Motion and Emotion
Introduction to Motion and Emotion
“No human face is exactly the same in its lines on each side, no leaf perfect in its lobes, no branch in its symmetry. All admit irregularity as they imply change; and to banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality. All things are literally better, lovelier, and more beloved for the imperfections which have been divinely appointed, that the law of human life may be Effort, and the law of human judgment, Mercy.’
–John Ruskin
Developing the skills needed to depict both motion and emotion will help you reveal a sense of “narrative” in your work…the idea that something is happening or has happened. Narrative evokes emotion. Trying to show emotion itself can sometimes lead to work that is mellodramatic or even sappy. However, creating a narrative asks the viewer to enter into a moment and to empathize with another person or another perspective. As you’re collecting “motion” images for your Pinterest board this week, pay attention to how motion is often the concept that reveals emotion more than anything else.
Learning Objectives
- Familiarize yourself with the concepts of motion and emotion in art and to what ends artists use it.
- Show that you can identify works with motion and emotion as predominant themes or techniques in the work.
- Create your own work that demonstrates use of motion and emotion.
Motion and Emotion
“All motion is time, time is all motion.”
‘• Khalid Masood
Each of the pieces to the right contain the suggestion of movement. In each, you can see more than one moment in time all at once. What emotion do these pieces evoke?
How can you reveal motion in your own work? What emotions emerge from specific kinds of motion?
A self portrait, above, black and white.
Ideas for Consideration
Slow Motion in Film
Film isn’t really a medium we’re covering, but there are some interesting ideas afoot here.
Kinetic Art
Again, sculpture isn’t really the topic of this course, but nonetheless, this is worth watching if you want a better understanding of how aritsts think about motion in art. .
Nick Cave
Ok, I’m still doing it (talking about mediums other than 2D) but Nick Cave is just so fascinating
Pollock: Action Painting
Whether you like him or not, it’s important to understand that Jackson Pollock was trying to reveal something about the process of painting, the actions involved in getting the paint onto canvas. Really, his work is just the record of his body moving in space…
Technical Know How
You’ll need to watch the following videos to understand how to use Photoshop to complete your assignments this week. I’ve started a few YouTube playlists where you can find these videos and more.
Mastering Motion Blur in Photoshop
You’ll have to master this one this week.
Motion Blur Part 2
A different approach that involves masking. You really need to master masking!
Path Blur in Photoshop
If you want to create a Francis Bacon-style portrait, this is a good tutorial to watch.
Actual Animation in Photoshop
This one is only for the bravest of souls. Did you know Photoshop could even do this?
Assignments
Identify
This week, find images that exemplify the concept of “motion and emotion”. You must link to the original source (as original as you can find) for each pin and you should provide context and an explanation of why you think each image is illustrative of this week’s concept. Put this explanation in the notes field of each pin. 1-2 sentences will suffice. The original artist must be identified.
Choose images that reveal the use of motion and emotion as a primary and crucial part of the work.
⊕ For this week, create a Pinterest Board called “Motion/Emotion” and add 20 images to that board using the guidelines above. Submit your link in the form below.
Share and Discuss
Dob’t forget about Slack! Being able to have a coherent conversation about art is extremely important if you’re planning on staying in the field!
Emulate and Create
EMULATE
Emulate my portrait above by creating your own self portrait. I used layers, blending modes, motion blur filters, and color lookup tables. Try your hand at any of the methods from the videos above, but make sure that it’s a photo of you and that you are expressing some kind of emotional state in the image.
CREATE
This one is a freebee this week. Get crazy. Create something that reveals the concept of “motion.” No limits!
