This thesis examines the definition and significance of coincidence and chance in fine art. It is based on the observation of chance occurrences during my own creative process, particularly in the dripping and spreading of acrylic paint across the painting surface. In fine art, chance is associated with unpredictable phenomena arising from the influence of the material, movement, physical factors, or the circumstances. The artist may accept, reject, or incorporate these phenomena into the subsequent creative process.
The theoretical section presents the significance and various definitions of coincidences, its occurrence in the works of selected artists, and the ways in which these artists employed it. The artists discussed are Leonardo da Vinci, Edgar Degas, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Hans (Jean) Arp and Jackson Pollock. In their work, chance appears as a point of departure, as part of the artistic process, as a material effect or as a deliberately initiated phenomenon. Attention is paid to the distinction between coincidence occurrences that arise spontaneously and are subsequently incorporated by the artists, and those that are deliberately initiated as part of a chosen procedure.
The practical section presents my works created by pouring, tilting and rotating the painting surface. An analysis of the creative process showed that coincidence occurs in my work primarily during the initial process of pouring the paint and tilting the surface at different angles. In the resulting forms, I recognised various images and, in some cases, supplemented them through painting. The findings indicate that my creative process is based on an interplay between coincidence or chance and intentionality and it is primarily connected with the procedures employed by Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp, and Max Ernst.
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