The bestiary Painting, Stain, and Pedagogical Critique from an A/r/tographic Methodology

Painting, Stain, and Pedagogical Critique from an A/r/tographic Methodology

Abstract

In the context of contemporary art education, artistic practice not only serves as a means of expression but also as a pathway for research and a form of knowledge. The animal figure, as an essential component of visual language, has historically held a central place in artistic creation. From its role as a totem symbolizing nature and the divine, it has evolved into a medium for reflecting social structures, individual experiences, and educational consciousness. In modern and contemporary painting, the cultural meanings and visual strategies associated with animal imagery have far surpassed mere representation, becoming a visual narrative language with critical and constructive potential.

This study is grounded in pictorial practice with the aim of exploring how animal imagery can become a channel for educational imagination and social reflection. Through an analysis of the visual language and symbolic systems in the works of artists such as Goya, Antonio Saura, Picasso, Francis Bacon, and Anselm Kiefer, formal characteristics related to stains and visual residues are identified and serve as a starting point for personal creation. On this basis, a fictional educational system centered on specific animal figures—the Educational Bestiary—is constructed, combining artistic creation, character development, and pedagogical critique. This proposal attempts to address, through visual resources, the structural problems of contemporary education and to propose a diverse, future-oriented educational possibility.

In this research, painting acts not only as a medium of visual expression but also as a tool for practical inquiry. Unlike methodologies dominated by photography in artistic educational research, painting offers a more processual, emotional, and generative dimension. Through the visual transformation of stains—from the figurative to the abstract—a creative method has been developed that includes the construction of educational characters, the development of narrative systems, and the projection of future imaginaries, turning painting into an educational construct in itself, beyond didactic content.