The Power of Gesture in Original Art

Detail from "Ephemeral"

What does gesture reveal about the artist?

Throughout art history, movement has been a painter’s silent language: from the refined brushstrokes of Rembrandt and Velázquez to the outstanding energy of Turner's brushwork. t has always revealed the artist’s presence; a visible trace of thought, emotion, and movement left upon the canvas.

As painting evolved, this language grew louder. In the 20th century, abstract expressionists such as Pollock, de Kooning and Franz Kline transformed mark-making into the very subject of their work. It was no longer a means to depict something, but it became the artwork itself. Every stroke carried emotion, rhythm and the raw immediacy of creation.

Can gesture have a place within realism?

Even in artworks that lean toward realism, this expressive element does not disappear. It simply becomes more subtle. The flow of a brush, the vibration of a line or the texture of a surface can all carry emotional weight.

In my own seascapes, movement often guides the composition even before form appears. It shapes the way light moves, the water flows and the position of the horizon.. It’s the dialogue between control and intuition, the point where realism and expressionism merge, each enhancing the other’s truth.

What happens when motion becomes language?

For me, painting begins where perception meets instinct. It’s the fine line between what is seen and what is felt. When I paint, the hand responds not to the image but to the energy beneath it. The rhythm of water, the pull of gravity, the quiet resistance of the surface.

A brushstroke becomes a sentence, a pause, a breath. Each one carries emotion, sometimes calm, sometimes tension, but always truth,

When a tool becomes an extension of touch

Over time, as a painter dives deeper into their soul, tools stop feeling like objects and start feeling like extensions of thought. Yet, there are moments when even the best brush cannot contain what the gesture demands.

Then instinct takes over. It is the moment when the painter improvises, simply because the available tools are not enough. The only solution is to revert to the sponge, the rag, or even the bare hand itself, allowing the emotion to be carried onto the canvas as raw and true as possible.

These improvisations come from necessity, not choice. They appear when the emotion needs a new shape, when the mark needs to breathe in a different way.

How do we unlearn control?

Academic training gave me structure, but it also built invisible walls. I learned precision, but I lost spontaneity. Unlearning this has been one of the hardest — and most necessary — parts of my journey. I am still working through it, still learning, and haven’t yet reached the place I hope to arrive one day. Overcoming myself is my strongest motivation to keep creating.

To paint freely means to accept imperfection (you can read about that here). It means trusting the gesture even when it feels uncertain, allowing that uncertainty to lead the way and experience the unbelievable joy of this freedom.

The balance between control and surrender in original art

There’s a fragile point where control and spontaneity meet. That’s where artistic creation truly happens. Too much of one, and the work stiffens; too much of the other, and it loses coherence.

Each painting is an attempt to find that balance. It’s a dialogue, not a plan. Sometimes I lead, sometimes the brush leads. Whenever this happens though, it feels like magic.

Can a single brushstroke hold emotion?

A line carries emotion the way voice carries tone. A trembling edge or a sudden shift in pressure, they both reveal what words cannot. The canvas absorbs these moments and gives them back to the viewer as feeling.

That’s why gesture matters in original art. It creates a bond between artist and viewer, a silent understanding that doesn’t need translation or further explanation.

Where does the mark lead?

I no longer try to predict the direction of my work, even if it is easier said than done , at times. I keep reminding myself that each mark has its own logic, its own path and I respect it. Sometimes it may lead toward complexity, sometimes toward simplicity, but always toward honesty.

In the end, the language of painting reveals not what we plan to say, but what we are. Gesture is where emotion becomes visible. It is the soul translated into motion.

I appreciate you joining me in this reflection. I’d be really happy to read your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. After all, every perspective adds to the dialogue of art.

Until next tide🌊