As I claim that, for the most part, we do not use art today at it was intended (and I honestly believe this to be true at this time), I feel like I need to write more about how we engage with the arts today – not only to explain it to you, but mainly to check myself in my own claim. So as I read my usual readings, news, magazines and such, I always keep an eye out for such topics. And I came across another NY Times online article. It is a series of articles titled My First Visual Arts/Dance/Television/Classical Music/Video Game Crush, in which people who work in these areas share the first time they became aware of the field that would become connected with their future profession.
As I read through these articles, I see some themes in the language that repeat over and over again. Love and passion for what they do. The effect of a painting, sculpture, dance performance, etc. over the audience – the descriptions include words like “seismic effect”, “epiphany”, “overwhelmed”, “excites me”, “majestic”, “commanding power over me”. The word joy comes back again and again as the result of artistic activity or the experience of one by others. These seem like authentic experiences – something that should happen regularly at encounters with arts. I’m not sure how often it continues to happen for most of us. I find myself wanting more often than not. And this was one of the main things that made me start this blog.
Another theme that kept coming up in the articles was role models, imitation, companionship from the fictional characters. I read things like – I saw this is possible, they helped me through difficult years, I wasn’t alone, it showed me it can be done. These appear to be authentic experiences as well.
So to sum it up I will say: it appears that a successful – good – experience with the arts will bring one or more of the following 1) joy, pleasure, satisfaction from the act of participation, 2) a new “look” at reality around us – understanding of relationships and possibilities we didn’t know before most often through a powerful experience, 3) we incorporate the characters or events in our own world and emulate them, model our reality on theirs.
Does that sound accurate?
Here are some of the links:
Art and the Invisible 