Art should simultaneously stimulate and relax the viewer. That is, it should be interesting enough to look at for a long time without jarring them or putting them to sleep. Nonetheless, like any broad, sweeping statements, there are degrees and variations of preference: some prefer their art on the soothing side, and some prefer something more dynamic.

Creating something calming seems fairly straightforward. All you need to do is follow classic aesthetic principles and strive for harmony, symmetry, and simplicity. Meanwhile, creating something dynamic may also do that but try to capture some sense of energy, light, or motion as well.

When you look at a picture, your eyes should follow some kind of path in towards the center of interest. There should be a story, a direction, a mystery – something that intrigues you enough to keep looking at it. There are also mechanical tricks, like darkening the corners or adding "framing" elements to lock the viewer in, and then you entertain them with color, forms, and composition.

The Energy Art Manifesto states that "There are five important criteria, or attributes of artworks, by which they may be judged: color, form, composition, inventiveness, expression." This article will explore each attribute and examine how dynamism is achieved.

Color
One of the impressionist's tricks was to place contrasting colors – purple and yellow, red and green, blue and orange – close together, which seems to increase the radiance as each fights for dominance. Using the entire rainbow spectrum also creates a sense of light or energy.



In the examples above, See Emily Play by *Zooreka on the left uses a neon-bright rainbow of color, with some neon orange slicing through the blue and red cutting into green. On the right, =freys' Holding Fire uses two dominant colors: blue and orange, but in near-equal weight with subtle strokes of purple, yellow, red, and green throughout.

Form

Aesthetic guidelines suggest that one should create a center – or two – of interest where the high-contrast detail lives and have everything radiate from that center, like a bull's eye. Dynamic forms tend to not let the eye rest and direct it from one place to another.



In *giorjoe's Dynamic Stillness II, there is no immediately obvious element on which one should focus, unlike the classic idea of a still life where the subject is typically a placid, domestic scene. Even the brushstrokes tablecloth and backdrop direct the eye to keep moving and jumping from one object to the next. The left-hand bowl of fruit is the most complex and the eye is drawn towards it but is then quickly led away. As in the previous examples, the rainbow colors are all equally weighted with oranges next to blues and reds next to greens.

*Laurazee's Granville Island II also uses bright color and incorporates a variety of contrasting and distorted shapes - triangles, rectangles, arches, and ovals - to lead the eye on a wandering path through the scenery and back again.

In contrast is the starkness of *cyanidetictac's My mind is full of razors , which definitely has the eye as a focal point. The counterbalance is the tendrils leading away from the eye and towards the dark spaces on the right hand side, but the viewer keeps coming back to the eye. The eye's almond shape, along with the black pupil's circular shape, is repeated in the negative spaces from the tendrils and in the growths above the eye in the upper left hand corner

Composition

Diagonal compositions tend to appear more dynamic. Triangular compositions (isosceles) are supposed to be more aesthetically pleasing, but something that stretches from one corner to the opposite corner seems to add urgency and speed. The diagonal is the longest possible line in a canvas. As well, radial compositions add a spiralling element that makes the eye roam.



Wild Impression by ~artistwilder uses light and dust to show the horses galloping from far left to far right. She has also darkened the bottom left and top right corners to emphasize the diagonal path.

Abstract….21 by *Xantipa2 has both a diagonal and radial composition with the dual spiral effect from the left-leaning axis. People tend to look from left to right, so it feels like the axis is leaning or falling towards us. The ribbons entwined in the spiral breaks up the regularity and give the eye a detour path from the axis around in a circle and back up the axis.

Inventiveness

Inventiveness is how one portrays a subject in a unique or intriguing way. Use of dramatic lighting, unusual angles, unconventional poses, and imaginative detail help enliven a picture.



Chasitity...2 by ~Xantipa2-2D3DPhotoM uses a dramatic "in flight pose" and swirling light – normally, one might expect chastity would be posed demurely and modestly. The figure is positioned as if we are looking up at her and into the light, so there is a sense of rising above. It also uses a diagonal composition and a constantly-moving center of interest.

*Migueltio uses a similar perspective in The Journey After, though with many more figures in flight, all drawing the eye upwards. There is a lighter color in the center of the canvas reinforces the rapid path from the graveyard below to the stars above.

Expression

Expression is a quality of execution: directional brushstrokes, texture, and perhaps the sense of rapid application to express the artist's emotions or convey their passion for the subject.



Minerva by =joereimer uses a "loaded brush" technique to apply multiple colors of paint at once. The heavy texture adds another element of interest because the brushstrokes are visible and indicate movement, almost like parentheses. The paint drips add to the feeling of quickness, improvisation. The contrasting colors also add to the vibrancy.

In contrast, Flight 3, Sero by *Cysquatch is a slightly more studied piece that was, in fact, done in one sitting. He creates a meandering path through the canvas with detours and interruptions. The curving, sinuous layers of lines and strokes evoke smoke tendrils and each brushstroke leads to the next.

In conclusion, artists may use a combination of color, form, and composition to create a sense of light and energy. They may also challenge classic aesthetic values by changing points of view or poses to make the viewer feel as if the subject is moving before their eyes. Some viewers may also grasp how a piece was created by examining brushstrokes and texture to get an even greater sense of urgency. The use of any of the above techniques can help increase the visual dynamism of a piece by increasing the higher values of inventiveness and expression.

For more information on Energy Art, please visit the *EnergyArtClub page.