On Gombrich's Concept Of "primitiveness

In the early 19 th century,some artists and art critics advocated looking to the works of the early Renaissance for inspiration,a phenomenon that Gombrich examined in depth.He argued that the so-called "primitiveness" in this craze for"primitiveness" had two meanings: one was the creation of works by artists without artistic education,and the other was the intention of authors to make their works appear "primitive.The second is that the author intends to make his work appear"primitive".He also points out two major schematic features of "primitive" art: the"minimum models of the motif" and the "psychological law of reduction".In fact,the preference for "primitiveness" is not unique to the modern era;early artists,influenced by Aristotle,believed that the development of art was an upward and then downward curve,and that when art was in decline,artists would voluntarily return to the "primitive" and learn from the art of the peak.When art was in decline,artists would return to the "primitive" and learn from the art at its peak.After the Renaissance,however,influenced by the linear progress of science,the artists believed that art should be like science in that tomorrow’s must be better than today’s.At this time,the integration of "primitiveness" in their creations became an important means to surpass the ancients.In addition to the influence of the progressive outlook,another factor that drove the preference for "primitiveness" was "fame and fortune".According to Gombrich,artists did not create art simply for art’s sake,but were also influenced by situations such as "peer competition," "the climate of public opinion," and "the will of employers.The Pre-Raphaelites " After the Pre-Raphaelites had started,there was soon a blind belief that the earlier the art was,the better it would be,and there was a move towards "originality" in the creation of art.In addition,capitalist industrialization wreaked havoc on the social environment of the 19 th century,and the desire to "escape from modern society" arose in the artists’ community,who yearned for a "primitive" life and increasingly incorporated elements of "primitiveness" into their work.They yearned for the life of "primitive people" and increasingly incorporated elements of "primitiveness" in their creations.The trend of favoring "primitiveness" did not end in modern times,but rather ushered in a greater explosion,with Picasso,Gauguin and others leading the way,and modern artists consciously drawing a great deal of inspiration from "primitive art" in their creations.However,Gombrich believes that this is not purely a good thing,because the more the artist pursues "originality",the more he will deviate from "originality",indulge in the exploration of past art forms,it is easy to lose the current goal,the artist needs the goal in order to create Artists need goals in order to create great works.