In this
final installation of my blog post series, I will be giving my own This I
Believe statement. I will be discussing my own beliefs on what art is and what
it can accomplish. However, I will be looking at art through a modern lens, to
make it a little more applicable and relatable to all of us.
It seems that people as a whole can
be divided into two groups. Those that appreciate art but don’t put too much
emphasis on its importance, and those that not only appreciate it but revel in
its cultural, political, and personal significance. Art has been around since
the dawn of humanity, and has served many purposes since its inception. Art has
been used to explain, to keep records, as well as simply to serve as something
fun to look at.
Art is
integral to our modern global society. It helps to spread ideas, to comment on
social or political events, to offer a community of like-minded people, and to
make expression easier for an individual. Many artists have a message or view
they hope to communicate through their art, be it significant or simplistic.
Even if the intended message is misinterpreted, or if there is no message, most
art has meaning extrapolated from it. This means that, even if it is
unintentional on the artist’s part, art has bigger role in history, politics,
and philosophy than it is given credit for. To better understand how art affects
groups of people, let’s look at punk music. Punk bands have a tendency to
promote anarchy, denounce capitalism, and to criticize politicians and social
inequality. This is part of the reason that “punks” take apt for a more edgy
appearance. Through music, they have been exposed to viewpoints not normally
discussed in mass media. One specific example can be found in the band Pussy
Riot. Pussy Riot is an all-female punk outfit from Russia. Through their music,
they promote feminism and LGBT rights while denouncing the Russian government
and its strict censorship regime. They have had three members arrested in 2012
and the remaining members fled the country, fearing further prosecution.
However, their actions made international news, drawing attention to Russia’s
oppressive dictatorship.
Furthermore,
art gives us a sense of identity. When people are asked to talk about
themselves, many will give their favorite kind of music or band. People tend to
identify themselves as artists, or musicians, or actors. I myself have a
personal style that I like to defer to when it comes to art and music. I love
the art style of Alex Grey and Richey Beckett. I also love heavier styles of
music offered by bands such as Periphery, Voices From the Fuselage, and
Mastodon. These are preferences that comprise who I am. Everyone else has their
own preferences, and what’s great about art is that these preferences
intertwine with others’. Not only that, but our interests do not have to be
singular. I also happen to love bluegrass, and jazz. I love cartoon shows.
These are all art forms appreciated by many different kinds of people; it helps
to introduce people that might not otherwise have met. So in the same way that
art can help define a person, it also helps to bring together different places.
This gives
art a quite peculiar definition in the sense that art is so dynamic, changing,
and found in so many places. I personally love John Dewey’s philosophy of art,
saying that art can be found literally everywhere if you just change your
perspective. However, this only serves to make defining art even more
difficult. After struggling with how to word a short, concise definition I have
come to the following conclusion (and I hope you all are at least somewhat
satisfied with it): art is the personification of human thought. All forms of
art stem from a human’s desire to share their thoughts and ideas. Even
craftsmen such as glass blowers and wood carvers have to go through the
creative process to successfully create their product. An artist must come up
with an idea, and somehow transmit the idea into the physical world through
some medium. Therefore, art allows us to peek inside that particular artist’s
mind.
This is
what is so amazing about art. It allows for easy transmission of ideas on a
global scale. Art has always been around, and I believe it always will be. It
is essential to any culture, and the world would be a boring place with out it.
People are made better by art. This I believe.
John Dewey + Pussy Riot: I love it!
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