The more personal… the more universal
“When I shared what was deeply personal to me, I was able to tune into what was universally felt by others." Rukmini Poddar says in her brilliant book Draw your Feelings.
As humans we love to feel seen and heard. With art, the more personal it is, the more universal it is to others.
A classic example is this etching of my son when he was just a few years old. I entitled it “new heart” as it captures the overflow of love I felt at becoming a mother.
The artwork which I entitled Paradise also seems to resonate with people. It’s of a very particular place in Kas, Turkey where my dear friend has a home. You walk down the steps from her villa and can step straight into the ocean. It is breathtakingly beautiful.
This is a particular place with particularly strong memories for me and yet so many people have commented on how they can relate to it. How it reminds them of long hot summers spent in the mediterranean; plunging into the salty sea in the heat of the day. So what is so very personal to me turns out to strike a chord in others too.
Emotional Resonance
Art evokes genuine emotion. Different artists can create an artwork on the same particular subject matter but the way we present it and how we feel when create it conveys a certain emotion.
I used this little watercolour painting I did in Spiaggio del Morto, Sardinia as the basis for the painting below entitled "Reverse Beach Day". I love discovering hidden beaches and we happened upon this beauty at my favourite time of the day ... late afternoon when the intensity of the midday sun has passed and you can bathe in the gentle warmth.
The language of emotions is universal and that’s why when it’s personal it’s universal.
Humanising the experience
Personal art brings humanity into the experience for the viewer. So instead of an abstract concept the offering is a piece of the artist themselves. When I first started selling my art I felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable as it felt like putting myself out there to be accepted or rejected. The artist and teacher Nicholas Wilton argues that exposing insecurity is part of strong work. Sharing this experience is hard to do and it creates vulnerability which in itself is connecting and leads to empathy.
Every artist’s perspective is unique
That uniqueness forms part of the tapestry of human expression.
Art is powerful because it moves us, teaches us and inspires us. It has the ability to transcend individual and cultural differences and create connections.
There is a beautiful quote from Barbara Hepworth who said “Art is a universal language…. The only language in which nations can speak together and they don’t quarrel.”
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