Formalism Painting Analysis in Individuals With Visual Impairment

Despite the physical limitations encountered by individuals with visual impairments, there is ample evidence of the group's emotional connection to the act of painting. Blind individuals receive no visual data to understand the surrounding world. This is because they lack sight; through other senses, they perceive and visualize the surrounding world. This population lacks a sense of sight; thus, mental imagery replaces any visual imageries. Individuals with visual loss create an image in their minds by analyzing sounds, smells, and tactile analysis of objects and their surroundings. Thus, their paintings represent an embodiment of the world around them. The current study aimed to analyze the paintings of individuals with vision loss using a formalist approach.

Initially, a summary of formalist critique concepts is presented. Then, the main features of blind arts are described based on the findings of field observations. Next, these data are analyzed from the perspective of a formalist critique. The statistical population of this study was 10 individuals with visual loss, aged 12–18 years. In one year, 10 paintings were selected among their works; accordingly, a total of 100 paintings were studied as a case studies sample. The quantitative data were analyzed based on visual characteristics, such as point, line, surface, volume, texture, color, scale, dimension, and formalistic load movement. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and per theoretical knowledge.

The present research results suggested that in the paintings of the examined individuals, the colors were mainly used in pure form and the main colors, including yellow, blue, and red (73%); the paintings were prominent and textured (85%); the frequency of dots was higher than straight lines (67%); their paintings were often drawn in two dimensions (87%); the extent of the observance of real proportions in their works equaled 42%, the movement was observed in their works (58%), and the use of light shadows in their works was very limited (15%). Furthermore, the 12 features of the visual analysis extracted from blind paintings with an emphasis on 9 visual features, including point, line, surface, volume, texture, color, scale, dimension, movement can be cited and form–based. These characteristics consisted of transparency, low detail and representation of the whole subject, movement and rhythm, mental realism, symbol and symbol, abstract basis, co–institution, lack of perspective, descriptive point of view, composition, color, and deformation.

The images and forms used in the painting of the examined participants, regardless of the representation of objects, can also express thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The simplicity of lines and shapes in the painting of the individuals with vision loss, and features such as lack of proportion, transparency, as well as the explicit and direct transmission of the message in their painting, are of particular interest.