Research Point

I am convinced that the power of an artwork is in its ability to act as a conduit to express emotion. However, not all art conveys emotion. I discovered this when touring the night markets in Chaingmai, Thailand. Many of the stalls displayed pencil and charcoal drawings which were exquisitely executed, yet lacked any emotive expression whatsoever. They were accurate studies, devoid of any feeling or life. They hung like dead fish on the stall walls. Many tourists passing by marveled at their skill and execution, but the work did not cause them to pause, to contemplate what the artist was communicating. The works were actually disturbing in their own way, due to their being so soulless. For this reason, I do not believe that all artwork has the capacity to express emotion. Emotion, is rather, conveyed through the will and interaction of the artist with the subject, the media, and the desired emotive content. If the artwork is merely a repetitive exercise that is copied automaton, it will lack depth, and the power to communicate.

When considering expressive mark making and lines, I never considered that I did not need to use my hands to complete the exercise. The artwork Arabesque by Julie Brixey-Williams, looks intriguingly dynamic and integrative in the use of the dancers's feet and hands in manipulating the charcoal (Brixey-Williams, 2015). The write-up on the Saatchi Art website discusses her interest in 'the two-way relationship that the body shares with space (Saatchi Art, 2015)’. Brixey-Williams’s emphasis on the movement of the body around the canvas, as the focus of the art-making, reminds me of watching Jackson Pollock dance around his huge canvases, dripping his enigmatic, spider-webs of paint.

On the Saatchi Art site, I came across the artwork Book 1 #27 by Heather Goodwind. This work is cloyingly demanding in its intense black (Goodwind, 2015) It creates the sensation that the person is demanding through the inclusion of the words ‘love me today’, juxtaposed with the intense dark form in the center of the page. It is powerful and yet threatening, making me want to reject the request. In my opinion, this artwork has more of a feeling of "anger" or "depression" than the scrawled words ‘love me today’ suggest. Maybe that is what makes it noticeable, disturbing, and poignant.

In researching Heather Goodwind’s work further I read her curated notes which said the following: ‘drawings represent a constant outpouring of singular impressions: clearly isolated images that capture flashes of emotion, changes in perception or moments of recognition (Goodwind, 2015).’ From this comment, it is evident that she definitely supports the idea that artworks can capture emotions, perceptions, and moments of cognition.

Fig.1. Drawing, 1915

Georgia O'Keeffe is one of my favorite painters. Until today, I did not realize that she also created noteworthy charcoal sketches. In fact, from the write up I read at Art Experts, her treasure trove of drawers of 'literally hundreds of sketches and watercolors' were only discovered on the closing of her estate (Art Experts, 2015). I have always loved the natural, earthy appeal of charcoal. The charcoal sketch Drawing,1915 stands out for me as it has a combination of growing forms, contained within a confining regimented zigzag form (O'Keeffe, 1915). It gives the idea of something kept secret and cloistered. It creates the sense of protection and motherly brooding. It seems appropriate when considering that her artworks remained a secret, hidden from the public eye during her lifetime.

To me, her charcoal studies have an emotive force that is sometimes lacking in her close-up studies of flowers and natural forms. These works speak beyond the subjectivity of color and recognizable subject matter.

In contrast to the more organic shapes of the previous three artists, I found the work Composition pour carres by Dominique Lutringer tight and stifling (Lutringer, 2015). The regimented grid of boxes, with their strict uniform contours, creates a feeling of being contained and hemmed in. This is emphasized by the fact that the boxes are treated in varying ways. The contrast between the dark shapes and the lighter treatment of some of the squares, creates a tension. I sense that the shapes which do not conform desire to escape the confounds of their configuration.

As I am now itching to do something creative of my own, I will leave this research point. I know that my own artwork has often come across as being rather cerebral, lacking in emotive power. This is an area that I want to explore and to seek to develop in my art making.


Works Cited

Art Experts, 2015. Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986). [Online]
Available at: http://artexpertswebsite.com
[Accessed 8 April 2015].

Brixey-Williams, J., 2015. Arabesque. [Charcoal Drawing] (Saatchi Art).
http://www.saatchiart.com
[Accessed 18 April 2015].

Goodwind, H., 2015. Book 1 #27. [Graphic] (Saatchi Art).
http://www.saatchiart.com
[Accessed 18 April 2015].

Lutringer, D., 2015. Composition pour carres. [Ballpoint Pen] (Saatchi Art). Available at: http://www.saatchiart.com
[Accessed 18 April 2015].

Saatchi Art, 2015. Julie Brixey-Williams. [Online]
Available at: http://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/91093
[Accessed 18 April 2015].

Illustration

Figure. 1. O'Keeffe, G., 1915. [Charcoal]. Available online at: http://artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/okeeffe.php

[Accessed 18 April 2015].