384   PICTURES
THE ARTISTS PURPOSE
The purpose of an artist in painting a picture is to express him-
self and to communicate his idea to others. The artist does not
want, to make literal copies of persons or things; a camera and
color film can do this far more quickly and faithfully than he.
Artists are sensitive and keen observers of man's relation to his
environment. They are able to recbgnize man's vital experiences
and to portray them in such a way that/ others, too, can see their
significance. Artists also interpret the physical aspects of their
environment, making others more aware and more appreciative of
the character and beauty of their surroundings.
A picture is the means of communication between artist and
observer. The artist hopes that when the observer sees his picture
he will have the same feeling about it that the artist had. Some
artists aim only to arouse the observer and please him; others try
to convey their own thoughts to him. Some artists seek to in-
fluence the observer's opinions, possibly on social, political, or
religious matters. Propaganda is a legitimate goal provided that
the picture is primarily a work of art.
An exhibition of paintings showing the work of many artists
usually includes a rich variety of approaches and effects. Each
painter has a personal interpretation of the scene about him. He
often selects subjects and 'experiences that are ordinarily over-
looked. He emphasizes those phases of life or of painting that
interest him the most. Some artists stress subject matter, others
stress esthetic values; others achieve a happy blending of both.
Artists who emphasize man and his problems might portray, for
example, the basic needs of mankind, or uncommon human ex-
periences, or human dreams, or social injustices. Other artists
might put the emphasis on man's surroundings, with pictures call-
ing attention to unusual color or form combinations in nature or
the strength of the elements or the power of growth in the soil or
merely the beauty of common objects. Other artists might em-
phasize esthetic problems such as the control of movement and
tension or ways to achieve the order and rhythm that are funda-
mental in nature. Painters of non-objective pictures have only
esthetic problems to consider, for their abstractions do not repre-
sent natural objects.