Edwin Pena Salvador #006
In Section 10 of Question Everything, Peter Catapano lists 8 essays different essays about the significance of art. Before reading through these essays, I have always believed that art is one of the most important aspects for any society. I am no artist, but throughout my life, I have interacted and become friends with people who make art. Whenever I see their art, I am always amazed by it and always respect their work. I know that all of them enjoy doing art and that's why I think art matters. It is a form of expression that has existed throughout human history. Emotions are one of the most complex features of humans, which is why for many people studying or who are just looking at art, it is hard to determine the feelings an artist had when making their work. This means that a lot of complex thinking is needed and sometimes that would mean thinking outside of the box. Art doing that is on of its many beauties. Thinking outside our perspectives is one of the best parts of being humans as it helps us connect with other perspectives. In that sense, it is important for unity and it is why many authoritarian regimes have tried to repress that type of thinking. Art must continue to be relevant in modern society as it is a form of unity and repellent against oppression.
When I think of art, I think of visual art (painting, sculpturing, and architecture) which is the main focus of these essays, but performing arts (theatre), and interative media (literature) are included with visual art as the arts. I consider all these things to be art because they onclude a lot if thinking and work comparable to visual arts and can express the feelings of the creator better than visual art in my opinion. I know that a lot of people are not artist, but we all have consumed movies and books that have the same effect on us that a painting would have on someone who enjoys art which is why I often link these together.To me art is something everyone can and should experience as it promotes many ideas and spreads awareness throughout the world.
Essay 1: “Five Theses of Creativity”
This essay by Eric Kaplan is about how art is made by creativity which is a fundamental aspect of our life. He makes 5 theses which state that creativity makes new things, creativity is subtle, creativity is prevalent in our lives (how we walk etc.), creativity is inherently risky, and creativity is very similar to love.
I very much agree with this sentiment as creativity is what makes us human. Specifically, our complexity in creativity. We have multiple languages, different accents, different religions, different hair styles, and so much more. All of these things are a result of people being creative. Since art is made by creativity, it is essential and matters because it embodies the many aspects that our species has in what makes each of us different. People are going to make art differently, and they are going to make said art with different emotions and intentions.
Essay 2: “Art is a Different Kind of Cosmic Order
This essay by Brian Greene talks about how science has truths that follow a certain set of regulations and laws. He compares that to art which is not restricted and can have different truths. What he is referring to is the subjective views that people have and that is what makes art very important.
I very much agree with this sentiment because subjectivity is very important as it allows the intake of new ideas to be shared with others. People can be introduced to new “truths” based on another person’s experience. That experience can be a result of a different race, religion, financial stability, or nationality. This is important because it means that art’s subjective truths bring more unity as we begin to tolerate new ideas and the origin of those ideas.
Essay 3: “What We Believe About Storytelling”
In this essay, Ini Archibong writes about how stories are essential to society and that they help give people an understanding and those stories help with identity. An example he uses is that nobody would buy luxury goods if there weren’t a story behind them. That story could be how the good was made, a story that revolves the good, or a story made by advertisement. He writes that stories help us with empathy. He mentions his story about how as a black kid in California, he was seen as an underachiever, class clown, and sometimes a threat. Although he tries to ignore that part of his life, he accepts it because although that story doesn’t define him, it helps him understand the missing part of himself. He believes that storytelling can help people see the complexity among other people that have different backgrounds and ideologies.
My takeaway is that I agree with this sentiment. This is because stories are one of the best ways humans can understand things. Although I believe that the idea of harmony is possible, I believe a big part of storytelling is that it helps people to be aware. 1984 by George Orwell is one example and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is another example. Both stories tell people to not fall into a trap of trusting the government or believing that you hold any value to others. This is why it is important for there to be
Essay 4: “A Cog in the Machine of Creation”
This essay by Wes Studi is about how we all contribute to art. He is an actor and film producer and what he writes is that art is a collaborative effort. He uses movies as an example, and what he writes is that although the writers, directors, and producers contribute to the idea behind the movie, the costume designers, prop managers, and all the actors all contribute to the movie and for the most part make the movie better. That’s why he titles the essay the way it is because he has no shame of being a small part of creating a movie because it is a collaborative effort that makes the movie more enjoyable.
I heavily agree with this statement. We often contribute the success of movies to the writers, producers, directors, and the main actors. However, their work would mean nothing if it weren’t for people doing CGI, VFX, and people who design and make the costumes and props that help the movie feel more alive. This goes all the way around because those people need a movie to be made in order to contribute. This supports the idea that art brings unity as many types of people get to show their passion for a project and the viewers unite to express their thoughts on the movie.
Essay 5: “Naming the Disappeared, Raising the Dead”
This essay by Doris Salcedo is about how Colombia (her home country) experiences political violence. She mentions how she created a sculpture to honor 165 victims that were affected by the violence. She mentions that art brings a sense of reality and can often bring awareness or support. She believes that art is another form of remembering the past so that history cannot be repeated.
I consider Salcedo’s view on political art to be very well thought out views as I align with those views. This can be seen in authoritarian regimes such as North Koreas, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and Spain under Franco. These authoritarian regimes censored art and only allowed art that praised their leaders and their country. They did this because it discouraged people from rebelling people because art inspires critical thinking and can invoke many emotions. This is very dangerous for these regimes because it encourages resistance and rebellions which is why they often label a lot of works of art as degenerate. Art is amazing at remembering the dead. For example, Day of the Dead honors those who have passed away and many people make artworks to celebrate this day out of respect. In Nashville, there is a festival for Day of the Dead where students at different schools get to make murals. The effort made by the students shows how much passion there is for making the mural and the respect they have for this special day.
Essay 6: “I’m Not “Mrs. America.” That’s the Point”
In this essay, Cate Blanchett writes how art can connect people. She explains that art has a unique element that separates it from politics which is that it allows people to ask questions and explore gray areas. She believes that art connects bridges and allows people to see more perspectives. She criticizes politics being harmful in creating judgement and vastly different ideaologies.
I agree that art can help bring different perspectives and can create unity. However, I slightly disagree with her criticism of politics separating people by ideologies to be a bad thing. This is mainly because diverse ideologies lead to more discussions that can be beneficial (sometimes) and that those different ideologies makes it harder for someone to manipulate people (most of the time) as it implies that people think very differently from each other which would cause resistance against someone wanting to gain power through gaining traction with people who share similar ideologies.
Essay 7: “What We Believe About Culture”
This essay by Shahzia Sikander is about her experience with art as a muslim woman. She mentions that she experiences stereotypes because of her religion and that helps fight against those stereotypes. She makes art that showcases her culture and heritage in a more positive light than how muslims are seen in the west. She believes that art can change how people view culture.
I find Sikander’s efforts to be inspiring. After 9/11, muslims have been viewed in negative stereotypes and are often profiled for how they look. Even people who have names that are used in the Middle east are inspected more thoroughly. I also believe that art brings different perspectives which Sikander shows through her art by showing a part of her culture that many Americans have never seen.
Essay 8: “Art Never Dies”
In this essay, Sonny Rollins writes about how art is eternal and that it is above political and social turmoil. He mentions that in many works of art, there are many similarities with their themes and messages, but many of them do not have similar styles. He also believes that art encourages people to find new ideas.
I very much agree with his statements. Art has endured in many ways such as being used as a resistance against authoritarian regimes. There were two artists who were a lesbian couple that would criticize Hitler. They also cross-dressed and their paintings often depicted that, which is what Hitler would consider “degenerate art.” Even though the couple was imprisoned, they still spread messages of hope with other prisoners despite their situation. I also believe that art is above politics and social problems, but that doesn't mean that art should not embrace it. Art can be used to express beauty and demonstrate happness, but also sadness and fear, which is why I believe that art has limitless potential that can never be extinguish as long humans survive.
Lesbian artists that defied Hitler
Discussion Questions:
How has technology changed the way we experience art?
We experience art the same way when someone saw many famous paintings back during the Renaissance. Technology does not change the way we feel about art because the emotions we experience are still used. Art follows along progress. There are many art forms being made and that has always been the case. These new art forms will still continue to amaze us as art is never made to be the same. That is why technology doesn’t change the experience because it is a tool to help change the way art is made but we still feel emotions towards it. This applies to AI “art” because many of us feel disgust towards it because we know that no passion or work was put into it. This does not contradict my statement because AI is changing how art is made, but we experience negative emotions instead. This is similar to how we would look at art promoting certain ideologies or the art made in authoritarian countries that were only made for propaganda.
Is art essential to our human nature and if it is, what impact does it have?
Art is essential to our human nature because it is another form of communicating. The impact is that art allows us to share our thoughts and ideas and provide new perspectives for others. It is what leads to tolerance and unity with us.
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