Artist Influence on Style and Ideas

Influences of Artists and Other Inspirations on Subject Matter, Ideas, Techniques and Style

In Unit 3 AoS 2, students deepen their understanding of how the artists they research shape not just the look of their work but its ideas, techniques and emerging individual style. This KK asks students to be specific about what kind of influence different sources exert.

Four Dimensions of Influence

Artistic influence can operate across four distinct but interconnected dimensions:

1. Subject Matter
An artist’s choice of subject matter — what they depict or reference — can prompt students to explore related or parallel themes. If a researched artist consistently depicts the domestic sphere as a site of psychological tension, a student might be prompted to explore their own familiar environment with similar critical intent.

2. Ideas and Conceptual Approach
Beyond subject matter, artists communicate through concepts: identity, memory, place, social critique, the nature of art itself. Exposure to an artist working conceptually may shift a student from purely aesthetic concerns to idea-driven art making.

3. Techniques
A researched artist’s technical approach is often the most immediate source of influence: a student might adopt a layering technique inspired by Mark Bradford’s use of collaged paper, or an additive-reductive surface approach inspired by Gerhard Richter.

4. Style
Style is the overall visual character that emerges from an artist’s consistent use of materials, techniques and compositional decisions. Students develop their own style partly by responding to and departing from the styles of artists they study.

Other Forms of Inspiration

Beyond artist research, inspiration may come from:

• Natural forms and environments: structural properties of plants, textures of geological formations, the quality of light in specific places
• Built environments: architecture, infrastructure, the aesthetic of urban decay
• Cultural traditions: textile patterns, ceremonial objects, traditional crafts
• Historical events and social issues: conflict, displacement, environmental change
• Personal experiences: childhood memories, relationships, illness, belonging

These sources typically influence subject matter and mood rather than technique, though there are exceptions (e.g., a student inspired by Indigenous weaving traditions may adopt coiling or wrapping techniques).

Moving from Influence to Style Development

Style does not emerge fully formed — it develops through:

1. Absorbing multiple influences simultaneously
2. Testing techniques inspired by different artists
3. Identifying what feels authentic and resonant
4. Intensifying and refining those chosen approaches
5. Developing personal signature elements (characteristic mark-making, palette, compositional tendencies)

REMEMBER: Style is the product of many influences filtered through personal experience and consistent practice. It cannot be planned in advance — it must be discovered through making.

Documenting Influence in the Journal

For each researched artist, the journal should include:
- visual examples of their work (reproductions with source citations)
- annotations identifying specifically what aspect of their work is influential
- experiments testing that influence in your own work
- reflections on how the experiment diverged from the source

APPLICATION: “Studying Kara Walker’s use of silhouette made me consider the power of high-contrast black and white to suggest racial and political themes. I experimented with cut-paper silhouettes but found my subject matter — childhood memory — was better served by a softer, more layered approach. The influence remained in my palette choice.”

EXAM TIP: VCAA requires students to discuss the specific influence of named artists. Vague claims like “this artist inspired me” earn no marks. Identify what aspect of the artist’s work (a technique, a compositional strategy, a conceptual approach) influenced what aspect of your own practice.