Humans have spent thousands of years using art forms to express. In European caves dating back to the Ice Age, we see cave drawings used to tell stories and communicate history. In Ancient Greecian tapestry, we are immersed in the legends of gods and heroes. In Egyptian pottery, we explore the rise and fall of kings and queen. The renaissance is full of expression and beauty captured in architecture. In the Impressionist era, Vincent Van Gogh translates the pain of a tormented life into beautiful works of realism and ecstasy. We have thousands of examples of humans translating their stories, emotions, and memories into art, but often miss the return. Art can also pour back into us.
Emotions are defined as “a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others” and “instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge.” An emotional response is easily invoked by anything that is measured by our five senses, especially by the things we see. Feeling any emotion is a qualitative state that is primarily measured by a change in feeling, blood pressure, heart rate, activity, among other things.
According to multiple psychological studies, color can affect our mood. An entire field called color psychology looks at how different colors affect our emotions. Red projects a message of confidence and boldness, while yellow communicates a happy and bright message. The very colors in art can affect our mood and portray an emotion to us.
Many art pieces that are admired today are portraying some message or memory. Some of the most famous pieces of art are depicting a scene or image. What we see directly affects our emotions. We are always in a state of feeling something. So when we look at different art pieces, a portrayed scene can bring forth a memory or thought process that comes with its own unique emotional cocktail.
When we create works of art, we pour our emotions, memories, pain, and desires into our creation. We can put forth so much time and effort into what we do, and our art continues to communicate even after we finish it. Not only do we pour out into our craft, but our art pours back into us. Thus, a beautiful cycle of expression is maintained.