Post-Modern 20th Century, Abstract Expression

¶ … post-modern 20th century, abstract expression and conceptualism dominated the visual art scene. Nevertheless, Tim Collins contended in 2009 that "the human figure holds an irresistible attraction for most people; it has from the beginning of time and always will" (Hart). This statement serves to support the recent new figuration or new pictorial revival in painting.

Prior to focusing on contemporary figuration, it would be relevant to observe that the beginnings of new figurative painting can be dated back to 1961 Argentina. Luis Felipe Noe's group entitled Otra Figuracion was seminal for Neofiguration and comprised of artists who allegedly felt the need to augment their spectrum of inherent expressive liberties with freedom of representing figures. In this sense, the painters made use of vivid coloring and brutal brushwork to dynamically depict distorted figures of humans and animals. The paintings' content and form were united in an effort to pertain to the philosophy of necessary chaos, as a contextual reaction to South American social tumult and political instability, while also emphasizing the modern world's incoherency and therefore advocating for chaos as a worldwide organizational prerogative.

Julie Speed's Under the Chinaberry oil on panel work from 2012 is exponential for the return to figuration in contemporary art. In particular, Speed proposes a restoration of figurative painting that moves away from post-modernist allegorical and deconstructive establishments as presented by theoretician Craig Owens. Specifically, new figuration pushes beyond Owen's six fundamental traits of post-modernism and challenges art's predicament to "narrate its own contingency, insufficiency, lack of transcendence" (72). Moreover, it can be observed that new figure paintings have gradually evolved from the modern conceptual perspective could be deemed pictorial -- and so transcending innate illustrative clause in favor of cognitive compression.

Jan Esmann brings forth a new and interesting aspect of new figuration which places it in direct relation with the notion of metanoesis as the best medium for its occurrence. The metanoetic goal of reaching beyond the mind's cognitive limitations is not regarded as attainable through art, yet the Dutch author envisions that new figuration presents the potential of temporarily short-circuiting self-referential faculties and unleashing otherwise confined awareness. Previous modern figuration is described as anchored in mimesis and therefore strived for comprehension, whereas new figuration feigns an allegorical representation, subject to comprehension, in order to trick the viewer into overcoming nous, the mind (Esmann).