Emotional Expression Essay, Research Paper
Throughout life, clothing and body language are often utilized
as sources of emotional expression. These emotions can also be
portrayed in literaray works and artisitic displays, such as those of
Poe, Baudelaire, Manet, and Warhol. In Poe?s ?Man of the Crowd,?
there are several descriptions of different types of people based on
their appearances, but one particular man is focused on by the narrator
due to his unique appearance. Baudelaire?s ?The Painter of Modern
Life? emphasizes the emotional expressions of beauty and fashion
expressed in art. Manet is an artist who paints scenes to his liking.
All of his works were done in his studio and set up the way that he
wanted them. He holds a particular focus on men and women and the
relationship between them. The positions and clothing that the men and
women are set up in hold strong emotional implications about their
feelings towards one another and the emotions involved in the social
setting.
The opening of ?The Man of the Crowd,? describes the emotions
involved in untold secrets and the deepest of crimes; there are
internal conflicts, struggles, anxieties, and agonous results due to the
horror of the unsolvable crimes. The possibility of these crimes is
introduced through the man of the crowd through his unseemingly
unidentifiable expression The narrator describes his thoughts of this
man as:
There arose confusedly and paradoxically within my mind, the ideas of
vast mental power, of caution, of penuriousness, of avarice, of
coolness, of malice, of blood-thirtstiness, of triumph, of merriment, of
excessive terror, of intense – of supreme despair. I felt singularly
aroused, startled, fascinated. ?How wild a history,? I said to myself,
?is written within that bosom!?
Although the narrator had never spoken to this man of the crowd, he was
compelled to follow him based on his expression that had never been
viewed by the narrator. He continued to follow the man of the crowd,
noticing his patterns of following people by the mass and his shambled
cloting and he concluded that he ?[was] the type and genious of deep
crime. He refuses to be alone.?
Prior to viewing the man of the crowd, the narrator observed
several different types of people, all of which were able to be ?read?
through their outward appearances.. The most numerous amount of
individuals were business men. The first type of business men ?[had]
brows [that were knit, and their eyes rolled quickly.? They were also
not distracted nor distraught when they were pushed around by men of
their sort. It was concluded by the narrator from these characteristics
that those men were content and ?seemed to be thinking only of making
their way through the press.? The second type of business men conveyed
a different type of body language; they were restless, had flushed
faces, and talked and motioned to thesmselves. Their motions would
increase in number in addition to an overdone smile, when they were
jostled and they would bow apologetically to the jostlers. Their
movements indicated to the narrator that they felt alone as a result of
the large crowd surrounding them. These movements sounded to me as
though the business men were insecure in their actions and motioned to
themselves for purposes of reassurement. Their apologetic motions were
for purposes of acceptance of themselves to the rest of the crowd. Both
types of businessmen were concluded to be independent, ?decent,? and
men who were responsible for conducting their own business. These men?s
professions were also identified as noblemen, merchants, attorneys,
tradesmen, and stock-jobbers through their actions and body language.
Clerks were other individuals who were able to be recognized
through their outward appearances. The ?junior? clerks were ?young
gentlemen with tight coats, bright boots, well - oiled hair, and
supercilious lips.? They were also perceived as frequently working at
desks and it was concluded that they ?were the cast - off graces of the
gentry.? These men appear to be well groomed and wearing the latest
fashions. They are trying to impress others and the ?deskism? described
by the narrator shows that they are hard workers. The supercilious lips
of the clerks places an emphasis upon the clerk?s mouths. This is
important because the clerks use the words from their mouths to sell and
to make an impression upon others. They appear to be aggresive
because of their supercilious lips and their bold clothing. They also
appear to be ambitious due to the appearance of them constantly working
at desks. The ?upper clerks? were
"known by their coats and pantaloons of black or brown, made to sit
comfortably, with white cravats and waistcoats, broad solid looking
shoes, and thick hose or gaiters. They had all slightly bald heads,
from which the right ears, long used to pen holding, had an odd habit of
standing off on end."
They also always used both hands when handling their hars, and ?wore
watches, with short gold chains of a substantial and ancient pattern.?
The ?upper? clerks are older men and also wear older clothing. Because
their pants were ?made to sit comfortably,? they appear to be relaxed
men. Their ?solid looking shoes? imply that they want good durability
and that they are sensible in their clothing, and probably in life.
Their overall appearance is one of responsibility and stability; they
don?t need new clothing because they have already established
themselves.
The gamblers were easily identified through their clothing and
body language. The first type of gamblers wore the clothing of ?the
desperate, thimble - rig bully, with velvet waistcoat, fancy
neckerchief, gilt chains, and filagreed buttons.? They also had ?long
locks and smiles.? The clothing of the first type of gambler was seen
as ?desperate,? thus describing a negative emotion of gamblers. Their
elaborate clothing can be viewed as an effort to display their
ostentatiousness and a method of hiding their shame. The second type of
gambler was described as ?that of the scrupulously inornate clergyman.?
He is probably one who is more reserved and possibly less
with the night life of gambling or less willing to show his involvement
in gambling. Both types of gamblers were able to be ?distinguished by
a certain sodden swarthiness of complexion, a filthy dimness of eye, and
pallor and compression of lip.? The gambler?s complexion can be thought
of as showing the sulleness of their whereabouts. The compression of
their lips can be viewed as a repression of decency. The other
characteristics identified with the gamblers were ?a guarded lowness of
tone in conversation, and a more than ordinary extension of the thumb in
a direction at right angles with the fingers.? These characterisitics
appear to be defensive motions, thus showing their wariness of others.
Like Poe, Baudelaire also describes emotions through body
language and clothing. In addtition, beauty is a trait that is heavily
focused upon. The beauty of the soldier is described because:
"Accustomed as he is to surprises, the soldier does not easily lose his
composure. Thus, in this case, beauty will consist of a carefree,
martial air, a strange mixture of calm and boldness; it is a form of
beauty that comes from the need to be ready to die at any moment. But
the face of the ideal military man must be stamped with a great air of
simplicity; ... soldiers are, in many matters, as simple as children;
and like children, once duty has been done, they are easy to amuse, and
given to boisterous forms of fun."
The beauty that the soldier possesses is primarily through his emotional
qualities. The soldier has a facade of courageousness, peacefulness,
and lightheartedness. Baudelaire also mentions the ?martial air? of the
soldier, which emphasizes the setting and the clothing of the soldier.
He also states that the ?ideal? military man must have a ?simple?
facial expression. Although it is difficult to determine the wants and
needs of a ?simple? face, Baudelaire does so by determining the
personalities and thoughts of the soldier and by comparing him with a
child. Earlier on in ?The Painter of Modern Life,? Baudelaire
describes children with praise as living life as though they are drunk,
with a certain kind of happiness. The soldier is identified with this
hapinness because of his simple facial expression.
The description of the facial expression is dexcribed more
specifically by Baudelaire as he observes one of the drawings of the
soldier. Baudelaire is unsure of what mission the soldier is on, but
describes him as ?the steadfast audacious character, even in repose, of
all these sun-tanned, weather-beaten faces.? Baudelaire then states
that this is the expression molded by hard work, afflicted pain, and
firmness. He then describes the clothing as:
"trousers turned up and tucked into gaiters, great-coats tarnished by
dust and vaguely discolored, the whole equipment in fact has itself
taken on the indestructible appearance of beings that have returned from
afar, and have experienced strange adventures."
The clothing is characterisitic of the soldier; the tarnished and dusty
clothing adds to the soldier?s experiences in the battlefield and to the
distances that the soldier has travelled. The emotional characteristics
of the soldiers are thus bounded by their clothing and facial
expressions.
Soldiers have a beauty that is very evident to Baudelaire, but
women possess a different type of beauty. In order to elaborate their
beauty it is essential for women to wear makeup. Without makeup, women
look natural and Baudelaire states that nature portrays all of the evils
in humans. Nature is vicious and ?counsels crime.? Makeup brings out
the goodness in women and hides the evils of nature. Baudelaire
describes virtue as ?artificial? and ?superficial?. He also says
that ?evil is done without effort, naturally, it is the working of fate;
good is always the product of an art.? He believes that applying
makeup is an art and it is thus decent for women to wear. He also
describes makeup as ?fostering a magic and supernatural aura about her
appearance.? He also says that they must:
borrow, from all the arts, the means of rising above nature, in order
the better to conquer the hearts and impress the minds of men. It
matters very little that the ruse and artifice be known of all, if their
success is certain, and the effect always irresistible.
Thus makeup is necessary to attract men in a way that almost tricks them
without them even knowing it. Baudelaire describes rice powder as
conceiling all of blemishes that nature delivers to women and
?creat[ing] an abstract unity of texture and colour in the skin,? and
questions if woman then becomes a ?divine or superior being.? Black
eye pencils and rouge add to the dramatic effects of the colors of red
and black. The black gives women ? a deeper and stranger look? and red
?gives to a woman?s face the mysterious passion of a priestess.?
Makeup is thus adding a divine or religious appeal to women due to its
degradation of nature. Baudelaire also states that makeup is not meant
to be applied naturally and should be used as a method of exhibition of
their beauty. Although Baudelaire does not describe the actions of
women in the section of makeup, he clearly praises women who wear makeup
because of their holy nature and uncriticalness.
Monet is able to express several emotions through his paintings,
particularly through the arrangement and the depiction of the subjects
in his work. In In The Conservatory, Manet focuses on the relationship
between the man and the woman. The woman is properly dressed with
buttons vertically lined up through her dress, thus constricting her
presense. She has a fixed gaze and is not looking at the man. Although
she is sitting comfortably, the woman has a rigid appearance. The man
is leaning over towards her and is dressed like a dandy. The
expressions on their faces and the way the man is leaning over the woman
and looking at her appears as though he is pleading for forgiveness or
attention. The rims of her eyes are red adding the possibility of her
crying and an emphasis is placed upon their hands, which both contain
wedding rings, suggesting that they are a married couple with problems.