Art: as the Trappist monk Thomas Merton once put it, it's very much something that allows us to simultaneously lose ourselves and find ourselves. If you're not as crazy about sports as I am, then it's a no-brainer to dive deep into artistic pursuits and make a fantastic career from it. It's been proven time and time again that art is beneficial to society. This especially rings true for students, who actually perform better in school if they're involved in the arts by some way, shape or form. However, when in the process of making budget cuts, administrations usually put the kibosh on art first, which greatly affects and limits our knowledge and understanding of art, but that's another story for another day...

There are countless forms of art all around us. Some I can name right off the top of my head include sculpture, collages, ceramics, drawing, printmaking, photography, videography, etc. However, there are some that much of today's society don't know about. Here are five types of art that you don't know much about, but I find them intriguing:

Kandyan Era Frescoes

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/A_Low_Country_Kandyan_Era_Fresco.png

Located in the kingdom of Kandy, now present-day Sri Lanka, these murals embellish the walls of ancient temples. Legend has it that one king started them because it would help him understand how to read. Well, in theory, it did work, as they led to the creation of Jataka stories on these murals.

Cave paintings

https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3635/5800023505_f5983d76cd_b.jpg

I'm sure you've heard of them. Located all throughout southern France and the Iberian Peninsula, these paintings are a pinnacle of Cro-Magnon life in prehistoric times.

Asemic writing

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4627/39757893604_02b77e3dcd_z.jpg

No, this isn't mirror writing. You're thinking Leonardo da Vinci! Anyway, this is exactly what it says on the tin: it's writing without any specific semantic content. Sounds pretty cool, TBH.

Dadaism

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/%27Fountain%27_by_Marcel_Duchamp_%28replica%29.JPG

This relatively unknown art movement was the progenitor of avant-garde and pop art. To see some Dadaist works, I suggest looking at the art of Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray (no confusion with the SpongeBob supervillain) and Tristan Tzara.

Sequined flags

https://buyathread.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/drum-by-maxon.jpg

Originating in Haiti, these flags are often used to depict Voodoo within the island's culture. They're not only glittery, but they're so captivating you might be seeing stars after getting a glimpse of one.

So, what did you learn about art today?