Art and Emotion: Picasso’S Blue Period and Gaye’S Inner City Blues

When it comes to art, there has been much debate as to how to judge a certain work of art’s value as determined by its viewer.   It is often said that the most prominent way of judging a work of art’s value is through emotion, both the expression of a certain emotion the artist is trying to convey and the emotional impact the work of art has on its audience.   Art can be deciphered and understood by looking at its aesthetic components -- the pleasure the viewer receives through the beauty of the work, the cognitive connection between the artist, work of art, and viewer, and the emotion(s) the work of art evokes in its audience as intended by the artist.   We as the audience of a particular work of art determine its value most through the emotional connection we have with the piece of artwork. The artist succeeds not only when the audience feels the exact emotion the artist is trying to convey, but when we as viewers make any type of emotional connection to the work of art.   This holds true with both visual works of art (i.e. paintings, sculptures, drawings, etc.) and literary works of art (i.e. poems, music, plays, etc.).   By looking at Pablo Picasso’s painting, “The Old Guitarist,” and reading and listening to Marvin Gaye’s musical composition, “Inner City Blues,” the audience is immediately drawn to the emotions we infer the artist is trying to convey as well as our own unique interpretations and emotions we experience when studying the works of art. Emotion in these two examples of visual and literary/musical art can be expressed through the use of color and content, composition and melody, and time periods the works were created during -- all of which contribute to as well as determine the value of the piece of art.

    Emotion in a visual work of art, in this case Pablo Picasso’s “The Old Guitarist,” can be expressed through the intended use of color and technique chosen by the artist.   According to Gordan Graham, author of Philosophy of the Arts: An...