I know this is something a lot of people feel quite strongly about! I’ve seen online discussions about it that range from getting mildly agitated, to heated arguments! It still amazes me how many times the question comes up…
Is paint pouring really art? When someone expresses themselves by using their imagination and creating a painting of any sort, then by definition, it is art. If a paint pour gets someone looking at it and trying to work it out, and then discussing it, even if they don’t like it, then the artist has done well.
There are a lot of paint pours that I have seen and don’t actually like! That doesn’t mean that other people won’t like them, or that it isn’t real art!
I sometimes look at them and think, I don’t like the style, or the color combinations, or perhaps the composition. But even when you see what I have just written, it means that I looked at that art long enough to form an opinion about it.
That is my point really, if it gets people thinking about it or talking about it, then the art is there to be seen… love it or hate it!
My Art Is Better Than Your Art!
I believe this argument will go on and on, which I actually find quite sad!
There are so many people that have the opinion, ‘My art is better than your art, therefore, yours is not art”
“Proper Artists”?
Just because someone didn’t spend 6 years going to art school to learn lots of different painting styles does not mean that they are not an artist, or that they can’t create great art.
What I Consider To Be Art
Over the course of about thirty years, I have done a myriad of different styles of art, because I have a passion for creating beautiful things.
Some of the art techniques I have done range from watercolor, oil and alcohol ink paintings, to dot art and paint pouring.
- Did I formerly train in any of those techniques? NO
- Do I consider them all to be art? YES
The reason why I consider them all to be art is because I did take the time to learn how to put colors together, how to use different mediums and paint surfaces, how to mix and blend paints, and how to think about the composition for the final outcome of the painting.
These are just a few things an artist has to think about before pouring paint onto a canvas… There are many, many other deciding factors to take into account depending on what paint pouring technique they are going to be doing.
If someone just tips a load of different colored paints into a cup, and then poured it onto a canvas giving no thought at all about the colors they were using or what they would like the final outcome to be, then I would agree with those that would say that is not art.
However, what is art, is when someone does take the time to think about the color scheme, how they are going to layer the paint, are they going to put a neutral color in between, or a contrasting color. What pouring medium to use, do they want an iridescent finish, are they looking to get lacing or cells, do they want any neutral space on the canvas. Then there are things like, what thickness should the paint be to give the effect they are trying to achieve.
Most Of Us Were Taught Art At School
From a very early age, most of us were taught how to use paints, using our fingers dipped in paint, or a brush wielded about aiming it in the direction of the paint and dabbed onto paper!
How proud we were when we ran out of school waving our masterpiece at our parents hoping to get a positive reaction telling us how wonderful our art was.
Would you tell that child it is not art, a chimp could have done that!?
Is Paint Pouring A New Art Form?
Many people seem to assume that paint pouring is a new art form brought on by social media, such as Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. Where it is true, that these platforms have, in recent years, made it a very popular way for people to express their artistic flair, It is not actually when it was invented.
It was discovered with a happy accident in the 1930’s by the Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros. He poured different paint colors onto a wood panel, and was enthralled with the reactions he got with the paints. He then delved deeper into the science behind it and continued to find out all he could about these physical reactions.
Had social media been around in those times, then I’m sure paint pouring would have taken off in a big way much sooner… Would it then be considered ‘art’ by everyone?
Art Is Everywhere!
It is absolutely true that art is everywhere… If you have the right state of mind to see it!
What do you see in this image?
If you look at it like art, you might see the texture on the fungus and the pine needles… The depth of the image making it seem 3 dimensional… The vibrant colors of red and green standing out against the combination of browns in the woodland ground covering.
When people look at a paint pouring, they often see many different things ‘hidden’ in the painting, a butterfly, bird, dragon… but then a different person can look at the same painting, and see none of those things!
Art Is In The Eye Of The Beholder!
Art Is About Creating Emotion
Art is about creating emotion, just as much as creating a masterpiece.
Some people work in a frenzy of activity, throwing paint at a wall or onto a canvas, building up an energy within themselves in order to create their art
There are many forms of art that don’t appeal to me at all, for instance, the use of dead animals or discarded trash… But the aim of the artist is to invoke a reaction… Even if that reaction is one of disgust!
just because it doesn’t appeal to someone’s taste, doesn’t mean it’s not ‘real art’.
Is music that is created on an electric synthesizer, not real music?
Is It Brush Vs Pour?
Because paint is poured onto a canvas rather than brushed onto it, makes one art and the other not? To me, that makes no sense at all. I have seen many paintings where a brush has been used, or even a palette knife, and thought, that looks like a 4 year old child has done it… I have thought the same about some paint pours I’ve seen too though.
Acrylic paint pouring may not be a traditional art in some people’s mind… But then, should art be traditional, I think not.
Surely art should keep up with the modern world and move with different trends that come on to the scene.
Are those of you that say paint pouring isn’t real art just scared of change?
Some finer arts can take days, weeks or even months to complete, but paint pouring is a much quicker technique… Is that why some people don’t like to refer to paint pouring as art?
If you happen to be one of the people that feels so strongly that paint pouring is not real art that you feel the need to get into a heated discussion about it, then I hope you read this article with an open mind and can now see both sides of the debate.
If you are a paint pourer, and get upset when you are told that paint pouring is not art, then just step back, take a deep breath and continue to enjoy creating your art.
I for one, will just smile knowing that I am an artist and have created some beautiful art! 😃