Seeing Feelings

In his books psychologist Nathanial Brandon writes that visibility is the most central of human social needs. The need to feel seen and part of the world is key to our sense of belonging. Having a person’s attention directly on us is reassurance of our existence at the least, and feels like love at its best. The more and better we feel seen the more we feel loved. An abusive relationship is often sustained by the feeling the person sees you better than others, and though this may be an illusion, the level of attention makes it persuasive. Bad attention is better than no attention. To feel invisible is to disappear to ourselves. We use others’ attitude toward us to locate ourselves in the scene, feel the rippling outward of our presence in the surroundings. How others react to us affects us on a primal level the emotional center of which was seeded in being noticed or not noticed when we cried as babies. Understanding ourselves is our central mystery. Relationships with others aren’t the only way to see ourselves. Within the murky land of unnamed feelings is what matters to us. Responding to art and the particular images that attract reveals what is significant and meaningful to us. When an image strikes a chord it’s because it feels like someone has articulated. a personal truth . Bringing this to conscious awareness is knowledge of the deep structures that organize response to the world. The life of feeling is the living center of art. As philosopher Susanne Langer wrote, “Art looks like feelings feel.” Looking through an art book is not so much about pictures as experiencing moments of shared feeling. Being moved by an artist’s work is connection between human beings about something that mattered to both of them. Response to art mirrors the heart. To identify with the feeling may excavate a shared pain or fear. Art is not just about culture, it’s about psychology. When Edward Munch’s “The Scream” was stolen people were upset. It wasn’t just because of its value to culture but about their personal connection to the emotion in that image (There are four versions two of which have been stolen.) It is consoling and illuminating when intense emotions have been shared and recognized. It affirms our most personal experience and engagement with that feeling.