MIMESISM

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WHAT IS MIMESISM? MIMESIS: n [mim-eh-sis]  imitation, mimicry. (Webster's Dictionary) MIMESISM: n [mim-eh-siz-em] A school of artistic philosophy and method which creates art where the end result is an image representing the perception of the mind's eye. (M.S.R.)
THE BASICS OF MIMESISM A Mimesist painting is the visual representation of an image, or series of images, based on the interpretation - of the perception - of the mind's eye. It is the visual interpretation of a dream the artist never had.   Mimesism is completely devoid of intention, objectivity, statement, or singular definition. A Mimesist painting is formed from the deepest emotional states and brought out through automatism (painting a picture that has not been designed prior to its realization). The goal of Mimesism is to incorporate numerous emotions (in their rawest and purest forms) into a single painting. This creates a dynamic work of art that will vary in meaning for every observer based on their own individual perception, and by their own life experiences.   Mimesism rose from the foundations of traditional surrealism, yet holds a much different philosophy. Whereas surrealism focuses on the objective , mimesism focuses on the subjective interpretations of its viewers. Psychologically, surrealism is rooted in the school of psychoanalysis, and mimesism follows the schools of humanism and existentialism. Mimesism doesn’t seek the obvious, grotesque, or dark elements that modern and pop surrealism embraces.  It strives to connect to its audience via emotion, not shock value. We like to consider it a form of subtle surrealism.   The end result is that a mimesist painting will often be less ‘fantastic’ than a surreal painting. While a mimesist painting will strategically hide or mask its meanings, the surreal attempts to bury it, often leaving “bulges” where important elements have been buried within the painting. This tends to make the attempt at mystery painfully apparent, even if there is no real mystery at all.
THE UNDERWEAR METHOD The underwear method is a way of providing a framework within a work of art that requires the imagination of the viewer to fill in elements that have been strategicaly hidden or left undefined. This may help illustrate the underwear method. A man is going to a nude beach. He is nervous and excited before he gets there. Once he arrives his expectations are left unsatisfied. He is amused and turned on at first, but this quickly fades. Nothing before him is hidden. It is all there in plain sight, and nothing is left to the imagination. He gets bored and leaves. The next day the man goes to a standard public beach. He is elated. So much flesh is exposed, but all of the essential parts are hidden, covered, ever so slightly. He is forced to use his imagination to uncover those places, and his imagination is far better than any reality since it is personalized to his tastes. This is the essence of the underwear method. The artist (figuratively speaking) leaves the underwear (or swim suit in this case) on his paintings. The viewer can the make the choice whether or not he/she should probe deeper into the painting's meaning by imagining what has not been made apparent. The artist tells a story of sorts, one without an ending. The viewer has to complete the story, and their ending will usually be better (for them personally) than any ending the artist would provide, because they can end it the way they like.
VISUAL POETRY Despite the objective of Mimesism to deeply affect its observers, a Mimesist painting does not require definition, explanation, or interpretation. These paintings certainly do have meaning (albeit subjective), but if the viewer does not, or chooses not to, see anything more than the image before them at face value; the painting should still stand out as an interesting and stimulating work of art. Like a form of visual poetry, sometimes a painting is best enjoyed through the imagery it offers, the atmosphere it produces, and the feelings it envokes.