The Emotion of Art
“The principles of true art is not to
portray, but to evoke. “ This quote by Jerzy Kosinski says much about the
feelings and emotions that are often brought on by viewing various forms of
artwork. Art can make the viewer feel peaceful, serene or calm. It can also
make the viewer feel angry, outraged, or even sad. While visiting the gallery
opening, there were three photographs that caught my attention. Some stirred up
feelings of fear, such as the photo by Susan Tassin titled “Not Such a Big Man
Now”. Others, such as “Caged” by
Christopher Eatmon, and “Impatiently Waiting To Leave Alone”, by Hailey Morris
made me feel heartsick and sorrowful. The range of emotions I felt while viewing
these pieces of art lend truth to the quote by Jerzy Kosinski.
The first
photograph that I noticed at the gallery opening was titled “Not Such a Big Man
Now”. In the photo we see a woman pointing a gun straight at the camera. In the
background, we see what looks to be a desolate trailer park with piles of junk
lying around. The woman with the gun has a look of anguish on her face, and her
tattoos and choice of clothing seem to portray a woman of lower class. The
title suggests that the woman has simply had enough and is now taking matters
into her own hands. Even without the caption, much of these things can be
noticed in the picture. This photo jumped out at me because of the severity of
having a gun pointed at you. This photo was obviously meant to evoke some
feelings of fear. This was my first reaction, but after reading the caption, I
started to feel sorry for the woman, and began to wonder what had happened to
her.
The second
photo I took notice of was by Christopher Eatmon and was titled “Caged”. In the
photo we see a cheetah sitting in the grass behind a fence. This photo was most
likely taken at the zoo, and I believe it was meant to make the viewer feel bad
for the animal. My first thought when looking at this photo was that the
cheetah looks very sad and lonely. A photo such as this would most likely be
used for animal rights activists, and the title “Caged” shows the artists
feelings on the situation. He most likely feels that the animal should not be
caged and should be allowed to live in the wild. He must feel sorry for this
animal and that is why he chose to portray the cheetah in such a way that the
fence can be seen in the photograph.
The last
photograph depicted a woman sitting in a plastic lawn chair on a set of
railroad tracks. The photo alone is enough to make the viewer feel heartbroken,
but when paired with the title “Impatiently Waiting to Leave Alone,” the photo
is taken to a whole new level. The fact that she is not facing the camera and
is instead facing the soon to be oncoming train, shows that she is impatient in
waiting for death. Also, we cannot see her face and that allows for some
mystery. Is she smiling? Is she crying? We do not know what her emotion is, and
that leaves room for some imagination on the viewer’s part. While viewing this photo I was thinking to
myself “What could have happened to this woman that she is so willing and ready
to die?” If the artist’s purpose was to
evoke feelings of sadness and sorrow with this photo, they have succeeded.
As
the quote stated before, the true meaning of art is not to tell a story, but to
gain an emotion from the viewer. When we look at photographs, paintings, sculptures,
or any other forms of artwork we are forced to feel some sort of emotion. Looking at the three photos in the gallery
did awaken emotion in me, and they ranged from fear to sadness and heartbreak
and sorrow. The fact that each photo made me feel a certain way about what was
being pictured, showed that the quote by Jerzy Kosinski is in fact true. “The principles of true art is not to
portray, but to evoke. “
