Aug 6, 2010

Relationships between the viewer and the picture


I'm paraphrasing Eric Fiscl here...
There's a difference between a painting of one person, two people, or a painting of three or more people. A painting of one person is a one-to-one relationship. You look at the single figure ... is she/he confronting you or turning away, or luring you?
A painting of two people makes you, the viewer, a voyeur. You can be witnessing the dynamic between them.
Three or more people can become a dynamic... it can be a family group, a work environment, or just people on the street. You can become one of the many, or removed from them like being in a coffee shop, looking out a window.