Joanna James
Art is a love letter to everything that humanity finds meaningful, and it is an exquisitely personal manifestation of the artist's own experiences and essence that can be read by different eyes in a vast spectrum of diverse insights. Here’s how to tug at heartstrings through your creative piece.
Art empowers vulnerability and the most moving pieces do not shy away from raw emotions that are electrifyingly palpable in every brush stroke, not-so-hidden detail, contrasting complexity, and jarring sensory interruption. For instance, the depictions of sadness by great artists take completely different forms yet convey the depth of their grief in every line, shape, and hue, whether it’s the chilling colour palate of blues, blacks, and greys that depicts an internal world devoid of joy or the bent and gnarled posture of their subject like a tree almost uprooted by a violent storm. On the flip side, you can capture the most hopeful and buoyant moments of your life with haphazard brightness; Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ (1888) presents an idyllic example of this. The key is to be honest with yourself without forcing emotions you don’t empathise with into your technique.
The atmosphere of an image can be heightened by the play of specific elements, from contrasting light and dark tones in the surroundings or characters, emphasising a sense of peaceful bliss or sinister gloom, to harmonising the mind with symmetrical beauty or throwing it into chaos with imbalanced or cluttered compositions. For instance, Edward Hopper’s works profoundly depict loneliness through solitary figures separated by just a few inches of space, while suspense and tension can be created by introducing ambiguity and surrealist features into your piece, such as the deflated timepieces in ‘The Persistence of Memory’ by Salvador Dali or the Magritte’s eerie yet arresting portrayal of ‘The Lovers’.
Sometimes subtle yet intricate details woven into the bigger picture are what snag at the mind and inspire a train of thought that bursts open the reservoir of pent-up emotion and memories. The full moon half-hidden by a veil of clouds, for instance, can symbolise hope and comfort in a setting swamped with darkness and crooked forms, whereas depictions of fruit can have a dual connotation of lusciousness and vibrancy, but also the capacity of temporal sweetness to turn rotten and unpalatable as in Caravaggio’s ‘Basket of Fruit’. If you’re on a quest for authentic and evocative paintings in Sri Lanka, look no further than the likes of the Sri Lankan Art Gallery.
Whether you’re going for a theatrically poignant scene or a deeply personal anecdote, make sure that the overarching theme and integral message of your piece are evident to the viewer, making it easier to tickle up sensations of curiosity, intrigue, delight, or disconcertment. For instance, ‘The Sob’ by David Siqueiros floods the mind with questions, such as “What has broken down this larger-than-life man?” and “Is it anger or sadness that he’s battling the most?”.
Leading people down memory lane by stirring up nostalgic currents such as whimsical carnival rides and the anticipation of watching for your train in a bustling station or stimulating an empathetic response through sensory disruptions such as depicting white-knuckled clenched fists or the claustrophobia of spiralling smoke is another effective means to heighten relatability.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
