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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

vernacular paintings

English answer:

paintings drawing from the artists own culture, reflecting an intimate familiarity with that culture

Added to glossary by Nadia Ayoub
Nov 15, 2009 00:08
15 yrs ago
4 viewers *
English term

vernacular paintings

English Social Sciences Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
But these artifacts can be used by educational programmes as constant reminders of important dates and events, motivators of behaviour, and as triggers for action. Clothing, woven banners, iconic or vernacular paintings and prints and wooden sculptures that communicate the meaning and aspirations of local people are not so readily collected or recognized.

What exactly is a vernacular painting?
Responses
4 +8 paintings drawing from the artists own culture, reflecting an intimate familiarity with that culture
4 +2 paintings created by untrained artists, that do not follow rules
4 +1 native paintings
3 +2 primitive or naive art
References
Info
Re references

Discussion

Kim Metzger Nov 15, 2009:
Yes, complex issue I agree that the "definition" I found really isn't a definition at all. There are many different interpretations of what "vernacular" art is. In the asker's text, the key word, I believe, is "local." And I think there is an implication that it involves artists who are not formally trained.
Robert Forstag Nov 15, 2009:
Addendum to Jenni's entry Jenni's statement highlights the complexity of the matter, for one or more of the attributes "naive", "untrained", and "unidentified as artists either by self or within a sub-culture" will apply in some instances but not in others. And this is why the definition in the reference that Kim has posted three times below is simply *wrong*. It is like defining all chocolate as anything manufactured by Cadbury....
Jenni Lukac (X) Nov 15, 2009:
I voted for Robert's entry because the question was "What is a vernacular painting".Vernacular can be used to descrive "high art" as well as "low" or "folk" art. In this case, will be necessary to look at the examples of the works to know whether they should be described as "folk art", "art produced by untrained painters"or another combination of terms that includes "objects of popular culture" (i.e. banners). The book "A Companion to Tudor Britain" gives the distinction as "Vernacular paintings (those which followed no particular formal principles of style) and naive paintings ( vernacular works which exhibit little formal training on their creator's part)... http://books.google.es/books?id=wB5OTWApBEsC&pg=PA448&lpg=PA...
Maria Fokin Nov 15, 2009:
did we? is there another computer glitch? mine says 29 minutes yours 39... in any case i agree with your answer off coarse, regardless of which came first :-)
Veronika McLaren Nov 15, 2009:
Hi, Maria - it seems we submitted entries at the same time!

Responses

+8
40 mins
Selected

paintings drawing from the artists own culture, reflecting an intimate familiarity with that culture

I do not think that the term necessarily means that the artist in question has no formal training.

Suerte.

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Note added at 57 mins (2009-11-15 01:06:04 GMT)
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I think that the idea that such artists are "untrained" or that they "do not follow rules" is way off base. They may not have received formal training in artistic academies but they certainly, in most cases at least, have receivded training, learned at the feet of, and assimilated rules from other local masters.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Kim Metzger : Sounds like a guess based on the meaning of the term in linguistics./ I stand corrected as far as my "guess" comment is concerned. But I do think the "local" in the asker's text implies "not formally trained."
1 hr
I'm certainly no expert, but I think that the definition that you cite is faulty and incomplete, given that most such artists can be said to be *trained*, to *follow rules*, and to be *considered artists* within their particular cultures.....
agree Françoise Vogel
8 hrs
Merci, Francoise.
agree Jenni Lukac (X) : Robert is correct. The term is often used for folk art because it uses vernacular subject matter.
8 hrs
Thank you, Jenni.
agree B D Finch : To quote the example sentence from Collins English Dictionary: "...this architect has re-created a true English vernacular."
9 hrs
Thank you, BD.
agree George C.
9 hrs
Thank you, Solar.
agree juvera
12 hrs
Thank you, Juvera.
agree claudia bagnardi : I agree, Robert.
12 hrs
Thank you, Claudia.
agree Rolf Keiser
16 hrs
Thanks, Goldie.
agree Phong Le
2 days 3 hrs
Thank you, Phong.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Many thanks Robert :)"
+1
8 mins

native paintings

Of a certain place.

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Note added at 8 mins (2009-11-15 00:17:02 GMT)
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Or region, or country.
Saludos
Claudia
Peer comment(s):
neutral Kim Metzger : Looks like a guess. /Good point. I see you're not guessing.
1 hr
Kim, although the word derives from "vernaculus"(a slave born in his master's house), in Fine Arts it is used for the artistic production in a given place and culture regardless of its academic level. MHO. I've studied Fine Arts - not an expert mind you.
agree Françoise Vogel
8 hrs
Thanks Francoise
Something went wrong...
+2
29 mins

paintings created by untrained artists, that do not follow rules

paintings done by non professionals and that do not follow formal rules.

vernacular art - a genre of art and outdoor constructions made by untrained artists who do not recognize themselves as artists
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vernacular art

Peer comment(s):
agree Jessica Noyes : Yes, "folk art".
7 mins
thank you
agree Jack Doughty
7 hrs
neutral Françoise Vogel : cf. Merriam-Webster's definition
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
39 mins

primitive or naive art

or made by untrained, non-professional artists
Merriam-Webster: of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group; especially : of, relating to, or being the common building style of a period or place <vernacular architecture/art
Peer comment(s):
agree Kim Metzger : http://www.glossary.com/dictionary.php?q=Vernacular art
1 hr
agree Manjula Dias-Hargarter, Ph.D. (X)
7 hrs
neutral Françoise Vogel : but agree with your comment (Merriam-Webster's definition)
8 hrs
neutral Carol Gullidge : agree with Francoise. And the terms in Kim's link are only related to vernacular art, not definitions of it
10 hrs
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

Info

vernacular art

outsider art, self-taught art, naive art, primitive art (a genre of art and outdoor constructions made by untrained artists who do not recognize themselves as artists)

http://www.glossary.com/dictionary.php?q=Vernacular art
Something went wrong...
10 hrs
Reference:

Re references

Re Jenni's ref from "A Companion to Tudor Britain": some books are more authoritative than others and books are written by mere humans who sometimes get things wrong.

"Vernacular" was originally used about language and meant the language or dialect of a local area. Its application to architecture follows from that and vernacular architecture is architecture based upon local resources and local traditions (which may be of a high level of sophistication). So, I think that one could extrapolate to painting to mean something distinctive and typical of the local area. Could one legitimately refer to Siennese, Venetian and Florentine Renaissance painting styles as "vernaculars"?

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Note added at 13 hrs (2009-11-15 13:21:51 GMT)
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I don't know how this got into the reference comments - I meant it to go into the Discussion section but something went wrong!
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Kim Metzger : Yes, "local" is the key word here.
3 hrs
agree Veronika McLaren
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
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