Jenness Cortez, 2015

THE LEGEND MAKERS
acrylic on mahogany panel
24 x 36 in
(60.96h x 91.44w cm)

What makes us give our attention to a painting? What makes exploring it a pleasure?  Let’s look at the science.

We human beings have brains that consist of two halves, each with different functions.  The right brain thinks in holistic pictures and is the source of intuition, and the left brain organizes, categorizes, retrieves memories and employs logic.  Together the two halves create our experience of the world.

When we look at a realist painting we first respond to light and color, then to a general recognition of the visual imagery; we see a horse or a landscape, for instance, that’s our right brain at work.  Then we start processing the details (what kind of horse; which landscape), as well as the memories and emotions those details trigger.  That’s the left brain’s contribution.

All that can happen quickly.  But what makes us want to linger and enjoy the picture?  It seems that both brains must find reward in the explorations.  That’s why my paintings strive first to be beautiful, but always give the left brain an intriguing storyline to consider.
 

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