Art can have its voice: an active or a passive voice. The subject of the sentence determines the difference in voice in the language. If it acts, it is happening, and if it receives the action, it is passive. Did you eat it (Active), or was it eaten by you (Passive)? The issue is how the action occurs.

If a painting has an active voice, it can be found in the same way. What is the subject of the image, and does it make the people who view it want to stand and look longer, compared to a passive voice that evokes a shorter look?

Bold textures, vivid colors, and strong contrasts, like those found in oil painting, present active subject areas. Smoother textures, more neutral colors, and less bold colors all create relationships that express passive regions.

Sometimes a painting is all active or all passive, but sometimes an artist may blend and present two types of expressions in the same work. It is tempting to take a quiet, peaceful setting and add something bold.

Brent M. Jones

Brent writes with quiet confidence and curiosity, exploring communication, reinvention, and what truly matters. His reflections invite readers to slow down, reconsider their stories, and reconnect with the values that guide them. Through books, essays, and his What Matters newsletter, he offers writing that doesn’t shout—but still speaks clearly.