Emotion in Paintings - What Does That Mean?
view some examples of paintings with emotion and journey with the artist to discover and create art with emotion
How can you determine if a painting holds an emotion?
In my view it is certainly not by analysing how the painting was made (the colours, form, shapes etc) It is whether or not it connects with viewer - it is holding the viewer's attention for non-technical reasons. The viewer is not concerned with say the transparency of the watercolour or the accuracy of perspective, they are looking beyond that. The painting is holding their attention because it has made a personal connection and stirred an emotion which is entirely the business of the viewer.
The full range from realistic to abstract paintings can trigger an emotional reaction...
We are all familiar with paintings of things such as boats, buildings, trees, sun and sea, animals and of course people -individuals, groups, children and adults. These representitive paintings can hold an emotion that the viewer connects with - or not. Realistic paintings can be examples of art with emotion rather than purely descriptive, it depends on the viewer (not everybody connects) and the artist. For many artists (not all) emotion in paintings is not their goal. They are interested in technical matters and they want the painting to look right rather than feel right, consequently there is no emotion in their art for anyone to connect with.
Abstract paintings are much the same - if the artist was only interested in form rather than feeling then any emotion in the painting is accidental. True emotion in art is achieved only when that is the overiding goal of the artist. They have to create that emotion with every other consideration being subordinated. Abstract paintings give the artist more opportunity to create an emotion as they leave more to the imagination of the viewer and so stimulate a deeper personal reaction - and this can be different from the emotion the artist was striving for! This apparent paradox is real, there are no correct interpretations just personal ones that can be long lasting and difficult to articulate.
These are my views that I developed over my artistic life. My summary of my approach to art is that...
I endeavor to create visible feelings to express what cannot be expressed in words. Here are some examples of my attempts...
