Emotionalism Theory

Emotionalism theory is an aesthetic and critical theory of art which is mainly concerned with the expressive qualities of art work. According to the theory, the most important thing about a work of art is the vivid communication of moods, feelings, and ideas.

The theory posits that an artwork can either be shocking or entertaining but will mainly try to provoke you into action or call for your attention to any issue of concern. The artwork can either be realistic or acquire an abstract outlook but the primary objective of the artwork is to get the viewer's attention in a dramatic way and to impact the viewer's emotions. A good emotionalist artwork will succeed in getting the artist's message across.
Pieces of artwork will mainly depict characters showing emotions. Artwork is however classified as emotionalist only if the emotion being expressed was the primary purpose of the artwork.
An example is artwork by David Siqueiros which has been tailored to draw your attention to the horrors of war. A screaming baby's head emerges from the destruction. The artist is making the point that no child could survive in that environment for very long.
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The painting below is a social-protest work of art. It depicts an actual event in history when the French army, led by Napoleon, invaded Spain. The painting shows the merciless French soldiers executing defenseless people at point-blank range.
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This shocking painting by Magritte, entitled The Rape, is intended to illustrate how a woman might be seen as nothing more than a collection of body parts during a sexual assault. The facial features, which are usually associated with a person's identity, have been replaced by genitalia.
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