In reading, Of other
spaces, a transcript of a lecture by Michel Foucault, I started to think of
heterotopias in relation to painting.
Although the concept of heterotopia is intended to inform urban renewal,
it has helped me think about painting in a much more complex way.
Just as there is a history of space given by Foucault (space
of localization, extension, and emplacements), there is a history of the space
explored within painting. This concept is
informed by the time, space and place in which it was created. For example, the Baroque period was influenced
by the Catholicism’s response to the Protestant Reformation. Space within the painting was affected in
many different ways through exaggerated lighting, movement, iconography, emotional
expressions and gestures. This type of
aesthetic was supposed to reflect the representational values decided on by the
Council of Trent. The cultural, political,
and religious space the artist thrives in influences the utilization of space
within the painting itself.
The place in which the painting sits also effects the
perceptions of the architectural space, and even acts as an existential
catalyst within the painting itself. A
painting that is first experienced in a cramped space of a cluttered studio
will certainly be perceived differently than if it were viewed for the first
time in an established gallery. A
painting hanging on the wall in the living room has a different presence than
if it were in the hallway of a major corporation. But conversely, the space in which the
painting now sits is also affected. The
room will feel different if a painting is hanging on the wall, dialoging with
the architecture and the objects within the space.
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