39. Challenge - 7: How do you Draw Emotions.

A long time ago, in one of the first posts, I started showing Victor's drawings about various human states and emotions: Patience, Doubt, Despair, etc. He didn't necessary try to draw these particular feelings. As usually, when I gave him a theme based on something we talked about, or something I've experienced on that day, he would pick something from his work, name it accordingly, and send to me. Throughout the last couple of months, I received a few more of his drawings that fit this category.

When I give Victor a theme, I never know what to expect. I am thinking about a word, or an idea, in a certain way, but very rarely he finds something that matches my expectations. This is good, I guess, meaning his art is original and not predictable. More often he surprises me finding a totally unexpected twist of the theme I "assign." He may turn it into a joke, or play with words, or present some weird aspect of that very idea.

I gave him a theme - "Tenderness." I definitely didn't expect this, although I was amazed that in spite of ugliness and un-humanness of the creatures he drew, the feeling is so obvious here!

"Tenderness"

"Нежность"

Strangely, no twist in the following drawing. Or did I miss it?

"Jealousy"

"Ревность"

The following is not a drawing, but an applique. It is Victor's response to my theme "Remorse." In Russian, it is two words that would be closer translated as "gnawing of conscience." I couldn't argue with it, because we clearly see at least gnawing... I asked Victor when and why he made it, and he answered that it was a long time ago, when he was actually bitten by a dog.



"Gnawing of Conscience"

"Угрызения Совести"

The next theme was "Selfishness," or "Egotism." That's what Victor sent to me:

"Egotism"

"Егоизм"

I said that it wouldn't work: clearly, I meant this at a personal level, not in the political sense. Next day he sent me another version. I remember this drawing since the 1990's, and I doubt it had anything to do with selfishness. But surprisingly, if you think about it, it really does.

 

"Egotism"

"Егоизм"