Art plays a very important role in the world. Although art is interpreted uniquely by the observer, there are common impressions or messages communicated through art. Art serves to create connections with people across the globe and over time. There is no language in art; so all different ages, races, and ethnicities can come together to appreciate pieces. It is different from any other entity, with various styles of art creating definitions and categories that are constantly evolving. All pieces and mediums are different while still sharing common themes.
Art can connect people over time. Drawings can serve to document what is occurring. From cave drawings and hieroglyphics all the way to digital imaging, art provides evidence of life. Various aspects are represented, including how people live, family structures, clothing, and transportation. Through these images, historical evolution of all these aspects of life are documented. This is an important preservation of the human way of life.
The connections of people through emotional response to a work of art is one of the most important and powerful functions. A well known painting, by Edvard Munch in 1893, titled The Scream, is a great example of such a work. This painting, which is a self-portrait, focuses on a gaunt faced man with wide eyes and both of his hands cradling his head. The man’s expressive face shows his mouth formed in a wide open oval, appearing to be screaming. The vivid red sky may represent sunset and the dark water of the river appears very ominous. The painter was known to suffer with mental illness personally as well as within his family. Any observer of this work would sense fear or terror as the emotion being felt by the subject of the picture. Even without knowing what is triggering this sensation in the man, a sense of empathy with the subject is generated in the viewer. Although visually stimulating, the painting may make observers imagine that they hear a gut wrenching scream, especially upon reading the title. This is a powerful impetus; for a painting to elicit such an emotional and even imagined auditory experience. It is an amazing phenomenon for an inanimate object to trigger emotional responses by visual inspection.
Another important connection created by art is a common reference point for people. When a person hears a reference to Monet, the dreamy pastel images are immediately pictured. The name Van Gogh may inspire the thought of sunflowers or the colors blue and yellow because of his magnificent paintings. When seeing paint splatters, one may think of Jackson Pollack. Black and white photography of nature may have one think of Ansel Adams. These iconic styles, in various media and time periods, imprints a reference point in our thoughts. This becomes part of our vocabulary and our labeling of styles or artistic expressions. These ever growing names, styles and impressions become part of our lexicon.
Another connection, which is expressed in art, is culture. Paintings, drawings, and sculptures can represent innumerable aspects of culture. It could be physical traits, dress, family structure, sport or any number of other facets of culture. This serves to document information about a cultural group as well as to describe groups. An example of art representing culture could be a painting of Native American women weaving cloth or a statue of a Japanese samurai warrior. This connects different cultures, providing an opportunity to learn about each other.
These are just a few important roles art plays in the world, but there are many more. By thinking of art as creating connections, the depth and breadth of what art can represent is elucidated. Connections from art can be made even to other forms of expression. These include music and fashion. There is a reciprocal relationship between these fields and art, which is fascinating to contemplate. Art is part of our world and art serves to document what is our way of life, in the distant past even to the future. It has been and will continue to be an infinite source of inspiration for artists.
