The Expression of Emotion in the Visual Arts

by Derek Matravers (editor), Vanessa Brassey (editor)

The visual arts have long been held to have an intimate link with the emotions. Despite this, the topic remains underexplored; when the expression of emotion is discussed it is usually in relation to music.

This volume corrects this lacuna and presents a variety of perspectives on the expression of emotion in the visual arts with contributions from both established and early career academics. There are chapters on the empathy theory of beauty; enaction and artistic expression; emotion and experimental psychology; a 'persona' theory of visual expression; and self-expression in portraiture. There are also chapters discussing the contributions to the topic by of Susanne Langer and Richard Wollheim, as well as a chapter comparing the work of R.G. Collingwood and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.

The Expression of Emotion in the Visual Arts will be of interest to students and researchers in the philosophy of art and aesthetics as well as those interested in conceptual issues in the visual arts.

170 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2024