Aesthetically captivating piece of art has the power to evoke a stimulating dialogue with its audience, celebrating each moment of engagement and elevating it to a different metaphysical level, observes – Suneet Madan
Freedom of expression is the paramount premise on which all forms of art thrive. An extension of the artist’s inner world, canvas and colors take up various shapes and forms that are brought to life by the invisible threads that connect the audience with the thoughts of the artist. This emotional connection is a powerful way to convert the visual information into a lasting impression in the minds of the audience.
A constant, consistent and continuous flow in a painting is like those free-flowing evocative verses that have the capacity and capability of teleporting the viewer into an exploratory journey with enriching experience into a realm that is not entirely familiar to the creator of that piece of art. Everyone connects to art in a manner entirely dependent on their personal situations, experiences and emotional or physical limitations, oblivious of their presence and impact. These define their perspective, which could deviate from or align to the vision with which the artist approached the creation.
Maria Popova mentions “This is the power of art: The power to transcend our own self-interest, our solipsistic zoom-lens on life, and relate to the world and each other with more integrity, more curiosity, more wholeheartedness.” An artist, thus, should be more passionate about creating an empowering and intuitively creative experience, than to get distracted in the technique of execution.
It is common knowledge that art empowers the artist to express what cannot be conveyed with words. According to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany’s most famous poet and writer, “Art is the mediator of the unspeakable.” Rightly so, there is a lot that can be said through art that cannot be put across through words. There are innumerable emotions that can be expressed through the canvas, which might not be entirely possible to verbalize.
A great deal is left to the imagination of the audience to interpret even while conveying one’s own intent through the painting. For that matter, even the title of the painting holds huge scope for intense deliberation for its correlation with the painting. Many a times, the title is kept more self-explanatory, but it could also be a little abstruse or esoteric, depending on the intent of the artist. For instance, the title Fire and Ice, for the painting done by the author, is neither too leading nor too divergent.
Large-scale commercialization of art industry has been counter-effective to creation of a meaningful connect. Somewhere in the pursuit of generating larger numbers in shorter span, the soul of most artists is found to be amiss on their canvases. Very few contemporary artists have been able to reach the pinnacle, to share the platform with the likes of Raja Ravi Varma, Jamini Roy, Abanindranath Tagore.
Marshall McLuhan, known for his aphorisms stated “Art is anything you can get away with.” There are a large number of modern day creations that are intellectually distant. There are even those that carry little aesthetic appeal, but their creators are able to slant their explanations with well-conceived theories to present themselves in the best possible light. Without the verbal explanations, they hold little emotional or cognitive value. At the same time, a masterpiece resonates with its audience and invites invigorating discussion and thoughtful engagement.
Examining only the process of creating an artwork, there is immense benefit that one can derive. As evidenced from numerous researches, art stimulates the neural pathways, raises the serotonin levels and thus enhances brain wave patterns and emotional development. Eric Jensen, in his book “Arts with the Brain in Mind”, suggests that art nourishes the body systems and enhances the motor capacities, which are the driving forces behind learning.
Having personally experienced the healing capability of art on a number of occasions, there is strong acknowledgment of the transformative power of engaging in artistic pursuits. It can be challenging in the beginning, but with every passing minute, art acts as elixir and alleviates pain and stress, and replaces with inspiration and hope.
It may be worthwhile to keep a tab on your mental framework and the overall experience when you pursue an art activity, or while browsing through the displayed works of art, on what impresses or engages your senses next time you visit an art exhibition.
