Recently I have been looking deeper into the expression theory and have come across the book Aesthetics by Anne Sheppard and an article by Haig Khatchadourian called The Expression Theory of Art.

In his article Khatchadourian makes the claim that the emotion is not contained within the work of art but in the viewer. This makes sense as a work of art is not conscious being with thoughts and emotions but the person viewing the work of art is. So the artwork, and in relation to this blog and my studies, the photograph acts as the catalyst for the emotion to become experiential within the viewer. Trotsky apparently saw this phenomenon similar to the way an infection or virus can spread, that one person has an emotional reaction to something and then the person next to them can also have the same reaction but is reacting to the person and not the event. I think this might be due to us being social beings and the way we form emotional connections with each other, of how we sense the mood of other people.

Sheppard in her book mainly concentrates on what is being expressed and makes a point that is similar to Khatchadourian in that it’s the arrangement of the subject matter that transmits a catalyst for the emotion to arise in the viewer and so it’s not the emotion itself. Again, she makes the point that we pick up on social clues that we relate to that triggers an emotional response.

Both of these people confirm by view that what is transmitted is a pseudo emotion and not the emotion itself. This is because the photograph is an inanimate object without any emotions but because of its veracity and the strength of the imitation theory within the image can intensify the way that an emotion is expressed, which then triggers an emotional response from the viewer. So, in effect, the expression theory doesn’t work in isolation but uses the imitation theory to express a pseudo emotion within the photograph that the viewer reacts to.

Next on the agenda is to carry on reading further about the imitation theory. I raided the library just before Christmas for art theory books, which contain more information about the imitation theory. I think I also need to start writing about this theory to give myself some clarification and to see just how valid this theory about the pseudo emotion could be.