There are varying degrees of openness that an artist can display in their work. Some pieces may scream personal information that quickly gives the viewer a sense of what emotion the artist was feeling and why, such as Picasso’s “Guernica” painting. Others may be a bit more subtle, where the artist uses symbolism to express a deep emotion that they felt, while leaving room for the viewers personal interpretation. such as the joy felt looking at a Paul Klee color scheme.
I feel that my artwork falls mostly in the second category. I paint in reaction to personal experiences in my life. The artwork is usually a bit subtle, where the viewer feels the same emotion as I felt but for perhaps a different reason. I found this to be especially true of my watercolor entitled “Touched”. It is a image of a woman kneeling with her head down and broken shackles on her wrists. Beside her lays a rose with blood droplets nearby, which suggests she was pricked by it’s thorns. Above her the paper is cut out in the shape of a window with bars on it. There are stars in the sky that are also cut out. She doesn't look at the window as her head is down. There is a figure behind the woman that is also cut paper. It appears to be female but is a bit ethereal and ghost like. This was achieved by cutting several versions of the same figure in which the opening became smaller as the layer of paper receded. I painted this work after going thru a very difficult year. My brother had been killed by a drunk driver, my marriage in great trouble, and a decision I madethat looked “beautiful” at the time but later “pricked” me and left me wounded. . I only 24 but felt completely broken and lost. At this time I began to attend counseling. It was thru this I discovered a strength and resiliency in myself that I did not know was there, This stronger, spiritual self, was the female cut out figure in the painting. She was touching the back of the physically real woman bent over on the floor.
I placed the work in several competitive shows and it won every time. There was a connection people felt to it. Ironically, when I asked the viewer what it meant to them, their story had nothing to do with mine. However, there was a link between the emotion they described and the emotion I felt when painting the piece. That of grief and consolation. To some the figure represented and angel, to others, a ghost. To some the woman on the ground was only grieving her loss of blood from the thorny rose. To others, the woman was captive by the bars on the “spiritual” window. I was amazed at all the interpretations people provided. They always concluded their remarks by asking me what it really meant. At this point I would say that they were on target with their ideas but I was not ready to share the details of the events that led me to produce it. One psychologist begged me to sell it to him for his office, claiming that it would have healing affects on his patients. I was flattered but the piece was too deeply personal for me to let go of it.
So it seems that artists may choose how vulnerable they want to be and still be successful, whether their intent be fully revealed, partially revealed or totally obscure.