“Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Finding my religion (and how you can, too!)
When I was a kid, I grew up about 3 hours from NYC. My mom would take me there all the time. My mom would write notes to the school saying “Please excuse little teafly as she will be viewing the Matisse Retrospective at the MOMA on Wednesday. Please give her any schoolwork she can do on the train so she won’t fall behind.” And off we went. My mother believed in Art the way some people believe in angels. I grew up believing in Art the way some people believe in Jesus.
When I was 10, Armand Hammer, the philanthropist not the baking soda company, decided to tour his collection of fine art. The collection came to the area where I grew up and of course my mother took me. It was the first time I saw a Van Gogh in person. More than anything else in the world I wanted to touch it. I wanted to lick it even. It was the painting called The Hospital at Saint-Remy. I remember that being the first time when I saw a piece of art and I didn’t know how to re-act. It was so beautiful and amazing and at the same time it completely frightened me. I learned later that it was the hospital Van Gogh was admitted to when his mental illness took major control in his life which eventually led to the cutting off of his ear. No wonder I was scared. Art can do that. It can safely introduce you to the complexities of the world while at the same time reassuring you that the world can still be beautiful.
I grew up not knowing most people thought museums were boring because I saw them as sanctuaries. Places where one would be heard, if only one were given the opportunity to speak from the heart. I went to galleries and museums and the theatre the way people went to church. I went for respite. I went for reassurance. I went for hope. I went for wisdom. I went for guidance. I went for courage. I went to learn more about the world that I grew up in feeling often confused, alone, ugly and hurt. I went to be reminded that others too have felt that way. Some of whom transcended the pain in their life, some not, but all have transcended it in their art.
I did not have to go to church to learn about religion because Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci taught me.
I did not need to listen to what the winners in the history books needed to tell me about war, because instead I saw what Picasso and Goya and Hemingway had to say.
I long to love because I have heard the voices of Sappho and Shakespeare and Marvin Gaye.
Art allows the artist to express himself and the viewer to reflect upon himself. Both parts are equally important in art. We need to support spaces, places and happenings that allow the arts to develop culturally and intellectually, that allow dialogue and debate, that allow inspiration to flow freely and not be halted because of fear. When we allow that to happen we evolve in our minds and in our hearts and in our souls.
Art is NOT about being cool. Art is NOT about making “the scene”.
Art is about searching into who we are even if we hate it. Matching that to the truths of the universe. Better understanding it and sharing it with others.
Great art and the truest purpose of art is to give us a greater insight into the world and inspire us to see it deeper. Great art provokes us to search into who we are and what the world is about.
Art reminds us that we are not alone, that our experiences are valuable, that we are valuable. Art allows us so safely explore the world so that we may better understand ourselves and others. It allows us to communicate without being confined by language.
The best way to support art is by listening. Viewing. Thinking. Educating yourself. Then thinking again. And then sharing from your heart. That is how you support art. Don’t turn away from anything, but if you are, be able to explain why. Learn why you don’t like something.
Don’t be lazy. Don’t say “I don’t know art, I just know what I like.” There is value to what you like. The way you support art best is by being conscious of why it speaks to you when it does.
Know that by doing that you are helping ensure that just because you don’t live 3 hours of NYC doesn’t mean you can not have access to a plethora of rich experience, voices, perspectives. There is much that resides everywhere in the world and that deserves to be heard. To be seen. To be understood. To be felt. We are always growing and becoming increasingly diverse in our voices and visions. Allow everyone to be part of that. Help bring those voices to the public. Help ensure that future generations here can be inspired so we may continue to evolve and grow as a community.
The Chinese proverb says “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a noise?” I ask similarly, “If an artist makes a statement but there is no way for it to get heard, does that mean it is not important?” The answer is no. We must do our job and listen.
When I was 10, Armand Hammer, the philanthropist not the baking soda company, decided to tour his collection of fine art. The collection came to the area where I grew up and of course my mother took me. It was the first time I saw a Van Gogh in person. More than anything else in the world I wanted to touch it. I wanted to lick it even. It was the painting called The Hospital at Saint-Remy. I remember that being the first time when I saw a piece of art and I didn’t know how to re-act. It was so beautiful and amazing and at the same time it completely frightened me. I learned later that it was the hospital Van Gogh was admitted to when his mental illness took major control in his life which eventually led to the cutting off of his ear. No wonder I was scared. Art can do that. It can safely introduce you to the complexities of the world while at the same time reassuring you that the world can still be beautiful.
I grew up not knowing most people thought museums were boring because I saw them as sanctuaries. Places where one would be heard, if only one were given the opportunity to speak from the heart. I went to galleries and museums and the theatre the way people went to church. I went for respite. I went for reassurance. I went for hope. I went for wisdom. I went for guidance. I went for courage. I went to learn more about the world that I grew up in feeling often confused, alone, ugly and hurt. I went to be reminded that others too have felt that way. Some of whom transcended the pain in their life, some not, but all have transcended it in their art.
I did not have to go to church to learn about religion because Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci taught me.
I did not need to listen to what the winners in the history books needed to tell me about war, because instead I saw what Picasso and Goya and Hemingway had to say.
I long to love because I have heard the voices of Sappho and Shakespeare and Marvin Gaye.
Art allows the artist to express himself and the viewer to reflect upon himself. Both parts are equally important in art. We need to support spaces, places and happenings that allow the arts to develop culturally and intellectually, that allow dialogue and debate, that allow inspiration to flow freely and not be halted because of fear. When we allow that to happen we evolve in our minds and in our hearts and in our souls.
Art is NOT about being cool. Art is NOT about making “the scene”.
Art is about searching into who we are even if we hate it. Matching that to the truths of the universe. Better understanding it and sharing it with others.
Great art and the truest purpose of art is to give us a greater insight into the world and inspire us to see it deeper. Great art provokes us to search into who we are and what the world is about.
Art reminds us that we are not alone, that our experiences are valuable, that we are valuable. Art allows us so safely explore the world so that we may better understand ourselves and others. It allows us to communicate without being confined by language.
The best way to support art is by listening. Viewing. Thinking. Educating yourself. Then thinking again. And then sharing from your heart. That is how you support art. Don’t turn away from anything, but if you are, be able to explain why. Learn why you don’t like something.
Don’t be lazy. Don’t say “I don’t know art, I just know what I like.” There is value to what you like. The way you support art best is by being conscious of why it speaks to you when it does.
Know that by doing that you are helping ensure that just because you don’t live 3 hours of NYC doesn’t mean you can not have access to a plethora of rich experience, voices, perspectives. There is much that resides everywhere in the world and that deserves to be heard. To be seen. To be understood. To be felt. We are always growing and becoming increasingly diverse in our voices and visions. Allow everyone to be part of that. Help bring those voices to the public. Help ensure that future generations here can be inspired so we may continue to evolve and grow as a community.
The Chinese proverb says “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a noise?” I ask similarly, “If an artist makes a statement but there is no way for it to get heard, does that mean it is not important?” The answer is no. We must do our job and listen.
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