What is Existentialism?

Existentialism is based on the idea that human existance is fragile, small and seemingly meaningless. Life's meaning is man made, there is no universal purpose for our existance - we are simply grains of sand floating about in a giant cosmic empire.

 

Existentialists also stress that, because there is no purpose for life, each human being is responsible for their own actions - we all have the freedom to do as we wish and must create our own meaning for life.

EXISTENTIAL ANXIETY (or existential angst) is a term used to describe the anxiety and fear one feels when burdened with the responsibility of freedom. In his book 'The Concept of Anxiety' philosopher Soren Kierkegaard describes it as a "Dizziness of Freedom". 

  For example, if you were to stand on top of a cliff it may suddenly dawn upon you that nothing is stopping you from jumping off that cliff - you are free to make your own choice - you may choose to jump or you may choose not to jump. Either way, the responsibility is yours, and you are the only one to blame for the consequences.

So while freedom is a quality that many of us wish to have, for some of us the idea of being responsible for your own actions may be a daunting prospect as we live in such a cruel and indifferent society - because of this we try to shelter ourselves away from the truth of responsibility and all the hazards that the outside world has to offer.

  "Man kind does not feel at home in this world, there is no safety in the world" - Paul Tillich, philosopher.

(Source(s)http://www.thefreedictionary.com/existentialism  http://www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/philosophy/existentialism/whatis.html )

The Shell – by Molly Drake

Living grows round us like a skin
To shut away the outer desolation
For if we clearly mark the furthest deep
We should be dead long years before the grave.
But turning around within the homely shell
of worry, discontent, and narrow joy
We grow and flourish
And rarely see the outside dark
That would confound our eyes.

Some break the shell.

I think that there are those
Who push their fingers through
The brittle walls
And make a hole.
And through this cruel slit
Stare out across the cinders of the world
With naked eyes.
They look both out and in
Knowing themselves
and too much else besides.

(Source(s): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr7sTW-47Hc )

“The world hurries on at its breakneck pace
People fly by in their lifelong race …”

- Nick Drake

"I know simply that the sky will last  longer than I"- Albert Camus

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.”

Jean-Paul Sartre

(Source(s): http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/existentialism, Nick Drake: They're Leaving Me Behind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yXTPO0GMIA )

Existential Angst by Andrew Baines
In this image the artist has managed to juxtapose the subjects with the environment. It has become evident that Baines has deliberately depicted the stereotypical portrayal of city men who have been enduring life in a busy society and are suddenly plummeted into a contemplative and silent environment; this almost gives the image a quality of surreal melancholy. The dark clouds sitting on the horizon give the impression of ‘impending doom’ which may represent existential thoughts of an anxious type.

The way in which the subjects are organised is also very interesting as they appear completely identical which may be symbolic of conformity to a certain class or paradigm.

This is further demonstrated through the three subjects on the left who are standing in an identical manner and have apparently let go of their matching briefcases and umbrellas. – However the other subject, standing on the far right, is separate from his company.  He is still adamant on keeping hold of his umbrella and matching brief-case which seems, to me, to be representative of denial of the truth – almost as if he is ‘sheltering’ himself from the ‘impending doom’ of the clouds on the horizon.

This idea is compatible with that of dream analysis which suggests that umbrellas are symbolic of protection. The mystical interpretation suggests that umbrellas are a negative symbol representing loss. Either way, I believe that this is a very successful portrayal of sheltering oneself from the truth if existence.

“corporate people contemplating their futures in a ‘goldfish bowl’ existence” - Red Sea Gallery

“It was my artistic way of letting the corporate battery hen metaphorically escape from long office hours and grey city streets to enjoy nature.” - Andrew Baines

"The majority of clients who’ve acquired a painting by Baines are corporate workers, they see themselves in the subject, hoping for that day of escape." - Chris Churcher 

(Source(s): http://www.redseagallery.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138 http://www.slideshare.net/nancyahenry/fine-art-and-existentialism )

These are my attempts at recreating Baines' composition. The first image is a pencil sketch and the second is a felt pen drawing.

Existence 


What is the point of living
if we only live for living's sake?

Rendered
Nothing more than a breathing machine,
inhaling dust,
waiting
as our internal clockwork starts to rust.

Yet through this churning we still wonder,
'What is life to me?'

- It's transient, fragile,
sadly so,
completely, unbearably free. 

These are photographs I had taken and merged together on Pixlr Photo editor to create a new composition. I tried to include elements of Baines' work by emphasising the space around the subject. I also attempted to use the sybolism of an umbrella to represent a 'sheltering' from existential matters - as portrayed by Baines.

Two separate photographs merged together on Pixlr Photo Editor. 

These are all the compositions I have come up with so far.

"Try to realise it's all within yourself
No one else can make you change,
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you."

- George Harrison
(Sources(s): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsDfbpYXHRI)

I initially created this image (left) based upon a composition I had previously assembled (above). I had traced the figures on laminating sheets and painted behind them with tippex in order to add definition, I believe that this exaggerates the juxtaposition between subject and environment. I then placed the image onto a photograph I had taken in order to recreate the composition. Furthermore,I wanted to emphasise that we are 'only really very small' in comparison to the universe. Upon realising this the individual may feel overwhelmed which is the main reason why I decided to create a juxtaposition of scale. 
This is an idea that had stemmed from looking at Andrew Baines' work, as he seems to use scale in order to portray his concept. 

I then created this painting based upon my previous compositional experiment. 

This was created by roughly painting the image with acrylic paint.

I then traced the the figures from the photograph onto a laminating sheet which I then placed on top of the painting.

Windows ...

While experimenting with compositions I have become interested in the symbolism of windows. Throughout art and literature windows have been considered to be representative of separation from the outside world. Furthermore, a window provides the individual with a narrow view as they cannot see beyond what the window is showing them - thus suggesting that they have a limited view of the world. Existentially, the individual is sheltered by the window and protected by any of the hazards that exist on the outside.

This concept has lead my research into artists who have depicted windows in their own pieces to provoke a certain theme or mood. 

Study in Sunlight (1906)

One painter I have been looking at is Vilhelm Hammersoi (1864-1916). I was initially drawn to his work due to the simplicity of it as well as it's haunting melancholic tone. 

Hammershoi often painted the empty rooms of his house but occasionally the painter would include ambiguous figures in his paintings, with their backs towards the viewer. This is an ambiguity that I can liken to some of Baines' work. 


From looking at this image (left) Hammersoi seems to have been working with a limited pallette, which makes his painting seem monotonous. The sunlight, projected through the window conjures a sense of mystery, this is mainly because the window depicted in this painting is translucent therefore stopping the viewer from seeing what exists beyond it - however the sunlight provides a clue. This sense of mystery can be detected when looking at many paintings  by Hammersoi. 

Interior from Strandgade (1901)

Another example of this can be seen when looking at Hammersoi's piece Interior from Strandgade which depicts his wife, Ida, facing away from the viewer while sitting with her head tilted downwards.   It can be seen that the artists has used the same setting for this particular piece however, this time, the windows have curtains hanging from them, which emphasises the individual being 'shut off' from the outside world. The fact that we cannot see beyond the window makes the viewer feel as if they are 'trapped' within the painting this, therefore, creates the need for an escape - making the viewer feel anxious. 

(Source(s): http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2008/august/vilhelm-hammersh%C3%B8i-and-the-poetry-of-silence http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2008/jun/25/art.denmark http://www.theartroomonline.net/2012_10_01_archive.html )

 This is my attempt at creating a sketch of Hammershoi's piece.

I wanted to focus on the geometric shapes as a lot of Hammershoi's paintings have a very geometric style.

I mages

The View

As I sit crouched by the window,

staring ahead at the dark skies folding,

it is realised that without any sunlight,

the view can be much more pleasing.

There's no need to scorn at the litter rolling by,

nor see the crowds huddled on the ground,

nor cringe at the decay on the walls of this town.

Instead-

I could ponder landscapes in the horizon of my mind,

Imagine smells of blossom

and the beauty left behind.

I could cross the bridge to paradise,

that flourished in my thought,

or find another universe that masters never taught.

But -

I witness dawn creeping in again,

exposing fractured branches,

crumpled leaves,

the worn down pavement

and fallen trees.

This reality isn't mine.