by Milton Johanides

Created on: July 28, 2009

In order to appreciate the value of art it is perhaps helpful to consider for a few moments a world where art has not been invented. In fact, so pervasive is art in our society, and has been so practically since the beginning of time, that it is almost impossible to imagine such a colourless world. Consider the function of art in today's society.

First, the voluminous and affluent role of Hollywood would not exist, the panoply of great movie entertainment that men and women have been lucky enough to experience over the last 100 years or so would not have been possible without art as the prime motivator. The driving force of the early directors was to recreate moving versions of the masterpieces of literature and painting which dominated culture in the preceding centuries. Have these been of any value to society? I would say that yes, overall, great movies have made a positive contribution to our lives, firstly through their entertainment value and secondly through the ability to inform and encourage.

Good movies cheer you up and educate you at the same time. You learn so much about life watching films of real quality, and many people have been introduced to the great authors, Bram Stoker, Dickens, Shakespeare, through movie adaptations. Movies have also given us superstar icons to look up to. Think of the heroes of the last century and the magic their names alone conjure up: John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, and scores of others. These individuals may not have been entirely successful in their own lives, but how much they gave to audiences over the years who went to bed dreaming about their on screen presence. It would not be an exaggeration to say that movie heroes give us one more reason to find life exciting.

So what about the more traditional art genres, painting, literature, poetry? Again, a cursory study of the history of these activities throws up an exciting and illuminating picture of achievement and inspiration. Who would be without the complete works of Shakespeare? Even if you have never read Shakespeare, like it or not, our language is littered with Shakespearian truisms which help us to understand life a little better. Or who would throw out Rembrandt or Van Gogh or Renoir or the pre-Raphaelites? In their own way, great artists thrill us with their skill and their personal enlightenment, which from time to time reaches out to us and touches our own souls. And what better way to lift the spirit, than by reading a poem by Wordsworth or Keats? The Romantic poetic tradition is still alive in the air today, every time we go out to buy red roses for the one we love.

Interior decor, fashion and even the look of our cars these days have been influenced by, and are, the culmination of a history of visual arts that goes back many centuries. When the Impressionists began experimenting with light and colour, and Andy Warhol began painting tins of beans, they were laying down the design foundations of the modern age. As a result, we are surrounded today by a plethora of beautiful images that make life both more interesting and more enjoyable.

But let's not forget that art only copies nature. Design and colour are more beautiful in their natural state. If there is a heaven it will be the ultimate in artistic possibility. The art we witness around us everywhere today, brilliant as it is, may be only a pale reflection of the real thing waiting for us in paradise, but for now let us make the most of the talents we have in this world and the inner secrets great artists reveal.

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