Trying to identify the intrinsic power of an artwork is not an easy feat for the viewer or collector. Putting feelings into words is not much easier, as painting is not a talkative approach to art. Films, theater plays or books have the advantage of having both time and words to convey an idea, build an atmosphere or express a feeling.
But painting like music relies on a very different language that mainly depends on rhythm. The rhythm of a painting is a combination of factors, from the choice and frequencies of forms and colors to the very gesture of the brush on the canvas. Sequencing the movement of painting would be like writing a partition, directing a symphony…
A painting is the static result of this flow concentrated into an instant… a pure synthesis.
A painting cannot call out to the viewer but an exceptional work is able to catch their attention instantly without superfluous agitation or pretension.
The harmony of rhythms in its composition vibrates imperceptibly and communicates their energy beyond the frame.
The viewer is „grabbed by the scuff of the neck“ and can only surrender themselves to paying attention to the work. Whether it is a shiver of amazement or discomfort doesn’t matter, as long as there is emotion.
An exceptional artwork cannot just be decorative but provokes a process of introspection. The mind of the viewer is sucked into the painting, digested, and restituted with new views on themselves and life in what I would call symmetrical incorporation, as the painting and the viewer both give something to each other. The viewer is not a passive receptor but an active part of the process.
Achieving this level of synergy is rare… a treasure hunt (probably personal) with no map included ;).
ABSTRACT MIMESIS 