When Paintings Speak
“The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech.” -Vincent Van Gogh
A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes, all of those words just remain on the tip of your tongue, unable to be expressed.
Have you ever met someone who talks REALLY fast? Shew! Some of them you can almost believe they'll get out their 1,000 words just as fast as a picture. 😂
But the point of communicating (most of the time 😅) is not only to talk, but for the other person to hear, understand the message, and offer back their own thoughts. It is a dynamic interaction.
Now, that is something paintings understand. They meet you where YOU are, not where the painter was. That accounts for all of the different interpretations of a painting, how people queue in on different aspects, and how paintings can have such a wide range of effects on the viewer's emotions.
As the artist, it may be frustrating to know what message you wanted your painting to communicate and for others to not see it, but how many times do words get misunderstood?
I'm of the belief the painting did no wrong by the artist. Instead, it enhanced the artist's message and converted it to meet the needs of the viewer.
So next time you are in the position of the viewer, listen closely. You might just hear the painting altering its conversation to run up and greet you rather than just meeting you halfway.
Hand-painted LIVE in Adobe Photoshop CC using the Wacom Intuos Pro and the Wacom Art Pen.
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