Janse van Vuuren, Lukas Marthinus
English: The aim of this project is to develop an art theoretical model which can be applied in higher education context in order to give an account of the way according to which creativity is established as a systemic factor in the visual arts. The purpose with this model is: (a) to critically analyse the disparate contents attributed to creativity in the visual arts and (b) to formulate sober ideas and categories in opposition to the deficiencies of existing or conventional speculations regarding creativity. The resistance of modern and post modern art practices to systemic forms of analysis results in a detachment of subjects and objects, events and conditions from their relational binding. As an alternative to these art practices and in reaction to present research on creativity in the visual arts, this project focuses on a hermeneutical approach in order to account for the interactive nature of creativity. Instead of linking it to the productive powers of the individual, creativity is viewed as systemically dependant on networks, based on creative interaction between artworks, artists and viewers as well as the ideological alliances of these parties with world views and traditions. Relational analyses of this systemic dependency, demonstrate how artists in the production of their works are interactively involved in the finding and transformation of visual imagery with metaphoric potential, the revision of intentions and the discovery of new alternative and creative communicative strategies. Contrary to modernist beliefs concerning the artist as autonomous creator of meaning in works of visual art, individual analyses conducted in this research project rather gave evidence of the artist acting as an kind of attendant, finally bringing together the various causal links surrounding the artwork. The multiplicity of changing and competing combinations of insights being actualised in the artwork during the creative process, is indicative of creative mutual interactions between the artist and the evolving artwork, in stimulation and in anticipation of viewers’ re-creative responses. Relational analyses also showed that the appreciation of products destined for creative interaction demand appropriate re-creative responses in the tracing of the implicit artist’s supposed creative strategies. Results of the analyses subsequently confirmed among others that viewers’ participation in the actualisation of the imaginary component, product or action require the finding, appropriation and critical consideration of unforeseen possibilities, as well as the ability to improvise with limited information and to ingeniously transform visual ideas. In reply to the passive aloofness endorsed by the traditional aesthetic principle of disinterestedness, this study establishes viewers’ creative participation in the actualisation of the aesthetic object as a complimentary equivalent of the artist’s creative making process. As participants in these mutually complimentary processes artists and viewers are ideologically influenced by their respective world views, determining the nature of their creative discourse. In anticipation of humankind’s predictable inclination to furnish artworks with their own cultural burden, interests and prejudices, artists’ creative initiatives are realised in the way that they ironize, expose and challenge this self-interest by means of strategies like contradiction, indefiniteness and an abundance of alternatives. Creative participation in the imaginary worlds of artworks among others also requires flexible divergent thinking, tolerance for disparate visual statements, an ability to distinguish ideology-laden interests from aesthetic interests, and to critically and introspectively reflect on the limitations of self-centred ideologies. This study subsequently establishes that creative participative relations in the visual arts surpasses cultural boundaries and enables participants involved in these relations to achieve self-understanding on the basis of moral understanding attained through the viewpoints of others.
Afrikaans: Deur middel van hierdie projek word ’n kunsteoretiese model ontwikkel wat binne hoëronderwyskonteks aangewend kan word om rekenskap te gee van die wyse waarop kreatiwiteit as sistemiese faktor in die visuele kuns manifesteer. Die oogmerk met dié model is: (a) om die uiteenlopende inhoude wat toegedig word aan kreatiwiteit binne die visuele kunste, krities te analiseer en (b) om duidelike begrippe en kategorieë te formuleer as teenvoeter vir die leemtes van bestaande of konvensionele spekulasies oor kreatiwiteit. Die weerstand van moderne en postmoderne kunspraktyke teen sistemiese vorme van analise bring mee dat subjekte en objekte, gebeurtenisse en gesteldhede losgemaak word van hul relasionele binding. As alternatief teenoor sodanige kunspraktyke, asook huidige kreatiwiteitsnavorsing in die visuele kuns, fokus hierdie projek op ’n hermeneutiese uitgangspunt en word rekenskap gegee van die interaktiewe karakter van kreatiwiteit as faktor. In plaas daarvan om kreatiwiteit aan die produktiewe vermoë van die individu te koppel, word dit benader as sistemies afhanklik van netwerke, gegrond op kreatiewe interaksie tussen kunswerke, kunstenaars en vertolkers, asook die ideologiese verbintenisse van die betrokke partye aan wêreldbeskoulike raamwerke en tradisies. Relasionele analises waarmee hierdie sistemiese afhanklikheid toegelig word, toon dat kunstenaars tydens die produksie van werke interaktief ingestel is op die vind en transformasie van visuele beelde met metaforiese potensiaal, die hersiening van intensies en ontdekking van nuwe alternatiewe en kommunikatiewe strategieë. Strydig met modernistiese oortuigings rondom die kunstenaar as outonome skepper van oorspronklike visuele kunswerke, lewer individuele analises getuienis van die kunstenaar wat eerder as ’n begeleier optree en wat uiteindelik die vele oorsaaklike skakels rondom die kunswerk bymekaar bring. Die meersinnige veranderende en kompeterende kombinasies van insigte wat tydens die skeppingsproses in kunswerke neerslag vind, veronderstel kreatiewe, wedersydse interaksies tussen die kunstenaar en die wordende kunswerk ter stimulering en antisipering van vertolkers se rekreatiewe response. Die relasionele analises toon voorts dat die beoordeling van produkte wat vir kreatiewe interaksie bestem is, aanspraak maak op gepaste rekreatiewe response in naspeuring van die implisiete kunstenaar se vermeende kreatiewe strategieë. Resultate van die analises bevestig dat vertolkers se deelname aan die realisering van die imaginêre komponent, produk of aksie ondermeer die vind, toe-eiening en kritiese oorweging van onvoorsiene moontlikhede behels, asook die vermoë om met weinig gegewes te improviseer en om denkbeelde vindingryk te transformeer. As repliek op die passiewe afsydigheid wat deur die tradisionele beskouing rondom disinterestedness as estetiese beginsel onderskryf word, bevestig hierdie studie vertolkers se kreatiewe imaginêre deelname aan die verwesenliking van die estetiese objek as die komplementêre ekwivalent van die kunstenaar se kreatiewe skeppingshandeling. As deelnemers aan hierdie wedersyds komplementerende prosesse is die kunstenaars en vertolkers ideologies betrokke by wêreldbeskoulike belange wat die aard van hulle kreatiewe diskoers bepaal. In antisipering van die mens se voorspelbare neiging om kunswerke met ’n eie kulturele lading, belange, verwagtinge en vooroordele te belas, vind kunstenaars se kreatiewe inspraak neerslag in die wyse waarop hulle hierdie egosentrisme van vertolkers deur middel van strategieë soos teenstrydighede, onbepaaldhede en meersinnige alternatiewe in hul werke ironiseer en ontbloot. Kreatiewe deelgenootskap aan die imaginêre wêrelde van kunswerke veronderstel vervolgens ondermeer kunstenaars en vertolkers se buigsame divergerende denke, toleransie vir uiteenlopende visuele standpunte, die vermoë om ideologies-gelade belange van estetiese belange te kan onderskei en om krities en introspektief oor eie ideologieë te kan besin. By wyse van hierdie studie word voorts bevestig dat kreatiewe deelnemende relasies in die visuele kuns kulturele grense te bowe gaan en dat dit die deelgenote aan hierdie relasies in staat stel om selfbegrip te bereik op grond van die morele begrip wat vir die standpunte van andere verwerf word.