Perceiving with More Than Your Eyes

(Paraphrased from Art: Images and Ideas by Laura H. Chapman)

Your senses work together to give your mind information. This process is called multisensory association (“multi” means many). Some music, for example, is hard to enjoy if you sit perfectly still. It makes you want to dance and sing along with it.

Some art is hard to appreciate unless you see and “feel” the action. The action might come from implied movement of lines or the “push and pull” of intense colors. It might come from the swirling or gliding qualities of brushstrokes.

Check for understanding:

Select your favorite sport or physical activity. Create a drawing that communicates one of the main sets of motions in the sport. Do this in a nonobjective drawing. Do not show a person or any athletic equipment.