Synopsis
Pictopoiesis, a methodological theory rooted in oil painting, explores the concept of imbuing paintings with a sense of “aliveness.” Oil paint’s unique properties, including its responsiveness, organic origin, dynamic drying process, layered depth, and reactive nature, contribute to this perceived vitality. Through the interplay between the artist, medium, and the painting’s own developing nature, pictopoiesis aims to create works of art imbued with a living force, inviting viewers in a deeply reciprocal manner.
Keywords: pictopoiesis, oil painting, aliveness, organic, responsive, emergent, sensory interaction
Pictopoiesis: The Living Nature of Oil Paint
Pictopoiesis is a methodological theory rooted in oil painting that draws its essence from the unique properties of oil paint combined with a conscious striving to imbue the painting with a sense of “aliveness.” Pictopoiesis (picto/painting + poiesis/creation) is the art of cultivating painting as if it were a living entity, and this concept is multifaceted, extending beyond mere physical existence. Oil paint’s responsiveness, organic origin, dynamic drying process, layered depth, and reactive nature contribute to its perceived vitality.
As a particularly responsive material, oil paint remains malleable and workable for extended periods; it allows for direct ongoing interaction between the artist and the medium. This prolonged workability mimics a living system’s ability to adapt and change over time, such that there is a tangible metaphor for life in the physical nature of the material. Oil paint is (traditionally) derived primarily from plant-based oils, therefore the medium carries the essence of once-living organisms, contributing to its organic foundation, such that even without any pigment, the medium is still “alive”. As oil paint dries, it undergoes complex chemical processes, including oxidation and polymerisation, echoing biochemical systems such as wound healing.
Oil paint’s ability to build up a depth of multiple interactive layers creates a rich, almost biological complexity within the structure of the painting. The oil medium also responds to environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light, much like living organisms react to their surroundings. Emergent qualities of oil paint that reside in interactions between pigments, oils, and possibly other additives can lead to unexpected effects and textures, mirroring the adaptive nature of complex living systems.
The sensoriality of oil painting is unique in its tactility and the medium is typically scented, linseed oil adding a particularly evocative dimension, and another further level of sensory engagement is added by its visual depth. Oil paint engages multiple senses, contributing towards a more immersive and “alive” experience for both painter and viewer. This inherent “aliveness” of oil paint catalyses the impetus driving the creative process in pictopoiesis. As the artist interacts with this living medium, the work evolves, towards what could be termed the “emergent thingliness” of the painting, invested in its physical and material being. This thingliness is not just the physical object, it is that of a complex and “sentient” cultivated entity that has grown out of the interplay between its painter, medium, and the work’s unique developing nature.
The result is a work of art imbued with its life force, inviting viewers in a deeply reciprocal manner. This living quality of the painting, born from the aliveness of its medium, forms the core of pictopoiesis as a methodology and philosophy of artistic creation.
J.Waring Rago 5th September 2024