Does Fine Art Effect or Affect Emotion? #12
Art Lady – As Seen in Villager Magazine – by ArrachmeMom always said, “You Can’t Make a First Impression a Second Time.”
The first thing that most people do when moving into a new house, once the home is filled with their personality, is to boldly orchestrate a neighborhood social party. The gathering is filled with potential friends that are seeking the mutual desire for new connections. If everyone is new on a street, they take turns inviting the same group of neighbors into each home, hoping to find common ground. Art can play an important role in this experience.
The front door is opened, “Hi, how are you, my name is”. The eyes assess the room, they look up, down, and around. The guests’ first experience is affected by the impact of the interior design. Embedded in that design is the ART. Excited and enthusiastic, the neighbors make the tour oohing and ahhing over the beauty and creativity that the homeowner made with their unique, personal selections. The first impression is done.
During the party, the guests morph into stage two. They find a comfortable chair and do a 360 degree turn of the head, automatically assessing the wall decorations. This is where fine art makes all the difference. The visitor does not have to be an art historian to feel significance emanating from the art. Color, which is just one of the design elements that artists use to create successful fine art is a powerful component. The feeling can be relaxed, stimulated, encouraged, or familiar. The one thing that is guaranteed, is everyone who views art is affected. The homeowner chose to hang paintings that they felt best represented their taste, while the guests look for familiarity. They want to find a link. If they do, they may explore trust with that soon-to-be “friend”.
The Importance of Art
We have established the significant impact of fine art. The question is how to choose a painting that will affect positive change. An artist can help with ideas and gentle suggestions if they have a design background with not only selecting the right painting but also hanging it in the correct place. As a working fine artist, I do not do professional interior design work anymore but most always will lend a hand, when asked, as a value-added resource. It never hurts to inquire if the artist is willing to assist.
All the art for a home does not have to be bought from an outside source. I noticed many of my students join an art class to personally create a masterpiece. They are proud to create with their own hands a painting to hang on their wall. As a teacher of different art genres, in The Villages Enrichment Academy, I encourage students to jump into the process, if for nothing more than to experience the complexity of developing their visual voice. They may not hang the painting that they create on their home wall but guaranteed, the process is an overall life-enhancing endeavor that affects positive change. Appreciating art can improve other aspects of their life such as developing the ability to notice more of their surroundings.
I have always painted in a variety of genres using different mediums and materials. Some paintings were created to teach, some for speaking engagements, and some for my professional career. I have watched the reactions of people as they looked at pieces in different categories of art. The comments have offered insight into how art produces emotional reactions.
Emotions
The painting Gentle Journey in this article is a painting created predominately in the blue family. The colors are neutralized with their complements. It creates a dreamy feeling as if the garden is in the distance. Notice the low horizon line. This is like the emotion that is experienced with seascape paintings that deliberately have low horizon lines. This feeling is assisted by shapes and graduated color values.
Conversely, if a painting brings forth an unsettled feeling, it could be that the composition of the painting might be off.
A lot goes into a color choice, execution, and placement. For the painting to evoke solid emotion the artist must think about the cohesive delivery of design elements. Abstraction is more challenging than realism because not only does it have to follow design principles, but the elements used, need to appear loose and free, whilst at the same time be carefully composed.
The viewer responds to the painting simultaneously with the painting responding to the viewer. My painting viewed in this article; Burn is not only a standard painting but also a modern NFT. Meaning, that it is a painting where Nonfungible tokens are offered in limited digital prints. It focuses on throwing out the old and ushering in the new. A metaphor would be a shout to spring cleaning. Even though it is comprised of the same colors as Gentle Journey, it may stimulate other ideas that are embedded in the viewer’s past. Regardless, of the response, any painting that stimulates, thus affecting the viewer to respond, is a successful painting.
Is it the art that affected them or is it the painting that touched some deep feelings that were already present in the viewer? It seems to me that it is a combination of the two.
Many Villagers that buy new homes with the intent to restart life, use art as a tool. They want a fresh start with their new, very personal retired or semi-retired voice of freedom. They use words like, this art spoke to me, or it sparked a memory, or simply say, I chose it because it made me feel good. People who like abstract art tend to like contrasting or complementary colors. This can create the WOW!
So YES, I think we can agree that art is both effective and does affect emotion.