Art
What is art?
Whenever I facilitate art classes or activities with kids, I tell them, "Your art is all about you." I have regularly received questions such as, "Is it okay to put blue paint here?" or "Can I put silver glitter there?" So the above response has been my regular response to let them know it's okay. There is no "wrong way" to do art.
For the past few days, however, I have been thinking a lot about why art is all about the artist. Why there is no wrong answer. It's probably just my overly-analytic mind, but this is what I have come up with.
Art is all about the artist, because there is always going to be someone, somewhere who can relate. Someone who will be brought to tears because someone else understands them. Someone who will burst out, "They get it!"
Art is relational.
There are days and weeks that I love to immerse myself in art. Visual art - paintings, drawings, photography. These are times I frequent the art center and museums. At other times, I love immersing myself in art in the forms of books and movies. Yesterday was one of those days. I checked out one of my favorite movies from the library and, as I watched, I allowed myself to absorb it. It's one of those movies that can bring me to tears just because I can relate to it so well.
Art is perfect in its imperfections.
I believe there are two mindsets about art. One is that it should be perfectly realistic - a reflection of what we see. Some art can be good this way. I think of Rembrandt or Michelangelo. But I believe art is about so much more. It isn't perfection that makes Rembrandt or Michelangelo great. It is its reflection of perfect imperfections. The shades of red and burgundy in Rembrandt's paintings. The gentle touch of God's finger to Adam's in the creation scene from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Mona Lisa's peculiar smile.
It's the same imperfect imperfection that I see in works of van Gogh or Picasso. It's how both realism and fantasy can work to create masterpieces. Different genres. The same reflection of self that others can relate to.
So that's why I encourage the artist in every child (every adult) to create what they see in their own mind, to make art just for the sake of making art. It's okay if they want to paint a pink tree. It's okay to pour emotion that they feel no one will understand into their writing. Someone, somewhere is going to be moved by that painting or that creative writing endeavor or that poem. Even if it's just one person, it will be worth it.
Whenever I facilitate art classes or activities with kids, I tell them, "Your art is all about you." I have regularly received questions such as, "Is it okay to put blue paint here?" or "Can I put silver glitter there?" So the above response has been my regular response to let them know it's okay. There is no "wrong way" to do art.
For the past few days, however, I have been thinking a lot about why art is all about the artist. Why there is no wrong answer. It's probably just my overly-analytic mind, but this is what I have come up with.
Art is all about the artist, because there is always going to be someone, somewhere who can relate. Someone who will be brought to tears because someone else understands them. Someone who will burst out, "They get it!"
Art is relational.
There are days and weeks that I love to immerse myself in art. Visual art - paintings, drawings, photography. These are times I frequent the art center and museums. At other times, I love immersing myself in art in the forms of books and movies. Yesterday was one of those days. I checked out one of my favorite movies from the library and, as I watched, I allowed myself to absorb it. It's one of those movies that can bring me to tears just because I can relate to it so well.
Art is perfect in its imperfections.
I believe there are two mindsets about art. One is that it should be perfectly realistic - a reflection of what we see. Some art can be good this way. I think of Rembrandt or Michelangelo. But I believe art is about so much more. It isn't perfection that makes Rembrandt or Michelangelo great. It is its reflection of perfect imperfections. The shades of red and burgundy in Rembrandt's paintings. The gentle touch of God's finger to Adam's in the creation scene from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Mona Lisa's peculiar smile.
It's the same imperfect imperfection that I see in works of van Gogh or Picasso. It's how both realism and fantasy can work to create masterpieces. Different genres. The same reflection of self that others can relate to.
So that's why I encourage the artist in every child (every adult) to create what they see in their own mind, to make art just for the sake of making art. It's okay if they want to paint a pink tree. It's okay to pour emotion that they feel no one will understand into their writing. Someone, somewhere is going to be moved by that painting or that creative writing endeavor or that poem. Even if it's just one person, it will be worth it.
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