The Emotion of Art (Gallery Essay)

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. “