Thursday, July 2, 2009

How do you define Art?


Excerpt from Duma Key by Stephen King:

How to Draw a Picture (Part 4)

Start with what you know, then re-invent it. Art is magic, no argument there, but all art, no matter how strange, starts in the humble everyday. Jut don't be surprised when weird flowers sprout from common soil.

How do you define art? Whether it's painting, sculpture, music, writing - what separates the very good from the very great? Do you rely on an expert opinion? Or at the very least, does said opinion influence your objectivity?

If you agree with Mr. King's assessment that "all art...starts in the humble everyday", then to some extent does your emotional attachment to the familiar, to what you know, color your opinion of what is beautiful or even what is not?

Even though we all share one planet, we each live in our own separate worlds. The world I see through my eyes is different than yours. It's colored and shaped by my own regrets and successes, my own dreams and hopes. Because of this, we are all separated from each other in a small but important way.

Art is the means by which we bridge that gap. It's how we shout across the expanses between us and seek understanding and fellowship. It's how we reach out of the deep holes we dig for ourselves and grasp the hand of God. Through art we turn the chaos of our lives into order and give what cannot be explained meaning. Often it isn't the answers we're after, but better questions.

To create something, whether a painting or a poem, is to sacrifice a part of ourselves so that we can grow. It's to voluntarily feel the pain of hollowing out our hearts so we can feel more happiness later on. It is the ultimate risk, and the only one worth taking.

6 comments:

jasonS said...

That was deep! Very nice. Yeah, I think art is seeing through someone else's eyes, another perspective you may not have considered. I really enjoy that whether in music, painting, books, whatever...

Sherri Murphy said...

I enjoy all forms of art.

Even the most introverted become a bit of an extrovert when they allow their creativity to be shown to the public. Kinda' like a little peep show into someone's soul, and I love it because I'm nosy that way!

Billy Coffey said...

Wow, very nice! I think my attachment to the familiar colors my opinion of what is beautiful. But now I'm wondering if it's supposed to be that way or not...

I big pink fuzzy heart Deep Katdish. She makes me think.

Helen said...

You, my friend, are an artist. With words, as well as paint. And I love the way you see the world.

Annie K said...

Awesome Katdish, just awesome. Life can definitely be an artform that is for sure.

And did Billy just throw out a pink fuzzy heart? Wow, you are really rubbing off.

Anne Lang Bundy said...

Beautiful, katdish. Beautiful. Art speaks a language which indeed builds bridges.

Someone said there are the arts and the sciences. The sciences
help us survive in life. The arts make life worth surviving.