The first time I learned about this, subject was some 30 years ago, when I read some books on art and psychology and dreams and sociology. I started to come up with a theory: we can define a mental "space" between an artist's imagination, creativity and his/her reference materials, in another words, the reality. Depending on the amount of mental space, or distance in between the emotional injection and the reference materials that the artwork created is based on, it will cause the artwork to appear more or less LIKE the reality of the subject matter. For example, if a painter paints a red apple from observation, say, he starts to set up the light source, chooses the backdrop material, and so on. When he starts to paint the apple, if he paints the red apple only based on direct observation, the painting may look more like the real apple but merely an apple on canvas or paper. In this case, the emotional space could be minimal. However, if the artist is in an angry mood, or he has a mission other than doing a realistic painting, then he may change the texture, shape, color, proportion, background, or all of these attributes in the painting, in order to accomplish the goal or balance his emotional state. At the end of the painting process, the painting is still based on the apple but it may not look like the original reference. It may no longer look like a REAL apple, and it may even become unrecognizable by most audiences, but the artist himself and an audience who shares the similar emotional state and experience with the artist may receive a higher level satisfaction from the painting.
Illustrators use emotional space to make paintings that tell stories. They create enough mental space and then pass it on to the readers. The "space" here could be a message, or a story.
Abstract painters alter the colors, shapes, distance, or even totally ignore all these attributes, but focus on the message and illusion.
When we do portrait painting, it is very difficult. On one hand, we need to capture the likeness, but also the personality and other attributes of the person (the sitter). It usually requires the artist's thorough understanding of the subject. The artist needs to produce a believable likeness but also the portrait needs to carry the personality, and at the same time, still fall within the artist's signature artistic style.
The big question here, is how much emotional space is the right amount space for a particular painting, or assignment, and what should be changed from the reference material in order to fit perfectly into this invisible emotional space to satisfy the purpose. It is a huge question, and no one can make a one size fits all guideline for this matter. In the watercolor portrait painting I did of my daughter Lily (see above), I tried to show the sunshine of her simple and innocent personality, I removed the background ( it was a dark wooden staircase) and replaced it with the simple yellow backdrop. Should I change more, or should I change less?
As I am working on my portrait paintings of my children, in the process of producing the likeness and personality, I reaching for a higher level of artistic freedom and personal satisfaction.
In conclusion, emotional space is very important to me when I create an artwork. It is usually the reason or among the reasons I do the painting. It is for myself, for the person I do the painting for, or for certain audience that I like to pass my message or statement to. Some people may also call the emotional space the spirit of the artwork.
Thoughts? Share it with me.
Yong, I have always thought that in order to communicate with the viewer, an artist must tap into this emotional space in some way. When a viewer brings their own experience and emotion to the observation of a piece, then a connection is made and the viewer participates with the artist in the true creation of the artwork. Art not viewed is I think something less than true art.
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