COLORS * SHAPES * EMOTIONS

Talking about abstract art: If I'd ask you to paint a happy painting, I am pretty sure, most of you wouldn't choose a lot of blacks and browns to paint it. Chances are, I could even predict some of the shapes you wouldn't use and I dare to predict an array of shapes you would use. If I'd ask you to paint a sad painting, once again, I think I'd be able to understand your painting.

How comes??

Is our emotional understanding of colors and shapes one that we share by being human (may it be an evolutionary learning process or not), or is it culturally diverse? And if it was culturally diverse, wouldn't it be likely that we are in the process of developing a common understanding spurred by the spreading of global media like the internet, TV and movies? 

The research is an independent project. If you are interested in sponsorship or affiliation as university or if you are working in a similar field of research, I'd be happy to exchange ideas. If you are a high school and would like to participate in the survey (the survey could be tied to an art class, creative writing class or social studies), please contact me as well.

I have prepared a short series of abstract paintings. They all reflect a variety of emotions. Participants in the survey are supposed to associate stories/emotions with the paintings, while the results are compared and correlated to global media consumption. Invited to participate are school classes with kids age 15-17 from all over the world, in particular such, which do not engage strongly in global media consumption.

 

This research is an on-going active project. It is estimated to run from 2010-2014.

I am currently in the process of collecting data.

If your school would like to participate, you will be provided with a short 2-page questionnaire for the students and  the visual material.