Emotion is the complex psycho physiological experience of an individual’s state of mind
as interacting with biochemical (internal) and environmental (external) influences. In
humans, emotion fundamentally involves “physiological arousal, expressive behaviors,
and conscious experience”
RESOURCE SITES:
http://www.artsology.com/artemotion.php
http://www.ehow.com/how_2324113_draw-extreme-emotions.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/permission-to-suck.html
READ and Respond to the summarization below:
The Role of Emotion in Art:
The viewer is invited to become aware of many things when presented with a
work of art. The viewer may become aware of the artist who created the work, the
intentions of the artist, the life of the artist, or, if this knowledge is unavailable, the
viewer may simply have the valuable awareness that someone for some reason created
the work of art. Equally valuable is an awareness of the context and content of the work.
The work was created in a specific time and place, surrounded by a particular social and
political context. An awareness of the time, place, and context in which it is presently
viewed is also important. The work itself contains many possible variables of which the
viewer should be aware. The subject, and the extent of the viewer's knowledge of that
subject may be a key aspect in understanding the work. In other works, one might pay
attention to the aesthetic qualities of the work, the handling of the medium, the skill in the
making. Then, the viewer may gain awareness of the many possible ways in which the
work may be read, and of the effect of this knowledge on the viewer's initial gut reaction
to the work. This reaction may be influenced by what happened to the viewer just before
seeing the work, the state of wakefulness and general health of the viewer, the viewer's
choice of breakfast foods, or the viewer's varying emotions.
At any one moment in the experience of viewing art, any combination of these aspects of
awareness come together, and should come together, to create a holistic experience. The
greatest works of art are those, which appear to address, or at least to show the artist's
consideration of as many of these variables as possible. The greatest judges of artwork
are those who are constantly expanding their awareness, considering as many variables as
they can, so that a final judgment may, in fact, never be reached. In any stage of this
expanding awareness, it might be necessary, for the sake of organization, to separate out
each variable, in order to become aware of them one at a time. For this reason, some
viewers may wish to separate their emotions from their readings of the work. It may be
helpful to do this for the appreciation of some works, but there is a danger in this thinking
that a hierarchy may develop among the many variables of viewing and that false sense
of separation may occur between them.
A common response in viewing artwork is the sense that the space in a work has
meaning, both because it meant something to the artist, and because it means something
to the viewer, who takes the time to look at it and respond to it. The response of finding
meaning is never without emotion. Just because emotions are susceptible to change,
resulting from the influence of stimuli to the mind, body and spirit, does not dismiss the
fact that they are always present. They are even the cause of meaning in many works of
art. Meaning is a complex interplay between the heart and the soul, and the mind and
body, so that it is impossible to tell which part of you the art speaks to, or which part
moves another.
Art is a holistic experience. The more we know about a work, and ourselves in relation to
the work, the more it means. Objective appreciation somehow eludes us in art, just as we
could never claim to appreciate another human being objectively. Our response to art
cannot be compartmentalized into categories of awareness, and emotion cannot be
separated from the experience, because it cannot be separate from who we are. Our
critical awareness of emotions is an important factor in looking at every work of art, but
to believe that any experience can be devoid of emotion is ridiculous. And it is not a
failing on the part of the viewer, or the even the artist, to feel emotion about a work. In
many works, a separation of emotion from the experience is devastating to the meaning
of the work.
Please provide a written response to this:
What do you think about the content of your personal work as it relates to
emotional references? Your current project asks you to address the question of “WHY” in
the form of a drawing – (Grid Drawing) what reasons have supported your decisions on
subject reference and content. What kind of experience did you create for the viewers of
your work? What are the key elements you have selected to make this artwork unique to
your point of view? Do you feel good about your work? What grade would you assign if
you were to rate your work ethic, creativity, and final presentation of your piece and
why?