If Art Be the Food of Life, Bring It On!
Emma Jeong
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo Picasso
Do you agree with Picasso’s quote? Some people might say that ‘art’ is just about paintings, sculptures, and artifacts that are displayed in historical museums. In fact, the first thing that might come to your mind when you hear the word ‘art’ might be Vincent Van Gogh, or Mona Lisa. While those are names that are very significant to art history and worthy of discussing, they can also make art seem formal, boring, and unapproachable. However, this simply isn’t true. Believe it or not, art comes in various shapes and forms, perhaps in ways you’ve never even thought about. Whether or not we identify ourselves as ‘fans of art’ or ‘artists’, it is an undeniable truth that art is found everywhere around us, and that it impacts our daily lives, even when we are unaware of it. So, with that in mind, as someone who is in complete love with art, I am here to show you just how fascinating and powerful ‘art’ really is.
It Brings People’s Attention to Important Social Issues
Do you love going to the theater or binge watching shows on Netflix? Then you are already enjoying art! In fact, cinema is considered as the highest form of art, as it requires a variety of artistic elements such as writing, photography, drawing, painting, visual effects, acting, and music. Other than the obvious reason that they are fun to watch and pass time with, movies and shows are incredibly successful in bringing attention to ideas and social issues that are important to people’s lives.
Marriage Story is a movie that tells the story of a married couple who are planning to get a divorce. While the premise of the story is quite straightforward and plain, the movie touches on some of the most controversial and relevant topics of our time: Feminism and power dynamics between women and men. While the female character struggles a lot from defending her position and finding herself outside of the marriage, the male character has a lot less challenges in navigating the situation. By showing how the process of getting a divorce looks very different for a male and a female, the film invites the viewers to reflect on the ways people unconsciously let society judge and define roles of men and women based on stereotypes. With a bit of humor and sweetness, the movie explores ideas and themes that are often disregarded and looked over because they are familiar.
It Has The Ability To Heal, Comfort, Encourage, and Empower People
While art can be educational and inspiring, it also possesses the ability to move people’s minds and heal their scars. This is especially true with songs or any other type of music. Whether it’s about a broken heart, grief about the loss of a loved one, or even just a short song that makes you feel uplifted and happy, music attracts people through its power to make them feel heard and represented, in ways that words simply cannot do.
Rare is the third solo studio album by American singer Selena Gomez. The album is composed of 13 tracks, and the songs focus on the overarching themes of ‘love’ and ‘romantic relationships’. However, instead of simply describing the pain of a breakup, the album goes further into discussing the importance of being able to detach oneself from toxic relationships, reminding people that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, and enforcing the idea that relationships are supposed to be comfortable and encouraging. Love is a universal feeling, and so are the struggles that come with it. Through the artist’s voice, lyrics, and notes, music has the power to turn a common experience into a personal one that anyone who listens can relate to, in ways that a few words cannot encapsulate.
It Motivates People to Be More Empathetic
If you didn’t already know, writings are also a big part of art, especially when it comes to creative writing. It requires the writer to tell a story from their own, unique perspective. That is why I personally love reading books; through the journey of the characters, the reader learns a message or a lesson that applies not only to themselves, but also to the bigger world. It is true when people say that books are the only way for you to experience something that you would never do on your own, which allows you to expand your point of view and sometimes even change the way you live.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a historical fiction written by Khaled Hosseini. The story is set in Afghanistan during its last thirty years from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding. Life as a woman, regardless of age or status, was beyond difficult during this time; they were oppressed in every possible way, not just by the government, but also by the society and the culture itself. For example, they didn’t have the right to wear what they wanted to; they couldn’t take a bus without a patriarch; it was normal for them to be abused physically and mentally by men in their house. The book centers around two women across generations with very different backgrounds, Mariam and Laila, and their journey of finding, supporting, and loving each other in the midst of such turmoil. By seeing how they start out as weak but grow into strong and independent women, the reader is able to understand their situations and sympathize with their struggles on an emotional level that they would never have been able to do otherwise.
It Gives An Opportunity For People to Express Themselves
Personally, this is the biggest reason why I love art. I believe that no matter what it is that you are creating - a movie, a show, a song, a book, or anything else - the act of being creative and original requires you to put a piece of yourself out there. It doesn’t matter if it’s an emotion, an idea, an opinion, or a perspective. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to discuss a social issue, comfort people, or encourage people to be more empathetic. You cannot tell any kind of story or share any kind of message without being able to connect and relate to it yourself, which allows it to be more interesting, genuine, and ultimately powerful.
The two photos on the left were taken by me. Photography is one of my favorite forms of art that I pursue in my own free time. I love to take my digital camera once in a while and go outside, without really knowing where I’ll go, or what kind of photos I’ll take. To me, photography is all about capturing small moments that may seem insignificant but mean something special, personally. It fascinates me because it’s the proof that everything looks different the moment you decide to look at it from another angle, another perspective. It’s an important part of who I am, and they are a reflection of what I cherish and value, and how I’m feeling. Whenever I’m holding the camera I feel happy, motivated, and most important of all, myself. Being our fullest selves. After all, isn’t that one of the hardest challenges of our lives?
The more I think about ‘art’, the more I seem to agree with Picasso’s quote. While everyone has a different definition of what it means to be artistic and creative, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the way we share ideas and emotions as human beings. As much as it’s important to think about what art is capable of, to me, the most amazing thing about it is that everyone can enjoy and be a part of it. You don’t have to become the most famous painter or create the most intricate sculpture in the world in order to be called ‘artistic’. The only thing that matters is that you are thinking, communicating, and making something - anything - in your own, unique way. And that is the true power of art.
Works Cited
Jenkins, Craig. "Selena Gomez Returns Unbothered and at Her Best on Rare." Vulture. Vulture, 10 Jan. 2020. Web. 05 May 2020.
Proffitt, Kenan. "Are Movies the Highest Form of Art? 5 Reasons Why I Think, "Yes."" ActionVFX. N.p., 2017. Web. 05 May 2020.
Trade, Riverhead. "A Thousand Splendid Suns." Khaled Hosseini. N.p., 09 Aug. 2018. Web. 05 May 2020.