Balance

The emotive balance in artwork reflects the ability to create a piece that evokes a range of feeling, from elation to sorrow, rage through to serenity, all in a form of harmony. It is the ability to create a piece that is beautiful and thought-provoking, that leaves the viewer feeling something deeper.

At its best it should achieve balance through nuanced reflection on the reality in which we find ourself, intermingled with higher concept and use of craft to enhance this sense, colours and compositions which draw the viewer in to a place of equilibrium.

This balance is key in some artworks as it allows the viewer to connect with the piece on stable ground, it provides context and depth to the feeling you are trying to elicit in the work. It makes artwork more interesting and engaging, elevating it beyond the base aesthetic or idea. A piece that evokes one emotion in a predictable way or way that preys upon simple responses is likely to be not only boring, at worse it may turn a viewer off as they feel they are coerced by the informal fallacy of emotional manipulation.

A truly balanced piece leaves space for the viewer themselves to walk through the art, to reach a conclusion though the context provided, this results in a far greater impact and level of empathy, as opposed to forcing the emotions upon the viewer.

There are many examples of this emotional balance in artwork. A comparative example of this can be found when contrasting Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentilesch and the same theme explored by Caravaggio. Whilst Caravaggios’ focus is on the death itself, with light and detail highlighting the face of Holofernes and the string like blood from his neck, the weight and severity of the kill is pushed upon the viewer, but to me the context of the story feels lost in the removed nature of the women through both compositional choices, the expression captured, and lighting.

There is a lack of balance here in the visual, and in turn (to me) the emotional balance is lost, it becomes less a tale of necessary brutality and strength in the face of a more powerful foe. More a simple expression of the brutality of murder.

Gentileschs piece however achieves a far greater nuanced harmony . By partially obscuring the cut, by implying it with the blood, we find our eye free to explore the work and in doing so we find the story told within the pose, the fight to overcome a powerful foe, as opposed to the strike from the shadows we see in Cravaggios. Judith and her maid here have expressions of resolve, not quite impassive, more determined and accepting the fact of what must be done, unlike the appalled concern in Caravaggios.

Like Caravaggios work there is darkness encroaching upon them to mirror the darkness of the act, but unlike carravagios this is blanched by a focus of light upon the hands, the context of the act itself is told her in the story of those limbs, the strength of the foe, the unity of Judith and her maid reflecting the joining of those perceived as weak to overcome those who find strength in force. Overall the choices made here better represent the tale being told of a Womans choice to save her city and how it reflects upon the experiences of womanhood. It’s visual balance enhances its emotional one.

Emotional balance is an important element of all art, but it is especially important in artwork that is meant to be emotionally evocative. When a piece of art can evoke a range of emotions, yet bring you to one unified sense of them, it not only connects, but remains in the mind.