Art and Emotion

A piece of Art work can be read. A visual artist will place images, forms, colours, ideas, down in such a way that can be communicated with you the viewer. An author will tell you a story in much the same way. As will a choreographer, a composer, a film director. The hope is that when you read the work it will serve your understanding in a multitude of vibrant ways. It will begin to make sense, in some cases a perverse kind of sense. The hope again is that you will be encouraged to learn more and stimulated in a variety of cerebral and even passionate ways.

An artist will take you on a trip around his work. He will tell you what to view and in what order. He will attempt to provoke a variety of responses, even negative one’s. He will appeal to your sense of wonder. He will ask pertinent questions of you whilst you view. No one should remain passive in front of a piece of art work.

This artwork will and should ask as many questions of both the intellect and the emotions as it answers. This is true of all art.

In the visual arts, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, film making, dance;There is no substitute for looking. Seeing the quality of a painted surface, the textures of the brush stroke, the coolness or the warmness of colour, feeling the temper of metal, the hewn quality of wood, the impact of actual size, the excitement of movement, the recording of an event.

It is important that we appreciate the full intention of the artist as close to first hand as we can.

Real looking requires a conscious effort on the part of the viewer so restricting oneself to only a few pieces of art at a time is always a good idea. Trying to give equal weight to everything in an exhibition for example is too exhausting. Study selected work in detail. Most pieces will demand this attitude anyway, they cannot be bypassed with merely a glance.

As the emotions are caught up inevitably in looking our experience will also, with a certainty become involved. For example the various theories of Emotional Colour will, usually all unknown to the viewer play an increasingly important role. What are these theories? Red for danger, black for death and morbidity, in the western world at least, are two of the most obvious. The Madonna’s cowl in a religious painting is always a certain blue. This was originally produced from a semi precious stone called Lapis Lazuli before the advent of chemical paint. The emotional aspects of this should be obvious. Warm colours, reds, oranges, yellows appear to come towards the viewer and are on occasion welcoming. The cool colours, blues, some greens appear to recede. Atmospheric or aerial perspective is used by artists in this manner to provoke a feeling of distance or vastness. Have you ever considered why a certain type of music is called the blues? Or why colours themselves are thought to sing? Why certain colour combinations are called Complimentary. (These are the opposites on the colour wheel, a primary with a secondary, Red and Green, Yellow and Purple, Blue and Orange).

In this and many other ways, too many to list here; does the artist knowingly play with our emotions. It is part of what he or she does. It is sending a clarion cry to the world saying this is what I think, how about you? What do you mean you have never thought about it? You damn well should. It is important! It is vital! And it simply cannot be ignored!. Whether you like a piece of art or not is irrelevant. That it provokes an emotional response above the cerebral is about as relevant to your emotional state as it can get.

You are perceiving the world around you through your own and someone else’s senses. All involved would be failing if you walked away from such things unmoved. Developing a sense of perception through emotional response to such things as colour is a very good way of maturing one’s emotions. I can think of no better way than by looking, listening, studying or even taking part in Artwork.

Look at a piece of Abstract Expressionist Artwork such as a Mark Rothko or a Sam Francis and put the emotional aspects considered above into practice and see what I mean.

This entry was posted on 08/07/2008 at 12:33 and is filed under Uncategorised. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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