latin word meaning ‘pulled away, detached’ - the basic principle of abstract art being to create something ‘detached from physical, or concrete reality’. People often associate abstract art with being difficult to understand and many become disillusioned by the lack of ‘visual reality’ present in the work. Illustration, on the other hand, is a practice that focuses upon communication with its audience, it being the ‘act of illuminating’, ‘clarifying or explaining’ ‘a text, concept or process’. Abstract illustration could therefore seem a contradictory in practice; however, in evaluation of semiotics, colour and other theory’s we may begin to understand how it can effectively and clearly communicate ideas, in spite of remaining non-representational. Icons are images that ‘physically resemble the thing it represents’ (Crow, 2016), a prime example of this being a photograph. According to Pierce and Saussure an iconic image is a ‘highly motivated sign’ (Crow, 2016), because it takes little learning or insight to understand its meaning. Using iconic images that remain close to the reality of a photograph would therefore seem the most clear and effective way to communicate with an audience visually. In dispute of this, according to McCloud the simplification of an image makes the communication of a concept more immediate and direct, because it forces us to ‘focus our attention on an idea’ (McCloud, 2001). McCloud further argues that ‘by stripping down an image to its essential ‘meaning’, an artist can amplify that meaning in a way that realistic art can’t’ (McCloud, 2001). This amplification of meaning can be achieved through manipulating the colour, aesthetic and style of that image in order to reflect a specific mood or tone of voice.
These screen-prints by illustrator David Lemm can be used as an example to effectively explain how theories within semiotics, demonstrate how abstract illustration is able to communicate ideas to an audience. The signs used in these images, being abstracted and simplified, are ‘unmotivated’ (Crow, 2016). According to Pierce and Saussure these signs, therefore, would be labelled either ‘symbolic’ (Crow, 2016) or ‘arbitrary’ (Crow, 2016), meaning their communication ‘rely exclusively on the reader’s having learned the connection between the sign and its meaning’ (Crow, 2016). For example, through visual links, we make unconsciously due to learned conventions of our culture, we understand a triangle may signify a mountain, jagged oblong shapes to mean rocks, and four lines crossing at a centre point to form a shape understood to be a star. It is worth considering, in this evaluation, the relationship between ‘language and speech’ (Crow, 2016), in the aid of communicating ideas through abstract illustration. In the example of this image ‘language’ (Crow, 2016) would refer to the content, formed of shape and line, and ‘speech’ (Crow, 2016) would refer to the use of the texture and media to create or to add visual interest to this content. One could argue that without the use of the rough, naturalistic texture of these shapes, the viewer may not read them to be a rocks and a mountain. This underlines the importance of a tone of voice in illustration, an element of design theorised and supported by Saussure and similar to that of Barthe’s two levels of signification. Saussure argues that ‘the value of a sign comes from the other sign’s around it’ (Crow, 2016). This theory is signification – ‘the meaning we get from a collection of signs’ (Crow, 2016). This would seems to be a valid argument as without the carefully selected combination of colour, composition, shape, line and texture the content of this image would not be as effectively communicated. One of the primary principles abstract illustration relies upon is the undeniable relationship between colour and form in the aid of communication. The presence of this relationship can be exemplified by the work of abstract artist Mondrian, who avoided creating such relations in his work in order to create his desired aesthetic of neo-plasticism. In evaluation of his work White commented that ‘if you made yellow into a circle immediately people start making associations with the sun…so he decides the only way forward is to paint in areas of perpendicular relationships’ (White, 2014). This battle between the inevitable visual links made by form and colour was true of other abstract artists: such as Matisse who again avoided symbolism through colour in his work, claiming ‘when I put a green, it is not grass. When I put a blue, it not the sky’.
This relationship between form of colour, however, of course lends itself to abstract illustration as it allows designers to simplify figurative aspects of their work, relying upon the symbolism of colour to communicate the images content. Nicolas burrows book ‘How it is…’ may be used to exemplify this – the content focusing upon nature, he uses colours that will reflect this subject symbolically such as blues, oranges, yellows and greens.
In the evaluation of this books content, it would seem naïve, however, to remain ignorant to the use of text in aid of communicating with the audience. According to Barthes, the use of text within an image is a ‘parasitic message, designed to quicken the reading with additional signifieds’ (Crow, 2016). It may therefore seem lacking or visually lazy for an illustrator to use text in order to put across the meaning of an image. To counter this, however, one could argue that in a practice that focuses on communication, using visual aids such as text ‘can be a powerful method of altering or fixing the meaning of an image’ (Crow, D). Type can also add meaning, having its own visual aesthetic or tone of voice it could create or emphasise playful, serious or dramatic mood within the image. Text can also be really effective in bringing an image to life and ‘supplying meanings that are not found in the images themselves’ (Crow, 2016) - one of its most common uses probably being to add humour. In the argument of Pierce our understanding of images is directly influenced by our own personal experience of the world around us. The aim of communication can therefore never be certain as it varies according to each person’s ‘background, education, culture and experiences’ (Crow, 2016). This is supported by Barthes two level theory of signification: in which the secondary level, of connotation, describes the meaning brought to the image ‘by rules or conventions that the reader has learned’ (Crow, 2016), which again will ‘vary between communities’ (Crow, 2016). For example, in the UK we associate the colour white with purity, and women wear white dresses on their wedding day; in contrast, Chinese culture associates white with death and it is worn at funerals. One may also consider an individualistic approach, an interchange between the creator and the reader of each image, in that ‘every image embodies a way of seeing’ (Berger, 1972), but that ‘our perception or appreciation of an image depends also upon our own way of
seeing’ (Berger, 1972). Therefore, effective communication between a creative and their audience can be uncertain – it depends upon our own learning, culture and the manner in which the image resonates with us on a personal level. Berger argues that ‘an image is a sight which has been recreated or reproduced’ (Berger, 1972). One could argue that this is the fundamental point of how abstract art communicates its ideas. It uses images that are iconic or visual conventions within our society and culture we associate with certain concepts or meanings. The abstraction or simplification of these images and use of these conventions, in my eyes, is what makes this work most interesting as it allows creatives to create a new non-representational reality that still remains familiar enough so as to communicate with its audience.
Bibliography Crow, D (2016). Visible Sign: An introduction to semiotics in the visual arts. London, NY: Bloomsbury publishing Plc. Berger, J. (1972) ‘Ways of Seeing’, Harmondsworth:Penguin. Abstract. Vocabulary.com. Inc https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/abstract (accessed : January 29 2017) Illustration. Dictionary.com. Dictionary. Com Unabriged. Random house. Inc. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/illustration (accessed: Janurary 29, 2017) Tate. (nd). Modernism. Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/onlineresources/glossary/m/modernism. Last accessed 29th Jan 2017. Tate. (nd). Abstract Art. Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/onlineresources/glossary/a/abstract-art. Last accessed 29th Jan 2017. Michael White. (2014) Piet Mondrian. Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/a/abstract-art. Last accessed 29th Jan 2017. McCloud, Scott. (2001). Chapter 2. Understanding Comics. William Morrow Paperbacks.