What Is A Powerful Image In ART?

What does "powerful" mean in art?

An image that will catch your eye or have a strong effect on your feelings or thoughts is powerful.

Which one of these images "catches" your eye? Are they both powerful images?

An art work can be powerful if it stays with you or maybe you had a powerful experience viewing the art.

  

James Turrell Skyspace

Many of the artworks we have viewed over past lessons have been powerful.  We have looked at installation art and kinetic art.  There are many qualities that make these works powerful. For example, we viewed the bright orange installation of 14,000 Syrian life vests and discussed how Ai Weiwei is using art to make people think about the lives of others. 

 Let's look at ways artists make their work powerful.

Do these images have a strong effect on your feelings or thoughts?

 Andrew Wyeth

 “Love.”  Alexandr Milov 

There are different ways to create a powerful image

*Outlining an image (contour line)

This is a Keith Harring image

Ndebele House

*Consider Background (light colors, dark colors, contrast, complete coverage)

Which fish looks more powerful?

 

 

*Considering size

Imagine if there were just a few pieces of yarn hanging from a gallery ceiling.
Look at the scale of this work.  It fills the entire ceiling.

Ernest Neto

Imagine if this bird were painted very tiny in the corner would it be a powerful image?

Look at our fish again, do you notice this little fish? Why?

 

  *Show Emotion

    Is this a powerful image?  

What powerful emotion are you feeling as you look at this piece?

How will you make "powerful art images"

**Adapted from a lesson by Maryellen Picker.