Here are 10 tips for artists who want to make their work feel more existential, emphasizing themes like meaning, absurdity, mortality, isolation, and freedom:
- Confront Mortality Visually
Introduce subtle or symbolic references to death—withered flowers, empty chairs, fading light, old hands, etc.—to evoke impermanence and the inevitability of death. - Depict Solitude Instead of Loneliness
Paint solitary figures not as tragic but as self-aware, reflecting the existential idea that solitude is the price—and privilege—of individual freedom. - Use Ambiguous Settings
Avoid clear time or place markers. Deserted interiors, dreamlike landscapes, or vague cityscapes can heighten the sense of dislocation and existential estrangement. - Express the Absurd Through Juxtaposition
Pair incongruent elements—a suited man standing in a swamp, a child holding an hourglass—to capture the absurdity of human attempts at meaning-making. - Work with Limited or Stark Color Palettes
Monochromes, desaturated tones, and contrasts between light and shadow can reinforce themes of seriousness, melancholy, or existential tension. - Focus on the Gaze
Give subjects inward-looking or ambiguous expressions. Are they searching? Resigned? These choices invite the viewer into the mystery of their inner life. - Embrace Imperfection and Process
Let brushstrokes, drips, or partially unfinished areas show. This echoes the existential idea that meaning is created in process, not achieved as perfection. - Incorporate Emptiness and Negative Space
Use blank areas intentionally. Emptiness can be as meaningful as what is depicted—suggesting absence, silence, or the void. - Allow Symbols to Remain Unresolved
Resist neat symbolism. Let objects or settings carry multiple or contradictory meanings to mirror the complexity of existence. - Explore the Human Condition without Sentimentality
Paint ordinary people in ordinary postures—waiting, sitting, thinking, aging—but do it without cliché or romanticism. Show being, not drama.