Empathicism - Painting Outside the Lines

By Ross Allen

"Abraham's Anguish" - A man succumbed by anguish.

Looking at paintings by the masters of old, you can't help but see how their style and impact has echoed through the ages.  The strokes, subjects and execution shown in their bodies of work created inspirational principles that artists have carried and passed for hundreds of years.

From various times, movements and styles, painters have been immortalized through their transference of the passion they feel in their lives; The pain and anguish of Van Gogh's psychosis bleeds onto the canvas, forming bright and heavy color swirls of movement and life, giving the viewer the power and passion (and perhaps even joy) required to appreciate his "Wheat Field with Crows."   With "Empathicism," creator LORD TOPH imbues traces of his predecessors through visceral depictions of emotion that lays claim to a new style, by paying attention to the styles before it.

Style is usually depicted with a tangibly evident formula.  Much like a martial art, there is movement, formation, philosophy, execution, and even an expected range of outcome.  Empathicism began with the combination of various styles (expressionism, impressionism, abstraction, to name a few), culminating in each style supporting the framework in the philosophy of its visual empathy; to convey specific emotions to the viewer, every time.  As we all feel the same emotions, the same emotion can affect each person differently.  Empathicism allows for the potency of other styles to reflect visual emotion, as multiple feelings can be experienced from one depicted emotion, as well as its inherited styles.

Take for instance LORD TOPH's painting, "Abraham's Anguish," the first painting of the "Expressions of Empathy" series, and the first painting of Empathicism.  This painting portrays a man named Abraham (no direct connection to the biblical Abraham) who is personified by his own tormenting anguish.  Monochromatic colors of blue, purple and green swirl and surround Abraham, whose face encompasses almost the entire painting.  Before I get any more descriptive into the underlying context and the all out formula of the painting (and I can) it is most important for me to accredit this work to another poignant piece in artistic foundation; Edvard Munch's "The Scream."

Edvard Munch's creation of "The Scream" came from his evening walk on a bridge overlooking Oslofjord, Norway.  According to Munch himself, he was walking with his friends, when he stopped to witness what he heard was "Nature's Scream.". The now painting shows the blood red sunset covering the skyline, depicting the bloodshed of nature and the ominous figure (perhaps a personification of Munch himself or Nature) in complete and utter fear and agony - a tell-tale sign of Empathicism indeed.

LORD TOPH's "Abraham's Anguish" was not directly influenced by "The Scream." Yet, like Munch, LORD TOPH concentrates on various styles, influences and emotion to convey a specific emotion that encompasses both the painting and the viewer.  Both paintings carry an abstraction in execution to exemplify the potency of emotion.  Both paintings show the subject in distress and anguish, giving a human perspective that directly connects us with the paining.  Both paintings also use a color application that psychologically articulates the mood and tone of their worlds.  So why would "Abraham's Anguish" not simply be a form of Expressionist painting, such as Munch's "The Scream?"

Keep in mind, Munch didn't initially create "The Scream" as a precursor or even a starting point for Expressionism.  He was a powerful enough painter and individual to portray life devoid of the lines and boundaries that we use to describe it.  Through the power of emotion, color, and human relation, a foundation for artistic connection was born, separated from reality.  LORD TOPH's founding of Empathicism creates artistic freedom specified by emotion and communicative direction.  If you see aspects of Expressionism, impressionism, Kandinsky, Klimt, or even Munch, any and all aspects serve to tell the underlying story of emotion.  It may be the "Style of no Style" philosophy, of simply LORD TOPH's unconscious deliberation of the masters before him.

And if so, I don't think they would mind - what would be the point of their legacy, if they did?

Indiscriminate Instinct: Exploring LORD TOPH’s Third Volume of “Empathicism”

Hunger (Oil on Canvas) - Two fierce wolves close in on unsuspecting prey.

Instinct
(in•stinct/ˈinstiNGkt/)  Noun:
1. An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli: "predatory instincts".
2. A natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking: "rely on your instincts.”

 The theory and study of “instinct” in regards to humans has been a continual and multifaceted topic for almost one-hundred and fifty years (according to Wikipedia, and other reputable sources). It is widely stated that humans are born, grow, communicate, and survive through an unconscious and reflexive make-up that we now call instinct; collectively processing our survival as second nature. With humans being the highest intelligent living organism on this planet (as far as we know), there has been an undeniable evolution that has separated us drastically from all other creatures; the psyche. LORD TOPH’s third entry into his “Expressions of Empathy,” series, “Human Nature Vs. The Nature of the Human” shows that the line between humans and animals is as colorfully blurred as the line between instinct and psyche.

The Gray Wolf; an apex predator that can survive in even the harshest of the world’s environments. With the right coat, prepping them in their habitat, a group relies on the strength, intelligence, and unity of others in their family to survive. When there is the threat of their family and loved ones, they will defend themselves and attack anything of any size, without hesitation. Intelligent and strategic, the strongest will assume dominance of the group, as it will be most advantageous to the procurement of food and shelter. Now, taking away the first sentence of this paragraph, would this be any less accurate if I were speaking of the average human household?

LORD TOPH’s third volume of Empathicism continues the defining of his style, showing the nature and instinct of humans and animals as indistinguishable. The will to survive is an irremovable fixture in their design. With evolution, and humans having developed the intellect, emotions are now incorporated within our everyday life. Empathy, being a bi-product of emotion, works as man-kind’s way of understanding others emotion in relation to itself.  Considering our vast intelligence, humans (unlike many animals) have the uncommon ability to self-sustain individually. In most parts of the world, food, shelter and overall sustainability is quite achievable, or at the very least, a lot less hard to acquire. In areas or habitats where this is not the case, human’s innately resort to their instincts to survive; hunting, gathering, mating, communication, collective thinking (packs or families), submission to the “Alpha”, and when considering our evolved intelligence – empathy.

There is a painting in LORD TOPH’s “Human Nature Vs. Nature of the Human” entitled “Hunger.” Hunger is a large-scale painting (approx. 6.5’ x 8’) that depicts two wolves encroaching on unsuspecting prey, over the broken and shattered surface of an iced-over body of water. The prey itself is not depicted in the painting, yet is evident in the presence of its attackers. Monochromatic as a whole, LORD TOPH’s use of the color blue encompasses almost the entire painting, expressing a cold, harsh, and unforgiving environment where resources would are scarce. The thickness of the icy surface is made with bold, almost unattractive strokes and lines, which emphasize the blunt and brutal habitat these animals must fight to survive. Throughout history, survival is mastered among the living, when Mother Nature becomes her most aggressive.
Contrasting the large and uninterrupted strokes of the land, the wolves themselves are comprised of thin, blended lines of blues, blacks, whites, and reddish-browns. The mixed colors provide density to the fur, much needed in so cold a place, and the layers of blue show the freezing impact the environment has taken on them.

Where the hunger in the piece really sets in though, is in the appearance and movement of the wolves themselves. Although large in scale to show the presence of the apex-predator, the wolves are gaunt, slender, and elongated. With lack of resources being their biggest adversary, their slender builds gives them sharper movement, reflexes to hunt, and most dangerously, the mentality of desperation.

LORD TOPH was careful, perhaps even calculative to show the importance of resilience in life, against an equally resilient environment. The placement of the younger wolf following a step behind the older alpha shows structure and order between the two. The phallic of the younger wolf can be fully seen, to exemplify virility and vigor. The details of their intense hunger is emotionally depicted in the wolves focused, dead-panned eyes, and their open mouths breathing heated breaths of anticipation, against the dry, cold air. Their easy stride shows that they have not yet been seen, as they silently and carefully encroach on what is to be their next meal. The feeling of hunger's one of the most basic and inescapable feelings in all living things. Be it minuet or extreme, resourcefulness instinctively kicks in, and quickly encompasses our thoughts, drive, emotions, and actions. The wolves are the apex predator of almost all environments they dwell in. Considering the indiscriminate nature of the wild, the hunger in them creates an absolution in its being; to continue to survive, at any cost necessary.

Being the only work in the collection portraying animals in their most natural (and I dare say, realistic) state, Hunger stands alone. The rest of LORD TOPH’s “Human Nature Vs. Nature of the Human” follows suite in the emotional depth of connection, but layers it further into the fantastic; depicting mainly humanoid animals, and how their instincts intertwine with the emotional dynamics of humans. Such examples are; “Preying on Innocence” (A formally dressed Coyote following two young sheep, dressed as schoolgirls), “Among Friends” (An obese man is surrounded by farm pigs, while nude and eating slop out of a bowl off the ground), and “Under Pressure” (An enormous elephant creates cracks and fissures under her weight, as she struggles to fit in a glamorous but undersized skirt and high-heels). These are a few in the large collection of works, but the attention to stroke, subject, scale, color and emotion is most certainly applied. LORD TOPH has started what all artists might initially aspire for, but rarely achieve; creating an artistic formula devoid of structure – a psychological chasm illuminated by emotion.

Ross Allen - Monté CrisToph Multimedia Inc.
www.montecristoph.com
www.lordtophart.com

The Theory Behind Empathicism

A Brief Summary on the Theory Behind “Empathicism" Empathicism - A new style that due to time, and exposure, can bloom into a new movement in the world of art. Founded by LORD TOPH, "Empathicism" presents itself as empathy interpreted through the painting's subject matter, color, size, title and even stroke application. This will obviously raise questions in the art world as to whether or not a style can derive from something that is based on our emotional conscience. The Empathicist Technique: Thematic as opposed to schematic. The aim is to inspire an emotional experience, as opposed to thought. Feeling is the catalyst, as opposed to thought in expressionism. So, the whole technique is developed from the mind's eye, often times without the use of a sketch or prior study. The principle behind Empathicism, is to trigger a universal emotion in the viewer that arises almost unconsciously, thus confirming the painting as having a defining execution. For example, if a picture is saying a thousand words, then Empathicism would be saying a thousand specific words. Of course, any work of art is, and should be open for interpretation, as should emotion. With Empathicism, every stroke, and every aspect of the work contributes to empathy. In Expressionism, you are conveying a style, by painting from feeling. Whereas, in Empathicism, you are painting from feeling to convey an emotion. Often times, this is expressed or exclaimed far more clearly in a work’s title. In Empathicism, a painting's title is illustrated by what is occurring in the piece. The titles are chosen from relatable emotional experiences or topics.

The Aim of Empathicism

A fine art style can easily establish a point of view well enovgh to steer a conversation, or set a complete atmosphere in a room. Yet often times, translation of svbject or theme is lost long before it can svccessfvlly garner an emotional connection from, and with the viewer. Many artists have fallen short of their initial goal of expressing inspiration by being confined within the laws of techniqve. The aim of Empathicism is to serve as a condvit of emotional energy being conveyed from artist, to canvas, to the viewer.