Although all art is based off the concept of process; of making, creating, altering, capturing, etc., process can also act as the foreground of art's focus. The movement towards creating art through process, highlighting process, is extremely revealing. In process art, the audience is immersed in the artist’s work through his or her actions, through their movements. We feel the step-by-step process he or she takes, we sense the speed at which he or she works. For example, in Pollock’s paintings, we can see, and therefore feel, the movement of the paint. With every arch, drip, and splatter of paint, comes a correlating human twitch of the wrist; swoop of the shoulder.
Another example of the power behind foregrounding process in art can be seen through physical depth of pieces. Tara Donovan is known for her repetitive process making. Art that feels heavy, intricate, because of the obvious labor that was put into it, gives the audience a sense of her passion and dedication. While artists of more traditional art making may share the same passion for expression and desire to combine art and political, or social commentary, a Francisco Goya painting just does not create the same visceral reaction as Donovan sculpture.
Material is also extremely important in process art. A classically trained painter may see a subject, know his or her medium, and attempt to recreate reality with the material—may manipulate paint in a way in which its physical properitied dissolve into the iamge. Process artists on the other hand, may know the material they want to work with, and desire to see where that material takes the piece; how it reacts to physical manipulation, how it assembles or decomposes.
Possible concerns when focusing on process-oriented art, is that the material may not always function as the artist hoped or intended, and the work may be temporary (thought this could also be intended).
Through process art, the definition of art can be understood, not only as a finished product, but also as action; as doing. The audience and artists can share an experience through the artwork in a way unlike any traditional art could propose.
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