Why Realism?
February 18, 2014
ARC has just published a speech titled "Why Realism?" given by ARC Chairman, Frederick C. Ross, on February 7, 2014 at the University of Connecticut. This was given as the Keynote Address to the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists. "Thinking about this theme, I've concluded that nothing could be more appropriate than to ask and answer this question: Why Realism? There are finally today many organizations that believe in the value and importance of realism, both classical and contemporary; but why Realism? Why, after a century of denigration, repression and near annihilation, when the accepted beliefs taught in nearly every high school, college and university for the last hundred years, has been that realism is unoriginal?… | ||
![]() | My answer is direct, simple and should be self-evident: The visual fine arts of drawing, painting and sculpture are best understood first last and always as a language; a visual language. It was developed and preserved first and foremost as a means of communication very much like spoken and written languages. And like language it is successful if communication takes place and it is unsuccessful if it does not. This answer simultaneously defines the term "Fine Art." So fine art is a way that human beings can communicate... ". To read the full speech, click here. |