Mood in Art

Introduction
Minimalist artists denied that their paintings had any meaning, or that they represented any scene or
object. Few of them create a strong mood in viewers. However most artworks do engage viewers
emotionally, affecting the way they feel. In many cases, artists deliberately create a particular mood,
although viewers do not necessarily respond to artworks in the ways artists expect. It is however possible
to point to particular elements in artworks which tend to produce particular responses in most viewers.
This study sets out to analyse those elements and the feelings they are most likely to generate.

Colour
Bright colours often represent positive emotions, such as happiness, while darker colours are more likely
to represent negative emotions, such as sadness or fear. Often, the main colour of the paintings creates a
particular mood. Picassos Blue Nude has a limited pallet range. The use of the dark colours (mainly blue)
makes the painting seem sombre and cold. Although there are hints of ochre and grey, their presence is
limited and disjointed, suggesting the confusion and loneliness of the subjects (and in this case the
artists) life at the time of painting. The use of colour is not limited to art: the word blues became
popular as a name for a type of music. A melancholy lifestyle is suggested by Van Goghs The Potato
Eaters. Darkness is ever-present in these villagers lives; only the light above the table stops it from
enveloping them. Even in its light their clothes and faces seem dark.

Figures
The posture, gesture and facial expression of a subject usually indicates mood. A figure standing erect
may look confident, and even authoritative. This is evident in Reynolds 1752 portrait of Commodore
Augustus Keppel, in which the commodore adopts a commanding pose, his right arm stretched out as if to
convey a command, and his legs suggest that he is not standing still: he is a man of action. A contorted
figure is more likely to express struggle, pain or difficulty. A raised head may suggest haughtiness, while
a lowered head may express humility. Flowing hair may hint of sensuality, whereas hair cut neatly above
the forehead may point to an organised, controlled individual. (It was indeed commonly used to depict
Roman and Greek leaders.) In the Hellenistic sculpture, Laocon and his Sons, dating from the second
century B.C.E., the face of the central figure is contorted in anguish, while the diagonal movement of his
body shows stress. His muscles are taught, and his face is at an oblique angle. The snake entwining the
three figures, drawing them together, shows that there is no escape, conveying a feeling of hopelessness.

Shapes
Pointed shapes and sharp angles can suggest negative elements such as danger, anger, force, or
dehumanised machinery. Rounded shapes are more often associated with positive elements such as
warmth, acceptance, gentleness, purity and rest. Many viewers find cubist works quite confusing, as
shapes are portrayed from different viewpoints, so that their outlines are not clear. Even in Les
demoiselles dAvignon, the normally smooth outlines of the female body are replaced with sharp, straight
edges, while their faces are replaced by primitive masks making them seem anything but sensuous or
attractive. There are various planes and angles which many viewers would find unsettling, and which
point towards cubism. The association that viewers place on the different shape is extremely important to
the mood that is given. Some may see in Duchamps Bottle Rack a sense of unease, created by spikes on
the bottle rack, as we often associate pointed objects with knives or spears. Furthermore, the metal along
with the shape of the bottle rack seems like an enclosure, creating the image of a prison. However the
shapes will not have the same associations for all viewers.

Movement
Movement can be suggested by growing or diminishing shapes, by straight or curving lines, or by
blurring of subjects that are moving. The absence of movement, as in Constables 1816 painting of
Wivenhoe Park, suggests peace and harmony. The only movement is at the edges of the painting. The
cows are static, browsing on the field, while the glassy surface of the water suggests stillness. This
inactivity is contrasted with the liveliness of the clouds, which seem to be moving to the left. Yet there is
a strong contrast with Turners Snow Storm (1842), which is characterised by strong, rapid movements, as
the mist and rain swirl around the boat. The blurring caused by the movement suggests confusion and
distortion, and on close inspection viewers notice the boat in the centre of the painting, struggling to
remain upright against the onslaught of nature, which Turner saw as an expression of the power of God.
A sense of unease may be felt by viewers, as nothing in the painting is stable. Renoirs Bal du Moulin de
la galette (1876) lies somewhere between the two extremes. The dancing figures, and the many and
varied shapes of those in conversation, brings excitement and energy to the painting. The motionless
trees are too far off to dull this energy. Movement can also represent change and destruction. Fast,
vigorous movement in Boccionis The City Rises shows the power of a constantly changing society. The
short brush strokes gives the painting its intensity, where the movement of the horse cannot be contained.
Boccioni is suggesting that those who after left behind will be crushed by the progressive society.
Viewers can feel the mood of the unforgiving nature of society and the weight behind it, as the men are
crushed beneath the horse.

Contrast
There can be contrast of light and darkness (as in Mannerism), of objects of different shapes or sizes, of
complimentary colours (such as blue and orange, or red and green). In The Creation of Adam,
Michelangelo contrasts God and his minions, in which flowing robes show energy and the keen gazes of
the cherubim indicate expectancy, with Adam, who lies solidly on the ground, almost inert, except for his
outstretched arm. The red background of the heavenly figures also contrasts with the blue background of
the earthly figure. Michelangelo makes it quite clear that, although God and Adam are at this point
intimately connected, they are totally other. The faithful, viewing this fresco, would then marvel that a
transcendent God could be so involved in the life of a mere mortal. Contrasts of colour and shape also
appear in the paintings of Post-Impressionists. In Czannes Vision of the Sermon, the fiery red of the
impassioned preacher contrasts with the severe white and black of the Breton dress of the congregation,
while the energy of the preachers struggle with the angel contrasts with the silent devotion of the women
(emphasised by one figure who prays with closed eyes and clasped hands. The artist is presumably
drawing upon the Biblical story in which Jacob wrestles with God, as well as suggesting that preaching
can be either the cause or the result of a mental or spiritual struggle. In Matisses painting The Green
Stripes there is a particularly strong contrast of colours and shapes which almost overpowers viewers.
Complimentary colours red and green occupy opposite sides of the background, while the purple of the
upper left compliments the yellowish pigment of the left of the face. The division of the face into two by
the green strip may have viewers uneasily wondering whether the sitter has a split personality. In Dalis
Lobster Telephone, on the other hand, the contrast of two totally unrelated objects expresses the
nonsensical approach of many Surrealists: if we ask whether there is some link between the two, we are
likely to be disappointed. In many prints by Kollwitz there is a strong contrast between masses of black
and white which highlights the element of protest or anguish which is often expresses in her artworks.

Composition
Placing important elements of an artwork off-centre, or on an angle, can suggest disorientation or
disorganisation, while strong horizontal and vertical movement is more likely to point to organisation,
authority or stability. Strong diagonal construction and avoidance of vertical and horizontal lines creates
a sensation of chaos and struggle, whereas the golden triangle brings stability and peace to an artwork.
However this is not quite the case in Botticellis Birth of Venus, in which the west winds, Zephyr and
Chloris, create a strong left-hand diagonal, while the Greek nymph of Spring takes the right-hand
diagonal; Botticelli emphasises the energy of the winds in particular, both by their diagonal orientation,
and by the image of blowing he creates. Venus occupies an almost vertical line in the centre, bringing her
into the centre of the viewers focus, highlighting her as the theme of the painting. Her long, flowing hair
suggests the sensuality with which Venus (god of love) is associated, while the breath of the wind and the
flowing gown being offered by the nymph create a strong sense of movement, creating a feeling of energy
and power. Venus, then, is presented as a unmoved despite the surrounding movement. So, while her
expression gives little away, her mood is shown as calm and stable. Stability is extremely important in
artworks throughout art history. Davids Oath of Horatii uses the golden triangle as well. The triangle
of the sons and the father is the main focus of the painting. The unease and sadness of the women in the
background is neutralised by the men in the centre. This is supposed to be representational of unity and
peace. Van Goghs Starry Night seems unnatural and unbalanced which is not surprising, as Van Gogh
produced many of his later paintings with an unstable mind set. The city below seems to be relatively
normal, although the sky above is clearly not. Various movements created by the long brush strokes
create disorder within the painting. Neither the shapes nor the sizes of the heavenly bodies are realistic. A
painting that in which the relativity between objects is so disordered adds to the disorganisation and
confusion of viewers; the popularity of the painting probably arises from its combination of shapes and
colours.

Conclusion
Everything viewers see in an artwork such as shape, colour, movement, figures, contrasts and
composition may have an impact on their mood. Sometimes two or more of these elements work
together (such as contrasts of both movement and colour in Michelangelos Creation of Adam), while at
other times one element predominates (such as the whirling movement in Turners Snow Storm).
However different viewers may react to artworks in different ways; while Queen Victoria saw paintings
like by Turner as a mess, Ruskin saw Snow Storm as "one of the very grandest statements of sea-
motion, mist and light, that has ever been put on canvas".