CMWL - What is Mood? (Lesson)

What is Mood?

Introduction

What exactly is mood? Well, it’s no different in art than in everyday life. Mood refers to a state of mind or is suggestive of a feeling. It’s really not more complicated than that. It is just like when you can see someone across the room and often tell if they’re mad, sad, happy, or excited without the person ever saying a word. Body language and tone of voice give us many unspoken clues that we interpret to decipher a person’s mood. So then what clues do we look for in art to decipher mood? The body language of a subject can be a clue, but what if there are no people in the artwork? Color, lighting, mark-making, and composition – all of the building blocks of art, work together to create mood. 

What's the Mood? 

Explore the artworks below and try your hand at matching mood with artwork.  Take note of the artistic tools used to create each mood so that you can apply the knowledge to your own artwork!

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