Desert sky,
electric, vibrant, bright... painter's canvas in the light. God, the potter, and his work of pink clay and cloud. I wish the sky could shroud me in the cloak of its mystery and darkness Contradiction... so bright pink and red but so dark. Often like a human heart... pumps our blood, makes us start, but holds our dark. Sing, sing, lark as the sun goes down and my heart is nowhere to be found. It roams... My soul moans, wails, asks but the completes its task. One, two, three, four It disappears and I step through the door into the black night. It swallows me up in the absence of light.
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Here is a collection of quotes I've complied from artists that describe what art IS to them but also what it should do, and its purpose:
"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." -Pablo Picasso
"Muse" by Megan Carroll: An old journal entry from the beginning of my college days reimagined2/22/2017 Muse: an inspiration for a creative artist
Muse: to be absorbed in thought Isn't it funny how the noun and the verb seem to stroll hand-in=hand whether we realize it or not? Artists are always lost in their thoughts, puzzled by people and life's patterns, and wondering how they can put their reactions into words, set them to music or translate them into a movement piece. But an artist must be inspired by what they see. They hit a creative drought when they are lacking this outside force that, somehow, intrinsically motivates them. They lose control and spiral into dark places of unworthiness simply because their world lacks color. When I write, when I move, when I exist, people create the vibrancy that makes me feel connected to the world around me. People inspire me and their spirits inspire my art as a result. He inspires me because he is dedicated in all that he does. My muse never accepts failure and always finds a solution, even in his own bouts of self-doubt and creative drought. He is interesting, charismatic and bright, just like the most stunning and lyrical poems. He makes the world a better place and changes people's minds in the same way their favorite songs do. I write because he makes my world a better place and my love spills from my heart onto the page. She is like a ray of sunshine, a reminder that a new day is dawning after the darkness. You can't stay stuck in all that is bleak and dreary when she is around. Her radiant energy courses through my blood stream and feeds my soul much like the way nutrients nourish the body. Food for the soul. A heart of gold that somehow brings out the most valuable contents of my creative mind. You see, art makes people need people. Loneliness unleashes insanity and drab art. Without the muses to call upon in our time of need, we'd be empty and hollow shells of ourselves. Once upon a time, we were filled with stories and morphed into a black hole somewhere along the way. The loners drink gin and write about distance from humanity. Their work is confused, bewildering and jarring. It is often real, but we don't want to live in their reality. They let the darkness entice them because they have lost their muses. The darkness became their muse instead of the light. But sometimes we muse about the wrong muses — the images that taunt us, haunt us, doubt us and betray our trust. The beautiful muses are waiting to crawl into our hearts and make a home. They want to know you and I, the artists, so we know ourselves. When we know who we are, then the world can know of us through our art and begin to believe that this world is a beautiful place to exist. -Megan Carroll I would classify both this film and the protest art within it as art. It evoked a reaction within me, and made me feel connected to a greater whole. That, in my opinion, is the purpose of art. Kant even said that an experience of the beautiful makes you feel connected to something greater than the self, essentially. I think that the video itself is art because it is filmed in such a way that it captures specific images for a specific purpose to evoke feelings of power, courage and strength, and I think the protesters in the video have created beautiful art. The chants are art because they express feelings, are cathartic for those present and some watching the video, and are the result of ideas stemming from one's imagination. The signs are art because they are provocative, disturb us, move us to act, and are visual in nature. Some are even aesthetically pleasing. I would call them artwork because they also stem from the imagination's machinations and imagery of one's mind. I also think that these signs are expressions of creativity and enjoyable for the artist to make, no matter how difficult the subject matter.
We also discussed a quote from the poet Rimbaud in 1871 at the start of our time together this semester: "To become an artist is to have knowledge of self and seek knowledge of self." When one protests and creates art in this manner, or when someone documents this art, they are discovering what's truly important to them. They are uncovering their personal values and ideals. They know themselves deeply enough to create this work, and showcase it with and for others. THAT is art as Rimbaud described it, and I would have to agree. This art, whether it's the sign or Ghertner's documentary, is also for a particular audience — those in the government, fellow protesters, various mediums documenting the event, and those witnessing these documentations. There's a very clear connection between the artist, the piece and the audience, which we discussed at the beginning of class as well. I would tend to agree that this chain of connection must be present more often than not to classify a work as art. Protest art is also inspired art, which we touched on in class as well. Failure inspired this art. Anger inspired a desire to change, which thus inspired the art. Love and respect for women inspired this art. Public figures, positive and negative, inspired this art. However, I'm sure someone like Plato would not consider this art. He would not see this art, whether it's the documentary or the protest art itself, as inspired by God or a divine force. It is not work that makes one lose control of their senses because they are very aware of their intent. This art does not inspire an openness to something beyond the self because it is directly correlated to one's own desires. It is directly correlated to a societal message. Therefore, I doubt Plato or a thinker somewhere in his vein regardless of time period would consider this work art. Kant would probably classify this work as "the good" rather than beautiful art because it seeks to fulfill a purpose. We find pleasure in the result or consequence of the documentary and/or the protest art. There is a moral obligation present in the work. I would think he'd say that this work is not beautiful because he writes that "the pleasure of the beautiful is a different kind" than that of the good. Also, the subject is not free and indifferent as far as relation to the object in this regard. There is a deep connection and motivation with protest art. Also, a protester or Ghertner could not claim that their work would please universally because they know that their work will anger some. They know that divisiveness is present and that is precisely why they are creating this art. Kant would also call this type of art conditional beauty as opposed to free beauty, which is pleasing and enlivening in itself without ulterior purposes. Conditional beauty is still aesthetically pleasing nonetheless, which I think these works are, but it serves another ideology or purpose. It is "tainted by concepts, historical references, and culture," as we discussed in class. It is often used as satire or propaganda, and it's obvious that many of the signs — especially those that Ghertner chose to focus on — were created for these purposes. However, Kant does say that beauty allows us to feel connected to the whole, which I think protest art can do in some regard. However, it is a whole that is limited to what we believe in or stand for at that moment in time, and is therefore not a universal whole. Kant discusses the sublime in his "Critique of Judgment." The sublime, he believes, is absolutely great and beyond compare. It reminds of our smallness and overwhelms our senses. Our imagination strives to create an image for what we see but cannot. We realize that we are transcendent and part of something greater; these qualities all belong to the mathematical type. We can also experience the sublime in a powerful force of nature — that is, an individual experience of it — that reminds us of our ability to physically resist a force. It exposes power within us. But, when we experience the sublime in any form, we tend to feel tiny compared to all that is around us.
This is the way sublime art makes us feel. It overwhelms our senses and the form is too great to comprehend. The labor, the artistry, and the work itself are beyond compare when we view the art. However, feeling small and powerless in the face of art is disturbing. It makes us feel weak. If we call nature art as well, such as a tornado or a storm, it also disturbs is to feel that nature could knock our lights out whenever it so chooses. Kant's explanation of the sublime affirms what I have been thinking about art for a while [at least, it does in my mind]: good art is often perplexing and disturbing. We are unable to grasp it or find meaning right away. This is much like the sublime. It can also scare us and render us powerless. It can make us feel that we need to right wrongs or that we aren't doing enough. It can make us feel unsatisfactory in what we are already doing and can push us to be better. My own experiences of what I would call "sublime art" have done this to me, mainly in nature. I look at the infinite expanse of land in Zion National Park or the miles of the Spokane River, and my brain struggles to comprehend all that is before. It makes me feel that I am not doing enough to explore all that is around me and need to thank my maker more for all He has done in creating the world. It makes me feel there is so much inspiration trapped inside of me that needs to be expelled as I look at the beauty surrounding me. It makes me feel like a speck, like I'm less than all of it. Nature can be art, I believe, and it can certainly be sublime art, much like the expansiveness of the pyramids, the Sistine Chapel, the statute of the David or The Colosseum. All of these brilliant feats of art and architecture create a struggle within us. They disturb and awaken a deeper part of our soul that longs to create. Sublime art, to me, is art in its truest sense. It stirs something more deep within us than anything else and creates a sort of yearning. It creates fear and a sense of smallness. It brings us to ask the existential questions of life. It unlocks what we never thought possible.
Lately, my soul is heavy
Lately, my soul is lost at sea But art, art is the way I remain afloat Art is my safe haven, my boat. The way the music moves my spirit, The way dance stirs my heart -- Sets it all apart From the mundane, the boring, the humdrum of life The bothersome questions: Will I succeed? Will I be a good wife? It's an escape, coping, groping for the truth A way to express what's locked inside The feelings and emotions I hide... from the world. Catharsis and release, A way to find some peace. Without art I'd go mad, though it drives me to the point where I question my choices I struggle to find the voices from inside me that drive me to create. The muses don't come and some days I wait. I am flustered and sad. I feel as if I'm going mad! My art can be my downfall, my art can be a drag. But it's also what I long for and hold closest to my heart. It hits me like a dart, it knocks me off my feet. Hurls me to the ground and makes me believe... in life, in love, in purpose. It answers the question: Is it all worth it? Because the same God who created the earth, the sky looked at me and said: Hmm, why... don't we create one of you too? So you can share your love for what you do, what you make with the world, for others to take... and see and believe. So that's what I intend to do. I write, I sing, I move my feet to a different drumbeat. So I can feel. So I can heal. So I can find some peace. So I can find some release. So I can understand what I've failed to know, so I can grow. So others can see me and believe, too that, somewhere out there, the sky isn't grey, it's blue. Kant's theory of the beautiful and aesthetics is difficult for me to understand. When I think of the beautiful, I never think assume that the object will please everyone. Universality, therefore, is probably the most difficult element for me to understand. If I'm standing outside in the snow surrounded by trees and experience a moment of euphoria, I would not assume that everyone likes the snow with a bit of thought. I relate moments of the beautiful to taste. Always.
Also, I think moments of the beautiful can be rooted in interest. If I see a work of art that relates to a moral concept that pleases me, I may find it more beautiful than another painting that does not spark an emotion in me. However, I know Kant would argue that this is not an experience of the beautiful because I'm too interested in the object. I see where Kant is coming from in that an experience of the beautiful cannot be rooted in its use or agreeableness. It is almost a feeling of nirvana: where everything is in perfect harmony and accord. Like he mentions, it seems that everything is in sync when we experience the beautiful. However, I feel that Kant's claims of a "disinterested subject" are a bit too far-fetched. Everyone brings their acculturation, emotions and needs to the things they view in the world around them. It is impossible to be an impartial and totally subjective viewer. This would aid human beings in their judgment and decision making, so I see why he believes that is the only way to experience the beautiful. However, I think this is the "ideal" for experiencing moments of the beautiful. It should be seen as something Kant wishes the human being could experience rather than what could really occur. I think that Kant's vision of an experience of the beautiful is a bit too romantic. Often, judgments of the beautiful are rooted in concepts, at least for me personally. I see something that has stimulated my faculties before, or hear a piece of music similar to another that has moved me before, and I associate it with the current moment. It affects me more profoundly. I think Kant would say that this isn't an experience of the beautiful because it's rooted in a concept, but I would beg to differ. I've had some experiences where I've been profoundly moved, not necessarily from a moral association or the art's usefulness to me, but I don't think I could say I've possessed free relation to the object. Therefore, my own theory of art at the moment would stem from this quote from the television show Sense8: “Look, love is not something we wind up, something we set or control. Love is just like art: a force that comes into our lives without any rules, expectations or limitations. Love like art, must always be free.”
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AuthorMegan Carroll is a journalist, singer, dancer, artist and Philosophy of Art student at Gonzaga University. She is exploring the meaning of art in her own prose, examination of philosophy and late-night musings. ArchivesCategories |