When an Image Feels Like It Is Looking Back
There are moments when an artwork feels uncannily personal, as if it were responding directly to the viewer rather than existing independently on the wall. Symbolic art often creates this sensation because it does not offer fixed narratives or closed meanings. Instead, it opens space for interpretation, allowing emotional material to move freely between image and observer. When I work with symbolic figures, botanica, and liminal forms, I am intentionally leaving doors open. The image becomes a surface where inner experience can land and be reflected back with surprising intimacy.
Emotional Projection as a Human Instinct
Emotional projection is not a flaw in perception but a fundamental psychological process. We constantly project feelings, fears, and desires onto people, situations, and objects in order to make sense of the world. Symbolic art activates this instinct by withholding literal explanation and inviting the psyche to complete the image. When a figure has no fixed identity or a bloom glows without context, the viewer fills in the gaps with their own emotional language. The artwork feels personal because it is partially authored by the one who is looking.
Why Ambiguity Creates Intimacy
Clear, literal imagery often tells the viewer what to think or feel, leaving little room for internal dialogue. Symbolic art does the opposite by embracing ambiguity as a form of emotional hospitality. In my work, petals may behave like gestures, eyes may resemble portals, and bodies may dissolve into atmosphere rather than remain anatomically precise. This openness allows the image to adapt to the viewer’s inner state. The same artwork can feel comforting one day and unsettling the next, not because it has changed, but because the viewer has.
The Image as an Emotional Mirror
Symbolic imagery functions much like a mirror, though it reflects emotion rather than appearance. When someone stands in front of a symbolic artwork, they often recognise feelings before they recognise forms. A glowing seed may feel like hope, vulnerability, or potential depending on what the viewer is carrying inside. A shadowed figure may evoke protection for one person and isolation for another. The artwork does not impose meaning; it reveals what is already present in the psyche.
Projection and the Sense of Being Seen
One reason symbolic art can feel so intimate is that projection creates the illusion of being understood. When a viewer recognises their own emotional state within an image, it can feel as though the artwork has named something they could not articulate. This moment of recognition is powerful because it bypasses language and moves directly into sensation. The artwork feels personal not because it depicts the viewer’s life, but because it resonates with their internal reality. It becomes a quiet witness rather than a statement.
Why Symbolic Figures Invite Identification
Symbolic figures often lack specific identities, which makes them emotionally accessible. When a figure is not clearly defined by age, role, or narrative, it becomes easier to inhabit. In my work, figures exist as emotional bodies rather than characters, shaped by glow, shadow, and botanical presence. Viewers may see themselves in these forms, not visually, but emotionally. Identification emerges through feeling rather than resemblance, allowing the artwork to become a shared psychological space.
The Role of Memory and Subconscious Associations
Projection is deeply tied to memory and subconscious association. Colours, shapes, and textures carry emotional histories that differ from person to person. A particular shade of red may recall warmth for one viewer and intensity or danger for another. Symbolic art activates these associations without directing them, allowing memory to surface organically. The image becomes a catalyst rather than a container, stirring emotional material that feels personal precisely because it comes from within.
Why Symbolic Art Continues to Change Over Time
Because projection depends on the viewer’s inner state, symbolic art rarely feels static. As emotional landscapes shift, so does the relationship to the image. What once felt distant may suddenly feel intimate, and what once felt soothing may begin to feel charged. This ongoing transformation is part of what gives symbolic art its lasting presence. The artwork grows alongside the viewer, reflecting different aspects of the self at different moments.
When Art Becomes a Space for Inner Dialogue
Ultimately, symbolic art feels personal because it creates a space for inner dialogue rather than delivering conclusions. It does not ask to be understood in one way, but to be entered repeatedly with curiosity and openness. Emotional projection is not something that happens to the artwork; it is something that happens through it. In this exchange, the image becomes less an object and more a meeting place, where inner experience is allowed to surface, shift, and be quietly acknowledged.
