Wednesday 28 November 2012

Art and art thinking

I love art, I think that those that can express themselves with paint and canvas are really clever, I can never do that, or maybe I do not have the patience to do that.  Is it the same as writing? or is it totally different? how do the artist express themselves? do they just look at the canvas and think that today I am going to drew something, splash the colors and there it comes out? a magnificent painting?  or is it an accumulation of feelings and experiences that gather in the person's head until one day he or she explode and splash them on canvas or in a sculpture without realizing why? 

What is art at the end of the day? according to wiki:
"Art is a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities; this article focuses primarily on the visual arts, which includes the creation of images or objects in fields including painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and other visual media. Architecture is often included as one of the visual arts; however, like the decorative arts, it involves the creation of objects where the practical considerations of use are essential—in a way that they are usually not for a painting, for example. Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature, and other media such as interactive media are included in a broader definition of art or the arts.[1] 

Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences, but in modern usage the fine arts, where aesthetic considerations are paramount, are distinguished from acquired skills in general, and the decorative or applied arts.

Many definitions of art have been proposed by philosophers and others who have characterized art in terms of mimesis, expression, communication of emotion, or other values. During the Romantic period, art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".[2] Though art's definition is disputed and has changed over time, general descriptions mention an idea of human agency[3] and creation through imaginative or technical skill.[4]
The nature of art, and related concepts such as creativity and interpretation, are explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics.[5] "

The encyclopedia Britannica defines art as: "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others". By this definition of the word, artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind: from early pre-historic art to contemporary art; however, some theories restrict the concept to modern Western societies.[6] The first and broadest sense of art is the one that has remained closest to the older Latin meaning, which roughly translates to "skill" or "craft." A few examples where this meaning proves very broad include artifact, artificial, artifice, medical arts, and military arts. However, there are many other colloquial uses of the word, all with some relation to its etymology.

From the writeup above it is very clear that art is an expression of what the mind stores coupled with a creativity or talent.

Of course I am not writing an assignement about art, I am trying to prove a point here.  The point is art is used by many people to talk about something or somethings that are going on in their lives, or their beliefs or their feelings etc.  The expressions can be mind boggling, or can be as simple as drawing the feeling itself without hiding it.  

One day I attended a talk by an Italian artist (http://bit.ly/Trjsk7)  who showed us a collection of art or installations done by those who felt for the Jews that were burnt in chambers.  There was heaps of shoes, lots of dirty cloths that are hung on top of each other, a bowl and a hose hung from the ceiling dripping with blood that seeps into the bowl.  There was also knives stained with blood and other items that clearly shows how artists felt about the holocaust!  those artistic pieces stayed in my mind for a while, and to date I will never dismiss the holocaust or say that it never happened.  If one can draw those pieces then one had either been in that situation, or vividly heard about it and thus drew it in that manner.  Very deppressing.  

Last week the Shia mourn the tenth of Muharram, which had been done every year for over 1400 years.  The deep feelings are either displayed by actions, or like in Bahrain by art.  Every year a tent is erected and many artists gather to draw the events and tell others who frequent the Gallery, these pictures are also showcase what the artists had felt or vividly heard about the events that happened on the tenth of Muharram hence being able to draw them that well.  Click the link to see some of these art pieces (http://bit.ly/TtAgdj)

I suppose, that anything done by the human beings is an expression of some sort, whether it being writing, drawing, acting, drama, poetry and the array of fields that the human mind is able to benefit from in order to make believe or re-invent history.  I wish we can all acquire these abilities, as if we do, we will never have a person that requires a psychiatrist or a brain surgeon. 

Sorry if I blabbered in the beginning, and I hope that I was able to make my point really clear, if not, please tell me about it??  

 

2 comments:

  1. Art can be anything that expresses something deeper.

    Great post. Thanks for sharing it with us.

    Velva

    ReplyDelete
  2. that is the sentence that i was looking for. thanks Velva

    ReplyDelete