Fine Arts Lecturer at Karabakh University: Babak Abdullayev

Psychoformism: A New Artistic Style Unifying Form, Emotion, and Energy in Aesthetic Expression

Research Paper | Khankendi – 2025

Abstract

This research introduces Psychoformism, an innovative artistic style synthesizing form, emotion, and subconscious energy into a unified aesthetic expression. Positioned within the broader discourse of art history, Psychoformism proposes a fluid, dynamic visual language that transcends traditional bodily representation. The style aims to shift the viewer's role from passive observer to active participant by visually embodying internal emotional states as forms that emerge from subconscious energies. Psychoformism thus provides a conceptual and practical framework for exploring deeper psychological engagement and subjective perception within aesthetic experiences.

Terminological Framework

Psychoformism is a new experimental visual art style that unifies form and emotion through fluid structures driven by subconscious energies. It visualizes emotional states as forms that emerge from within the body, transforming viewers from passive observers into active participants within aesthetic experiences. As Merleau-Ponty stated, ¹ “The body is our general medium for having a world,” a perspective closely aligned with Psychoformism’s conceptualization of the body as the origin from which emotions arise and become visually expressed forms.

Scientific and Creative Significance of the Research

Psychoformism aims to bridge the traditional divide between form and emotion by viewing them as a unified visual mode capable of mutual transformation. This innovative approach not only evolves aesthetic language but also redefines the interaction between artwork and audience, shifting from a passive observation model (“I show—they see”) to an interactive experiential model (“I made—we experienced together”). Viewers are thus drawn into the emotional flow, becoming active participants in the creation of meaning.

This approach:

• Activates psychological sources of visual energy within aesthetic analysis.
• Transforms viewers from passive observers into active participants.
• Units form and emotion as interconnected phases within a singular visual language.
• Offers potential applications beyond art theory, extending into neuroaesthetics, art therapy, and digital media art.

Aim and Method of the Research

Aim:
To scientifically articulate Psychoformism as a novel artistic style by clearly defining its aesthetic principles, contextualizing it historically, and demonstrating its visual and conceptual uniqueness through both theoretical analysis and practical artistic application.

¹ Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception, trans. Donald A. Landes (London: Routledge, 2012), 146. (Originally published 1945).

Methodology

• Comparative Analysis
• Historical-Critical Approach
• Analytical Visual Interpretation

Research Objectives

Object:
The aesthetic relationships between form and emotion in contemporary art.

Subject:
The mechanisms through which Psychoformism presents form and emotion as either a unified aesthetic state or as interchangeable visual energy units.

Hypothesis:
If a direct visual transformation between form and emotion is achieved, it will stimulate the viewer's aesthetic response not only emotionally but also at a deeper, subjective perceptual level.

1.  Historical Context: Representations of Form and Emotion Across Different Periods

This section examines the representation of the human body and emotion in art through various historical periods, employing methods such as comparative analysis, historical-critical approaches, and analytical visual interpretation. The aim is to demonstrate how form and emotion have been visualized separately or in complementary ways throughout history.

1.1 Ancient Greek and Roman Art

In ancient Greek and Roman art, form was predominantly based on the idealized human body. Examples such as Polykleitos’s Canon and the monumental sculptures by Phidias prioritize proportional harmony and static beauty rather than emotional expression. Thus, emotion was typically excluded from the visual vocabulary.

1.2 The Middle Ages

During the medieval period, the human body was primarily perceived as a direct manifestation of the divine. Physical realism and emotional content were minimized in favor of spiritual symbolism and metaphysical meanings. The human form was depicted not as it appeared naturally, but as an idealized, abstract, spiritual entity.

1.3 The Renaissance

Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo presented a harmonious integration of anatomical accuracy and psychological depth. In the Renaissance, the human body was visualized as a manifestation of both technical virtuosity and emotional complexity. Nevertheless, form and emotion remained distinct yet parallel elements in artistic representation.

1.4 The Baroque

The Baroque period emphasized vitality, dynamism, and emotional intensity. Artists like Gian Lorenzo Bernini depicted the human form through theatrical gestures and dramatic movements. Although emotion became more explicitly linked to form, the body itself continued to function as a vessel rather than as the direct source of emotion.

1.5 Modernism

1.5.1 Expressionism (Edvard Munch)

Expressionism used deformation of form to visually express emotional intensity. However, the body was portrayed symbolically rather than realistically, becoming an external representation of subjective emotion rather than a natural depiction.

1.5.2 Cubism (Pablo Picasso)

Cubism fragmented traditional forms structurally, yet largely disrupted emotional expression at the visual level. This fragmentation detached the emotional content from conventional visual representation.

1.5.3 Surrealism (Salvador Dalí)

Surrealism engaged deeply with subconscious imagery, conveying form and emotion through symbolic representation. The human body lost its explicit physical role, being reconstructed within an imaginary and unreal context.

1.6 Historical-Critical Approach

Psychoformism critically analyzes previous historical approaches that viewed the human body as either an aesthetic object or a symbolic entity. In contrast, Psychoformism proposes a new foundational principle:

As proposed by the author, “Form is emotion itself; emotion emerges from within the body and transforms directly into visual form.” (A. Babak, 2025)

In classical art, emotions were typically depicted through facial expressions, gestures, and postures. Psychoformism, however, emphasizes that emotions are inherently integrated into form itself, expressed through internal rhythmic transformations, fluidity, and dynamic visual energy emanating directly from the body. This transformative concept fundamentally distinguishes Psychoformism from all preceding artistic styles.

1.7 Problem Statement

In the historical periods outlined above, form and emotion have consistently been represented either in parallel or within separate visual frameworks. However, there has never been an established aesthetic system where the human body directly transforms into emotion, thereby becoming form itself. This significant gap highlights the necessity of developing a new aesthetic approach, specifically Psychoformism. In Psychoformism, the distinction between form and emotion is dissolved; the body ceases to exist as a visible physical entity and is instead expressed purely through transformative energetic form.

Thus, whereas earlier artistic styles depicted form and emotion separately or concurrently, Psychoformism uniquely removes the physical representation of the body, directly expressing emotion through form. It represents the first systematic visual approach to achieve this integration.

2.   Establishing the Scientific Basis of Psychoformism

• The body is conceptualized not as a fixed, static form, but as a fluid and dynamic visualization of emotional energy.
• Time and space are perceived not as external objective realities, but as internal psychological constructs shaped by emotional and subconscious dynamics.
• This artistic style directly engages and stimulates aesthetic perception regions within the brain.

Multidisciplinary Foundations

• Neuroaesthetics
• Psychoanalysis
• Phenomenology

3.   Stylistic Features of Psychoformism

• Color: Functions as a visual code, translating emotional states directly into energetic expression.
• Composition: Constructed not through classical perspective, but through psychological depth and emotional resonance.
• Figure: Not represented anatomically; instead, depicted through fragmented forms expressing energy and emotion.
• Viewer: Positioned not as a passive observer but as an active participant and co-creator in the aesthetic experience.

4.  Comparison of Psychoformism with Other Styles

5. Analysis of the Diptych in the Context of Psychoformism 

“Two Bodies, One Heart”

Artist | Researcher | Fine Arts Lecturer: Babak Abdullayev
Date: 15.05.2025
Media: Oil on canvas
Format: Diptych (a unified composition consisting of two panels)
Style: Psychoformism

The diptych Two Bodies, One Heart consists of two interconnected panels created within the conceptual framework of Psychoformism. This contemporary artistic method investigates how emotion and form transition into one another, using the internal flow of consciousness as the foundation for visual expression. In this work, the visual representation of the human body dissolves into pure emotional presence, thereby crossing ontological boundaries. Here, the term ontological boundary refers to the blurring between material and immaterial states of being, between physicality and psychology.

Structure and Symbolism of the Composition

The composition portrays a male and a female figure, each occupying a separate panel, yet visually and symbolically united. Both figures interact fluidly with their surrounding space, suggesting that their bodily forms are no longer fixed but have melted into emotional states.

The female figure is rendered with calmness and surrender; her contours blend softly into the background, dissolving into the surrounding space as if she is becoming pure emotion. A flame symbol at her heart signifies inner turbulence, passion, and emotional intensity.

The male figure, in contrast, is constructed through fragmented and expressive forms. The dynamic, nonlinear arrangement of his body reflects psychological unrest and internal disintegration. The identical flame symbol in his chest visually ties him to the female figure, implying a shared emotional origin, a single symbolic “heart.”

This work is not a depiction of a literal scene but an evocation of an internal emotional state. The visual forms are completed through the viewer's perceptual involvement, turning observation into co-creation. ² “Images are not given, they are made. And what we see depends on what we know.”

Transformation of Emotion into Form

At the core of Psychoformism lies the idea that form should emerge from inner emotion, not from external physical reference. In Two Bodies, One Heart, the figures are not portraits of real people, but manifestations of psychological and intuitive states. The creative process is guided not by premeditated structure, but by spontaneous emotion and inner perception. The body becomes not an object, but a channel for emotional release.

Synchronized Energy and Visual Connection

Though presented separately, the two panels are interconnected through visual rhythm, color harmony, and the directional flow of brushwork. The swirling forms in the female figure’s background visually echo the male figure’s energetic structure. This link is not physical but emotional, building a conceptual unity through visual synchronization.

The diptych is not merely a dual image; it is a shared emotional statement expressed through two distinct forms. As such, Two Bodies, One Heart serves as a manifesto of Psychoformism, exemplifying how human consciousness and emotion can be visualized through a new artistic language.

5.1 Qualitative Analysis Based on Survey

In May 2025, a qualitative survey titled “The Impact of the Psychoformist Style on Perception” was conducted. The responses were based primarily on viewer interpretations of the diptych Two Bodies, One Heart.

² E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art, 16th ed. (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), 6.

Survey Questions:

1. How did you perceive the relationship between emotion and form in this artwork?
2. Do you think these two figures are real people or symbolic manifestations of an emotional state?
3. What feelings or emotions did the artwork evoke in you when you looked at it?
4. Did you find the form stable and clear, or fluid and shifting?
5. Did the artwork provoke aesthetic reflection in you, or did it leave only a visual impression?

Selected Responses:

5.2 Statistical Results

• 86% of participants perceived the form as fluid and dynamic rather than fixed.
• 73% emphasized that the artwork evoked not only aesthetic appreciation but also triggered reflection and empathy.
• 91% described “Two Bodies, One Heart” as an experience in which emotions are transformed into form, distinguishing it from classical paintings.
• Only 2 participants (6.6%) described the visual fluidity as “difficult to perceive.”

5.3  Interpretation of Empirical Findings

The responses and statistical data suggest that the psychoformist diptych Two Bodies, One Heart elicits more than just a visual response; it fosters psychological involvement and emotional introspection. Viewers interpreted the emotional resonance between the male and female figures as two manifestations of a shared “heart,” thereby reinforcing the foundational principle of Psychoformism: the transformation of internal feeling into visual form.

Furthermore, most participants perceived the fluid and unbounded formal composition as a metaphor for the limitless nature of emotion. These insights support the view that Two Bodies, One Heart is not merely a visual composition but an artistic phenomenon that synthesizes emotion and form while positioning the viewer as an active participant in the perceptual process.

6.  Critical Perspectives and Potential Risks

As a newly emerging artistic direction, Psychoformism, along with its innovative visual-aesthetic framework, naturally invites theoretical and perceptual debate. A fair and scholarly evaluation of these critical perspectives is essential for clarifying the style’s conceptual integrity and its future development potential.

One common critique concerns Psychoformism’s departure from classical artistic norms and its reliance on unstable, fluid, and constantly shifting visual structures. For some viewers, this dynamic nature may pose interpretive challenges, leading to perceptions of excessive subjectivity. However, it is precisely this visual instability that fosters active viewer engagement and strengthens personal perception. Psychoformism, therefore, invites a fundamental reconsideration of the boundaries between form and emotion.

Another critique relates to the style’s engagement with complex theoretical disciplines such as neuroaesthetics and phenomenology. This can, at times, create the impression that the style is overly academic or elitist. Yet, these interdisciplinary foundations serve to reinforce Psychoformism’s intellectual credibility and position it as a rigorous, experience-based art practice.

Initial empirical data and viewer responses support the idea that Psychoformism enhances both aesthetic and psychological resonance. These critiques do not diminish the style’s value; on the contrary, they underscore its openness to discourse and its dynamic, evolving nature. Thus, Psychoformism is not merely a visual innovation but also a methodological contribution that proposes an alternative direction for contemporary artistic inquiry.

7.  International Context: Dialogue with Contemporary Art Movements

Psychoformism embodies a multifaceted aesthetic and conceptual structure that holds potential for significance not only within the Azerbaijani cultural context but also on the global contemporary art scene. Through its synthesis of form and emotion, it invites conceptual parallels and potential dialogues with several modern artistic movements:

7.1. Connection with Postconceptualism

Postconceptual art prioritizes perception and meaning over formal structure. Psychoformism challenges this hierarchy by dissolving fixed form and replacing it with emotional energy. In doing so, it introduces a visual counterpart to the centrifugal logic of postconceptualism, where meaning expands away from centralized forms.

7.2. Parallels with Bioart and Neuroart

Rooted in neuroaesthetic theory (e.g., Semir Zeki, Anjan Chatterjee), Psychoformism shares conceptual ground with the Bioart and Neuroart movements. Its focus on how emotion originates neurologically and translates into visual form mirrors bio-psychological explorations in these experimental fields.

7.3. Dialogue with Other Experimental Styles

• Expressionism and Surrealism aimed to visualize emotion, but the full integration of form and feeling remains only partial in these movements.
• Fluxus, Body Art, and Performance Art addressed the relationship between body and form; however, in Psychoformism, this relationship is reconceived as a flow of subconscious energy, rather than physical or theatrical representation.

7.4. Stylistic Parallels and Differences: Psychoformism vs. Psycho-Expressionism

Psychologically oriented visual styles have evolved throughout modern art. While Psycho-Expressionism and Psychoformism may appear similar, they are based on fundamentally distinct aesthetic and ontological principles:

• Psycho-Expressionism (emerging in the late 20th century) builds upon classical Expressionism, incorporating psychoanalysis. It emphasizes the external explosion of inner emotional states, often through bodily deformation and chaotic, intense visuals.
• Psychoformism, by contrast, does not depict the body as an object, but as emotional energy taking visual shape. Form becomes emotion itself. Its visual structure is intuitive, rhythmic, and flowing. The viewer is no longer passive but is transformed into an active subject within the perceptual field.

Key Differences Between Psycho-Expressionism and Psychoformism

Note: The term "structured" here does not refer to classical perspective or symmetrical forms, but to a psychological sequencing of forms shaped by internal emotional and subconscious rhythms. Psychoformism approaches visual organization not through aesthetic control, but through a sense of natural and rhythmic arrangement generated by internal flow.

Psychoformism represents a new artistic structure in which psychological emotion is not only expressed but also formed. The body is no longer present, as it has already been transformed into emotion. Form lives within the visual space as emotion itself, and the viewer identifies with it on a psychological level. This approach opens the way for Psychoformism to be discussed not only within contemporary aesthetics but also within the frameworks of neuroaesthetics and phenomenology, as a new visual language.

7.5. Potential for International Analysis

Psychoformism can be presented both in contemporary art exhibitions and academic discourse as a style grounded in psychophysical perception. This makes it relevant and unique within international platforms of neuroaesthetics, experimental art, and new media art.

8.   Development Perspectives of Psychoformism

Psychoformism holds potential not only within the current field of visual art but also at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and digital art in future research. This approach offers the following prospects:

• It provides a suitable foundation for dynamic applications in digital media, particularly in interactive visual systems.
• It can be used in contemporary art therapy practices as a method of visualizing emotional flow.
• Academically, it can inspire interdisciplinary studies in collaboration with neuroaesthetic research.
• Inclusion of Psychoformism in international exhibition projects may enhance its visibility and presence in global academic discourse.

These perspectives demonstrate that the style possesses strong potential not only from a theoretical standpoint but also in terms of practical and social application.

9.  Conclusion:

Psychoformism presents itself as the first system in art history where form and emotion are expressed within the same visual space and through a shared structural language. While previous artistic movements approached these two components either in parallel or through representation, Psychoformism treats them as a single aesthetic state in which one transforms into the other. Form becomes emotion, and emotion is shaped as form.

This approach sets Psychoformism apart not as a mere technical experiment, but as a turning point in the structure of visual thinking. It unites elements that classical and modern art often kept separate, such as form, emotion, and energy. In this style, the body is no longer a visual object but a psychological field where emotion materializes. The viewer is no longer a passive observer but becomes an active participant in the aesthetic experience.

Psychoformism establishes a new visual language for twenty-first-century art, grounded in neuroaesthetic principles.

10.  Appendix: Key Terms and Definitions

Bibliography

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7. Merleau-Ponty, M. (2012). Phenomenology of perception (D. A. Landes, Trans.). Routledge. (Original work published 1945)
8. Zeki, S. (1999). Inner vision: An exploration of art and the brain. Oxford University Press.
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Authorship Note   

The term “Psychoformism” was first conceptually introduced and articulated as an original artistic concept by the author of this article, Babak Abdullayev, on April 30, 2025.

Copyright (C) 2025 Babak Abdullayev. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0