The Language of Color
Sometimes, words fail to encompass
an emotion. Overwhelming joy, anger, or
sadness is often better explained, better explored, and better understood
through nonverbal communication.
Emotions are mostly intangible; one cannot see joy except in a smile,
and one cannot see sadness except in a tear.
Yet the vast depth of the emotion cannot be seen or touched by
others. People try to articulate the
gaps - vocalize the intangibles - but often fall flat. The problem with words
is that they are intangible as well. One
can hear a word and visualize its meaning, but it does not exist in a physical
sense. This is why I need art. Art is a tangible platform for intangible
things. I need art as a means to work
through my emotions, explain them to others, and understand them myself.
Art enables me to pour my emotions
out of my inner self into the outer world.
As I lay brush to canvas, my paintbrush becomes a conductor that
transfers currents of emotion from my body onto canvas, and that emotion flows
into colored swirls of paint. This is
how I achieve catharsis. I gravitate
towards paint as my medium of choice because of its innate expressive
quality. Brushstrokes convey
emotions. They can be angular, jagged,
and quick, and this style is inherently seething and aggressive. Conversely, brushstrokes can be soft,
blended, and flowing; this style is peaceful and serene. These implicit connotations are universally
understood and accepted. Brushstrokes are
tangible. They are both visual and
inherently expressive, and this enables brushstrokes to illustrate emotions.
Painting is also the best medium for
color, and colors not only express emotions to the viewer but produce emotions
within them. This creates empathy and a
nonverbal dialogue between artist and audience.
Viewing the color yellow makes one excited. Viewing the color blue can be calming or
saddening. Red is angry, powerful, and
lusty. With painting, there is an
exponentially infinite number of colors that one can mix and blend, and each
color has an emotion. These colors can
be combined and juxtaposed to convey intricate, multifaceted emotions. Together, red, yellow, and black can create a
sense of inner darkness and untamed rage, and this complex emotion is given a
visual, tangible representation that others can see and understand. For me, painting is a means of escape for
these emotions. Feelings can become
entangled in the labyrinth of my brain;
my emotions cannot escape me and I cannot escape them. This is why I need art. These emotions leave me and are mixed away
into pigments. The overwhelming,
intangible mess inside of me become concrete and clear on canvas. It becomes clear for others as well as clear
for myself, and this aids in the process of confronting and understanding
overwhelming emotions.
Painting is an
emotional release, and - through that release - a dialogue is created that
enables me to express myself. Paint
turns the intangible into tangible.
Brushstroke, color, and context come together to convey emotions in ways
that words fail to solidify. I express
my joy, sadness, or anger, and I release it into the world for others to see
and comprehend. Words are fleeting and
finite, but art will often outlast its creator.
I explore the complexities of my emotions through painting, and - as I
mark a clean canvas with paint - I cleanse myself of feelings that are too
overwhelming to articulate. Emotions are
translated into the langue of color and brushstroke, and this language is
universal. This is its power and its
allure.
No comments:
Post a Comment