WHY ART?
By Stu Leventhal
Every so often, the great debaters pose the question… ARE ARTISTS NECESSARY?
Many philosophers claim artists are not producing anything of real value nor are they contributing to society. They do not fix any problems so, could art and artists actually be holding humanity back?
If all the artists were forced to work in a factory… we’d have a lot more stuff that was actually useful.
As long as some people, somewhere, anywhere are starving, why not put our artists to work trying to feed these people in need?
Should artists be working all day on a painting or sculpting a statue or practicing dance moves when there are so many important things that need doing?
Of course, this is the same argument that folks present when they rant against our space program. “There is poverty and homelessness we should be using our money to end before we waist a penny on travelling to the moon and setting up space stations.”
So, do we ALL have our priorities mixed up?
No… We just like comforts.
We naturally want to mold the world immediately around us to meet our emotional needs.
Wearing bright patterned clothes that we deem stylish and hanging a colorful photo in a drab hallway does zip for our physical wellbeing. That porcelain panda statue on the shelf has no real function nor does our Puka Shell wristband. Yet, we gain pleasure from making ourselves into what we feel is more attractive and interesting to others. We also enjoy decorating our home to be more inviting and cozy.
With Art you are telling others that you lived…
“Look at this…This is what I know and want to share with you.”
One works on art to help figure out more about oneself…
“Am I capable of more?”
“Am I special?”
Thru our finished projects we try to define ourselves to others. Yes, sometimes we showoff thru using our art skills, which may be the most humanist thing artists do.
The truth is that the art work is not always the most important thing as many artists would have you believe. Sometimes we have other motives. Artists are human and flawed after all, just like everyone else in our society.
Life, the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of living as a person, is full of happenings that can’t be explained. With art we try to make our best attempts to puzzle out some of the many mysteries.
When something we encounter baffles us, perhaps our art will get people talking about it.
During the artistic toiling we often are delighted to find, we have uncovered new questions and riddles.
All along the way our art pushes us to develop better skills.
We get smarter, become more capable and build self-pride and confidence as we work on our art projects.
We practice problem solving and build character as we painstakingly try to get the details of our artwork perfect.
The best art often contradicts societies accepted thoughts about a subject or situation. Art shows things from a different angle. The artist is always thinking. "How can I dazzle my audience?"
The artist may wish you to tune into his or her mood.
Artists want to surprise you, make you laugh, cry, sigh...
Why go thru all this trouble just to say what has already been said a thousand times.
“If I am not giving you something that you cannot get anywhere else then it ain’t ART.”
The true artist is always learning each day, developing further.
When the artist realizes that they have reached a new plateau in understanding themself some more, they wish to shout it to the world.
What better way to proclaim the old me is gone, here’s the new better me!
Thus, we make new art.
So, is art necessary?
Probably not always but… ART is always FUN!
What is your favorite art form?
By Stu Leventhal
Every so often, the great debaters pose the question… ARE ARTISTS NECESSARY?
Many philosophers claim artists are not producing anything of real value nor are they contributing to society. They do not fix any problems so, could art and artists actually be holding humanity back?
If all the artists were forced to work in a factory… we’d have a lot more stuff that was actually useful.
As long as some people, somewhere, anywhere are starving, why not put our artists to work trying to feed these people in need?
Should artists be working all day on a painting or sculpting a statue or practicing dance moves when there are so many important things that need doing?
Of course, this is the same argument that folks present when they rant against our space program. “There is poverty and homelessness we should be using our money to end before we waist a penny on travelling to the moon and setting up space stations.”
So, do we ALL have our priorities mixed up?
No… We just like comforts.
We naturally want to mold the world immediately around us to meet our emotional needs.
Wearing bright patterned clothes that we deem stylish and hanging a colorful photo in a drab hallway does zip for our physical wellbeing. That porcelain panda statue on the shelf has no real function nor does our Puka Shell wristband. Yet, we gain pleasure from making ourselves into what we feel is more attractive and interesting to others. We also enjoy decorating our home to be more inviting and cozy.
With Art you are telling others that you lived…
“Look at this…This is what I know and want to share with you.”
One works on art to help figure out more about oneself…
“Am I capable of more?”
“Am I special?”
Thru our finished projects we try to define ourselves to others. Yes, sometimes we showoff thru using our art skills, which may be the most humanist thing artists do.
The truth is that the art work is not always the most important thing as many artists would have you believe. Sometimes we have other motives. Artists are human and flawed after all, just like everyone else in our society.
Life, the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of living as a person, is full of happenings that can’t be explained. With art we try to make our best attempts to puzzle out some of the many mysteries.
When something we encounter baffles us, perhaps our art will get people talking about it.
During the artistic toiling we often are delighted to find, we have uncovered new questions and riddles.
All along the way our art pushes us to develop better skills.
We get smarter, become more capable and build self-pride and confidence as we work on our art projects.
We practice problem solving and build character as we painstakingly try to get the details of our artwork perfect.
The best art often contradicts societies accepted thoughts about a subject or situation. Art shows things from a different angle. The artist is always thinking. "How can I dazzle my audience?"
The artist may wish you to tune into his or her mood.
Artists want to surprise you, make you laugh, cry, sigh...
Why go thru all this trouble just to say what has already been said a thousand times.
“If I am not giving you something that you cannot get anywhere else then it ain’t ART.”
The true artist is always learning each day, developing further.
When the artist realizes that they have reached a new plateau in understanding themself some more, they wish to shout it to the world.
What better way to proclaim the old me is gone, here’s the new better me!
Thus, we make new art.
So, is art necessary?
Probably not always but… ART is always FUN!
What is your favorite art form?
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