Communication of Emotion

As I’ve stated several times before, art is a powerful form of communication. And Tolstoy’s discussion on art as more than the mere expression of emotion is quite cogent. However, his ideas tend to imply that the communication is transference of emotion rather than a communicative dialogue. By portraying anger, the artist doesn’t necessarily have to be meaning the communication of anger. Rather, he opens up a channel for a mutual dialogue that may extend to several types of emotions and paths of thought. Successful art is less a simple communiqué and more of an invitation to dance, each participant, artist and audience, contributing his or her emotional steps to the overall movement.