THEME: COLOURS, In the Maire Gullichsen and Modernism Series
More than a hundred years ago, impressionism liberated art from the slavish imitation of nature. No longer was it necessary for artists to search for subjects in history or mythology. Symbolic meanings could be abandoned and the artist could rely exclusively on visual observation. Now that all subjects could be examined from a purely coloristic viewpoint, colours became a central issue in painting. Some art theorists sought to find new visions and solutions based on scientific observation, while others underlined the spiritual aspect of art as the starting point.