Emotional Response Essay

When I think about what I believe to be visual art I am usually drawn to pieces that make me have some sort of emotional response. This emotional response could be from the use of colors or the subject matter used in the work. For example, Van Gogh’s Corridor in the Asylum shows a long hallway with one figure standing in the back. This almost empty corridor brings to mind a sense of loneliness that Van Gogh might have been feeling during his time there. His use of muddy colors also gives the painting a somber tone. Looking at this painting and knowing about Van Gogh’s struggles in life can make a viewer today sympathize with him. I do not believe that formal qualities and content are any less or any more important than one another. An artwork’s subject matter can be strengthened by its formal qualities and vice versa. By using cardboard and dirty looking fabric in the sculpture El Linyera, Betina Sor can show the reality of homelessness in a way that perhaps a painting would not. The use of soft colors and the loose painting style in The Bath by Mary Cassatt give the painting a nostalgic quality and may make one think of a mother’s love towards their child. Another example is that of Brancusi’s Kiss. By …show more content…
The simplistic subject matter does not take away from the painting’s beauty or significance. I think it is important for artists to create work that contains a message or makes the viewer question their own viewpoint, but I also believe that it is important to focus on small moments that show the beauty of everyday life. Starry Night by Van Gogh is a work of art that most people can instantly recognize because it has been reproduced and replicated on everyday items such as t-shirts and posters but that does not mean it is not an important piece of art. It is a painting that can be appreciated by both art critiques and casual viewers because it is an iconic