In a world full of tragedy and disaster one can wonder about the value of art.
What good is a sculpture in a sea of chaos the likes of the current situation in Japan?
As an artist, these types of questions haunt me. My work feels like play in a world in need of practical assistance.
It is not difficult to see the value of aesthetics in our day-to-day lives.
Imagine for a moment a world of grey featureless houses, shop windows filled with dull utilitarian items, children in drab uniforms and it is easy to appreciate the value of colour, composition and just plain flair.
But what further purpose is there for paintings, sculptures, works with no other function than to be looked at and hopefully, appreciated? What good is art? Part of the answer, for me, is that if we cease to make art, we have in a sense given up. Art and the creation of beauty can be considered the opposite side of the “chaos” coin, the impulse that leads us to survival and happiness that appeals to the “better angels of our nature,” as Abraham Lincoln said.
For me art operates somewhere in the realm of magic.
It proposes things that might not otherwise be possible or even considered.
People can feel very strongly about a specific piece of art. I believe this is because a lot of the art takes place in the viewer. When looking at a work of art, each individual brings their own experience and perspective.
This allows the art to resonate in a very personal way that might differ widely from individual to individual. Art is powerful because of this ability to stimulate reaction or change within the viewer. If a piece of art prompts a person to pause and step out of their day-to-day world for even a moment, it has performed a valuable job.
If it has helped the person be just a tiny bit happier or perhaps just a little hopeful, or even suddenly powerful, then it has, to paraphrase a character in the Peter Weir movie Year of Living Dangerously, “added to the sum of light.”
The Art Palette is an open forum for discussion about art. Please contact us at artpalette@hotmail.ca with feedback on what you read here or to let us know your thoughts on anything art.