Chairs

It seems to me as you develop a sense of how to “see” as an artist you begin to stop looking at what’s there but what isn’t.  This concept of negative space is one that helps to create an image that causes our mind to interact with it to understand.

If one use of art is to express emotion then it follows that negative space becomes very important.  The emotional connection that is made between the viewer and the artist is rarely an event where the artist is handy to explain what he meant or what you should be getting out of the image.  That’s a good thing.  I have found good artists won’t go there anyway.  It’s not about what he thinks it is about the viewer’s response to the piece.  The artist can listen and learn if he succeeded or failed in making the statement he was looking for.

It’s said art is a reflection of the world around us and that’s true but the mirror (artist) is working from his paradigm and it may be flawed or tainted by propaganda.

Some of the best films I have ever seen were the silent Russian films.  Sergei Eisenstein made the film, “Battleship Potemkin” in 1925.  If you get a chance to see it go.  But it is 100% communist propaganda.

When we look at negative space we fill in emotions and ideas.  The Rorschach Test is used for this.  From what the person “sees” the doctor can make some determinations what is going on in his mind.

Like the image below, what you see is based in your mind not the artist’s that made it.

So, back to the Chair photograph.  I made it hard to determine what you were really seeing.  I wanted you to look beyond an abandoned room.  There was something there when I took the shot that suggested the final image I created.

Original

Photo lite

My finished piece.

There is no wrong answer but there must be purpose to what we do.