Artistic graffiti in the middle of the University of Caen in France.
Is art important? It does not seem to be in America, at least not as valued as it is in Europe. In Europe, everything is appreciated as a type of art – portraits, graffiti, architecture, music, gardens, etc. Anything that is practical is also always aesthetically pleasing. Beauty can come in political graffiti murals in Ireland, water towers in France, or bagpipers on the streets of Scotland. The beauty that constantly surrounded while on my travels throughout Europe fascinated me. Through my travels abroad and due to an honors art course that I am taking, I have become newly appreciative and intrigued with art.
It helps that one of my best friends, Leslea Hunt, is an art major. I was able to interview her recently about art and her love for it. When I asked her why art is so important, she said, “It’s an intimate way to communicate without having to say anything at all.” I completely agree. Sometimes, it is easier for me to create a melody on my guitar for how I feel or for Leslea to express her feelings in a sculpture rather than through words. Even though art is a means for an artist to express himself or herself, I have found that a great many artists merely want to help their viewer to have an emotional reaction to their work, even if it is different that the one the artist felt or intended. Carol Prusa, a sculptor who visited UW recently, said in her art talk on campus that if her viewers have felt anything by looking at her work, she has done her job as an artist. What a selfless view this is for creating art. I have found many of Prusa’s views to be greatly helpful for my own creative writing. I often have a certain agenda when I write, but I have been trying to think that as long as my stories open up my readers’ eyes or allow them to think or feel something, I should be happy. Leslea said something similar when I asked her what she hopes her viewers find when looking at her pieces. She said, “Sometimes you want them to get a certain feeling. It really just depends on what kind of work you are making.” Leslea wants to make an impact on people, as do all artists.
In my art class, I have been learning about different historical eras and how different events influenced art in different ways. This is one of the great reasons why Europe is so much more artistically diverse – it has enormous amounts of history whereas America is a rather young nation. Europe has seen many more wars, religious strife, cultural adaptations, and social hierarchies than Americans have. Because art is meant to share a certain feeling, different events that have been dramatically impactful will of course give Europeans a larger scope of subjects to represent. Other cultures have also had a lot more history with which to explore different kinds of art. Leslea is travelling to India this summer, for a study abroad art course, where she will explore life in a new culture and learn about the history of Indian art and the ways of art that are at present unknown to her. She is intrigued by this kind of art because “Indian art of the goddesses is my favorite. It’s just super beautiful. They are demi-goddesses, so half goddess, half women, and they are so voluptuous and so beautiful, especially the detail that they’re given. The women are so supple and fertile. It’s a beautiful depiction of what women look like.” This kind of art gives Leslea a feeling of empowerment in being feminine and in being a woman. She herself receives something from this art, even though it was created centuries ago. She eagerly looks forward to going to India to learn about the people there, broaden her understanding of culture and of the world and to learn more about how other people live and what they believe. These kinds of things “influence your work and change you from then on,” Leslea stated. That is what art is meant to do – change people.
I, in fact, have been greatly changed through art. Paintings tend to move me emotionally, such as Claude Monet’s Japanese Bridge. Since Monet typically paints the same scene through a variety of different seasons and times of day, he usually creates many different paintings of the same subject. However, each painting speaks differently. One bridge may speak of hope and light, another of coolness and relaxation, and still another of fear and trepidation. His paintings are each beautiful to me in their own unique way and give me different feelings that move me and change me and resonate within me. Other kinds of art, like music, often give me the words I am searching for. Often when I sing along to worship songs in church, the band gives my soul the words I am trying to find toward God. Other songs cater to the mood I am in, making me dance or cry or smile. Art changes people, and we should search for it and value it more. Through the art class I am currently taking, I have been learning the deeper value of art. Through talking with Leslea, I am convinced art is a necessary to our nature as humans. We are meant to feel things that are outside of ourselves, and many of those feelings are exemplified through paintings, songs, or sculptures. We are so fortunate that we get to experience beauty through the means of other people. Maybe as America ages, art will become more valued, and beauty can be experienced more. As for now, I am going to enjoy the art around me and continue to search for more.
