Actually the artist usually does try to communicate their feelings, thoughts or ideas. If they are successful, they are hooking onto some universal aspect of the human condition, so that most people will recognize what they are trying to say. If 54 people have 54 diametrically different and unrelated
feelings and thoughts, in all likelihood the artist has failed dismally at his goals.
A painting achieves the description 'poetic' if there is harmony and grace in the interplay between the emotions, theme, and techniques that have been used.
Those techniques include drawing, modeling, perspective, tonality, light, atmosphere, paint handling, glazing, texture, composition and design, all of which need to blend with each other and with the theme and emotional content to produce a homogeneous and unified finished work.
