The expression of emotion in pictures

Abstract

AbstractThe analysis of expression of emotion in pictures has been comparatively overlooked in the philosophy of art. Typically treated as an extension of the problem of expressive music, the notion of an ‘expressive picture’ is here considered as an independent problem which may or may not generalise to other sense‐based media. The paper surveys the extant views, attempting to dispel some confusion in regard to how these accounts overlap, intersect or resist one another. Thus, it is organised around mapping the key theories into groups in order to identify major disagreements that are frustrating progress in current research. For example, there is disagreement concerning whether or not there need be an identifiable expresser for the picture to be expressive of an emotion. While most theorists accept that there are occasions where expressers seem ineliminable to the expression—such as in expressive portraiture—most would reject the idea that a picture expresses only if there is an expresser. This paper emphasises the tension generated by this aspect of the debate. In the concluding section, I recommend a reframing move that will allow us to treat this seemingly intractable disagreement in a productive way.