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Pierre Bonnard at the Tate: the surprising reasons we love art
Equiluminance
When we convert a painting to monochrome, the level of light coming from each area is equal.
This confuses the parts of the brain that process color and luminance, and throw our senses of color and light into conflict.
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Why we like art
Art is most exciting when it creates states of psychological conflict, confusion, or dissonance.
While in other circumstances, such an onslaught might make us run a mile, with art, we are held transfixed.
Visual indeterminacy
It occurs when we are presented with something that we don't immediately recognize. It creates a degree of cognitive dissonance that may be frustrating or even unpleasant.
For example, seeing a vague shape in the corner of a room that might be a cat or a bag. A second look is needed to satisfy our curiosity.
Color conflicts
Complementary colors lie opposite one another on the spectrum. For example, red complements blue, yellow complements violet.
When complementary colors are placed in close proximity, it is apt to cause conflict and disturb the eyes. Used subtly, it can make our eyes dance to a discordant tune.
Equiluminance
When we convert a painting to monochrome, the level of light coming from each area is equal.
This confuses the parts of the brain that process color and luminance, and throw our senses of color and light into conflict.
A logical impossibility
In representational art, figurative paintings contain a logical impossibility - we see one thing (the painting), which is, at the same time, another thing (what it depicts).
The tension or contradictions between the material and representational layers in artwork contribute to the excitement and puzzlement we can experience with art.
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Describing wonder
Wonder is said to be a childish emotion. However, as adults, we experience it when gaping at something unexpectedly spectacular.
Adam Smith, an 18th-century moral philosopher, describes wond...
Bodily symptoms
The bodily symptoms of this strange appearance point to three dimensions:
- Sensory: The marvelous things take hold of our senses - we stare and widen our eyes.
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Limitations of Language
The rich and diverse aspects of human experience cannot be captured by the language of philosophy, no matter how rich it becomes.
Great poets see life around them as we do, but they skillful...
The Canvas
Literal language is functional, and is a utility, serving the purpose of communication, while poetry captures the beauty, the essence of an object, doing away with the descriptions and linear definitions.
The creative nature of consciousness can be described by the analogy of a canvas. Our consciousness is a blank canvas initially and as we gain education, experiences and perform actions, we paint this canvas, slowly adding details, and the final work of art is the story of our lives.
Our expression of creativity is born out of the interactions and experiences we keep having. The canvas that we paint can be cohesive and whole or can be broken and messy.
The Truth Shines
There are some creative and artistic people who are genuinely authentic in anything they do. They are having a secret inside them, a fragrance that comes with completeness and realism. These people have, through hardships, suffering, and reconciliation, have discovered a core inside them, a certain light that is brightly shining.
This quality shines through in the writings and works of genuine artists. Maybe their poetry, which is seemingly so profound, isn’t poetry at all, but pure truths that they have simply expressed honestly.