くれます nuances with 喜ぶ


What are the different nuances between these two sentences, due to ”くれる”?

> その絵を見て彼は喜んでくれます。

> その絵を見て彼は喜んでいます。

Do both mean "By looking at this photo, He is pleased"?




The second sentence with いる objectively describes a state where he is pleased
looking at the picture.

> その絵を見て彼は喜んでいます。

If you add to this a sense of gratitude, or pleasure, on the part of the
speaker, it would become:

> その絵を見て彼は喜んでくれています。

Maybe the speaker gave him the picture as a gift or something. Note that the
verb is still used with the subsidiary いる to describe his state of mind as the
speaker sees it.

The first sentence with くれる and without いる is understood as saying that he
always becomes pleased (to the speaker’s pleasure) when he sees the picture,
which sounds a bit weird.

> その絵を見て彼は喜んでくれます。

Another interpretation of this sentence is that he is going to be pleased (to
the speaker’s pleasure) when he sees the picture, but this also sounds weird
unless it is coming from someone who is telling what happens next in a story
to someone who doesn’t know or something, and on top, that person must be
happy that he is going to be pleased.

The same weirdness remains in the sentence without くれる, although this doesn't
require the speaker to be happy.

> その絵を見て彼は喜びます。

