Are you agitated? The power of tension in art

This is (of course) the image I used last week to lead into the discussion of tension in painting.

Could their be any greater moment of tension in painting than Michelangelo’s depiction of God about to hand Adam the spark of life? We wait with bated breath for the two fingers to close that gap ( a 3/4” gap to be exact) and launch mankind, warts and all. In terms of tension in a painting this one is hard to top. Although the original E.T. poster, which was supposedly inspired by that Sistine Chapel moment, comes close.

Human beings are hardwired to want symmetry. From Christy Turlington’s face to this Nepalese Mandala, symmetry is attractive and pleasing to us. According to physicist Alan Lightman, we crave symmetry because it puts order in a chaotic world. So what happens to our brain when we mess with that order?

Chakrasamvara Mandala Nepal

This was the focus of my last advanced painting class, which I called Tension & Balance. The class challenged the artists to be strategic and conscious about how their composition was making the viewer feel. They could chose to go for the most balanced composition that was pleasing to the eyes and calming to the soul, or try to create tension that would result in a slight quickening of the pulse. As always, we prepared for class with a short video exploring the types of balance that an artist consider and the ways that tension can be inserted.

When thinking of tension, consider how you feel when looking at the color and shape relationships of Carmen Herrera. There is tension in these two aggressive points almost coming together and in the triangle balancing in such a precarious way where it could topple over at any moment.

Carmen Herrera, Untitled, 2013        

Or this work by Rico Gatson, who obsesses over the power of color and shape relationships. His tension lies in the strategic use of optics of the painting. It is hard not to feel engulfed into the vortex as the colors vibrate and the shapes pop out at you from the canvas and pull you in.

Rico Gatson, Untitled (Magic Star III)

“The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.”

―Ralph Waldo Emerson

But it isn’t just compositional tension you can leverage. We see tension in the use of complimentary colors that create a vibration that reverberates with the viewer. Van Gogh was the king of this.

Vincent Van Gogh, Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, 1888.

There is also tension in content and subject matter like we see in almost every work from Tala Madani that has the viewer wondering, “Oh no! What is about to happen? Why do I feel so uncomfortable?”

Tala Madani, Smiley has no nose.

Or the tension in this shipwreck scene where so many lives remain in the balance, a storm is approaching, and another boat is on the water in the background but we don’t know if it is there to make a rescue or to end up with a similar fate.

“The Shipwreck” by Claude-Joseph Vernet, 1772

Or the most terrible tension of the Third of May 1808 from Goya.

Goya, The Third of May 1808

You might not be Goya but you are an artist in control of your decisions. So when that decision arrives about whether to leave that 3/4” gap or to add the approaching storm or to put that red square right next to the green, remember the power of making the viewer feel a little uneasy.

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We had a wonderful week at The Painting School with our first live model. (I wish this was my my amazing drawing, it is not. It is Rob’s.)

Our first flower painting workshop was a huge success! Every participant surprised themselves with their ability to make great art.

The middle school kids killed it with a still life homage to junk food.

This week we have our first baby gathering on Tuesday, a surface design workshop with renowned Brazilian designer Gabriel Azevedo on Thursday, and we will be announcing watercolor classes and more!

Thank you for reading, have a great week, and keep track of upcoming The Painting School Events here!

Happy Painting.

Sara

www.sarawoster.com