Art Opens Up The Worlds Analysis

Art is a very important factor in all aspects of life. For many centuries art has been present in structures, cultures, religions, and even in the basic things we see in our daily routines. Art can come in a variety of ways, such as: paintings, drawings, symbols, sculptures, images, and much more. We all interpret and create art and artwork depending on our background experiences and knowledge along with how we can connect with the art piece.

What is art? Art is mixtures of different mediums put together, for example netting in Janet Echelon’s Her secret is patient, or using chocolate to create a sculpture. Art isn’t just a painting or drawing, it is the projection one’s creativity and ideas to the public. Art is emotions cast by individuals. Art isn’t one idea. Art is everlasting, and will be constantly changing from period to period. There isn't one time or place that did not encounter art throughout history. Art isn’t right or wrong, it is completely up to the individual. Art is different intensities, some may have bold a hue, while others have a dulled one. These are some of the qualities that art does or does not posses.

Art is something that has been important to our society for hundreds of years and still is valued today. Art can be defined as “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings (Merriam-Webster)”, but not each and every person completely agrees with this definition.

Art is defined as "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form...producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power." While paintings and sculptures may immediately come to mind when one hears the word "art," they are not the only forms; books, movies, plays, and even buildings are all forms of art. All forms of art can play a significant role in influencing human nature.

Arts Education in schools has been found to be important for future students. As art teachers say, “art is what makes most human complete as a person”. Many believe students connect better when arts are involved it begins down the number of fights, increase the understanding of diversity, and more peer support. Studying in the arts is very integral to our society today. They are found a part of the cultural heritage of every American. Art allows students to learn about themselves as in skills, passions, their interpersonal skills and meaning of the skills they encounter, and the different cultures all around the world. Students can begin to visualize the world in a different perspective through taking art education classes by experiencing

For this assignment, I chose the section 'Art and Social Consciousness’ because art which incorporates the struggles and injustices within a specific time period, both intrigues and encourages me to learn more about these artists and the directive they incorporated into their art.

The power of art and of the message it conveys to the public has often been considered as a threat by oppressive regimes, by the dictatorial or the centralized political systems. This is one of the important reasons for which during the communist period or the Nazi rule, artists were often viewed as enemies of the state. This is largely due to the fact that artists tend to view reality from perspectives other than the ones directly controlled by reality and the social limits usually imposed by the masses. Artists in this way provide a different perspective on reality by filtering reality through personal means of expression and creating artistic trends and proposing new lens through which reality can be viewed (Feldman, n.d.).

Considering that last semester I took both History of Western Art and, in the philosophy department, Aesthetics, I would have thought that I am now in a better position than I was a year ago to answer the question, “What is art?” Going into the philosophy course I had the idea that art worked as a means of taking abstract values and placing them into concrete form. However, it soon became clear that there were many other praiseworthy things that could be said about art: it can be sublime, making us feel both the overwhelming force of nature and the overcoming strength of our free will (Kant); it bridges the natural and the ideal, allowing man to achieve political freedom

Art is the activity of creating communicating and expressing important ideas or feelings through imagination and originality. In a world of imperfections like ours, humans need arts to survive. Art is a way for people to escape reality and get lost in their own world and fantasies. Arts allow bringing a person’s inner world into the tangible reality. It is a vital part of the society; it improves communication between individuals and provides opportunities for self-expression. Art is a subjective activity, interpreting these creations depends on a person’s own experiences, visionary thoughts, and associations. It evokes memories and nostalgia and triggers one’s emotions and feelings. Art is a therapy since it can improve the physical and mental health of individuals, helps them to work out their conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, control behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness.

Art has actually been around almost as long as the world itself, it was developed in the west, the 40,800 year old cave paintings from a El Castillo cave in Spain are the oldest examples of human painting, the oldest art in history is visual art. Art has different kinds of paint like water painting, pastel art, oil painting, mechanical art etc. Leonardo DA Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1912, Art’ used to be an Olympic sport. Artists were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals for architecture, painting, sculpture, music and literature across multiple Summer Olympics in the early 20th Century. The ‘arts’ were dropped from the Games because they drew too many professional artists. Art expresses ideas, emotions or in general, a worldview. Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.

It is apparent from the quote mentioned above that Art has undergone rapid transformation from the 20th century. Everything had been declared a fair game. Almost anything and everything was considered as art. 20th century art had played a pivotal role in defying conventions. Besides this art was no longer restricted to things that looked aesthetically appealing but was far beyond that. Artworks were no longer perceived as static objects with a singular meaning. Artists challenged the very old definition of art by adding or rather including a lot more to it. Art was no longer restricted to something that is visually appealing but also to something that addressed a variety of issues. They believed in using art as a platform in representing or addressing multiple socio-political, cultural and community-based issues. Also, their work expanded far beyond the institutional confines of the gallery or museum space. Artists have now produced a variety of works whose meaning cannot be understood otherwise because their context is very crucial to the piece of art. Many times the collection

What was interesting about this specific chapter was that normally the type of art is connected to the specific area where the art was created. Romanesque art however is not specifically connect to any one area. Although it was first noticed in Europe, this style of art was seen in many different places, using many different references, and techniques of past works, and cultures. When the trade routes were reopened in Europe the economy of the surrounding areas flourished, which helped the spread of art in general. This mixed with the turn of year one-thousand, during which the apocalypse did not happen helped the Christianity movement jump leaps and bounds across the continent. Within the Bible it is stated that one-thousand years after the death of Jesus christ he would return to judge the souls of the living and the dead. When that did not happen in the general population boomed and the overall spirituality of the Christian believers grew even larger. Thus began the social and spiritual tradition of the Pilgrimages.

The world of art is a bridge, a bubble that connects and interacts with many aspects of the world and the lives of others very effectively. Arts reach into the eyes, the heart, and the soul of a human and bring out a multitude of thoughts, emotions, ideas, analysis, desires, and this list of what art is capable of doing goes on. It is important to recognize that art cannot be null and void from the aspects of anyone’s life, and exclusion of art is simply not an option, it would be one of the most difficult ideas to put into practice. Behind every person, be they great or be they mediocre, there is a path of art to be followed that has inspired them, and led them to where they find themselves in the present. Life must occur with art in it somewhere, and throughout life, art will spring forth from the minds of those who have been touched by that which came before them.

Art as a realm possesses an untamed power to document, address and question. It is a liberating force that extends beyond the socio-political norms of its time. The unconscious aim of art is progress, through the means of deconstructing what is said to be normal. Arguably, art is a product of its culture; although, once it is created it becomes the means by which to shape it. A great work of art is reactionary, especially within a Western environment. This view became widely spread with the rise of Modernism. A progressive approach towards the arts and their impact, started to evolve by the middle of the 19th century. During the 1871 Paris Commune, ‘subversive art’ became a recreation of the revolutionary politics of the time, driven by a group of embattled artist (Levenson. 2011. p. 12). ‘The political desire to transform society met the aesthetic desire to represent and to circulate the signs of transformation’ (Ibid. p. 13); this reveals the relationship of art with politics. This is due to the ability of art to speak a language that is not confined by any geographical borders and is by nature a liberated form of expression. Therefore, it can address and influence all those who are willing to witness and interpret.

    Art reflects life. Therefore, art has played a large role in how we view specific historical events. It captures a country's culture during different time periods. Rembrandt, Rousseau, Monet, Georges Seurat, Hogarth, Whistler, Jan Steen, Frans Hal and Brueghel all illustrate the world as they see it from their generation. These artists have affected the future society by giving a brief, but comprehensive and imaginative depiction of everyday life. Pieter Bruegel the Elder often painted peasants, also known as the lower class. Thomas Eakins, the painter of  The Gross Clinic, provided historians with clues and pictures of a vastly different way of life, showing us what the surgical theater looked like in the nineteenth century. Jan Steen’s The Eve of St. Nicholas gives us a way to revel in how Christmas was spent in the Netherlands during the early seventeenth century. In Georges Seurat’s painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, shows the life of the higher class in the nineteen fifties. As you can see, art gives us an accurate view of life from a different time period, and a new perspective on historical events. Along with this, art can also give hope to carry on.