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Art Appreciation

The value of art

The previous centuries have seen an unprecedented rise in art; in fact, art is itself, a giant sculpture of forms and ideas, one part is made of literature, another of music, of painting, of fashion. The different curves and shapes of this giant sculpture represent the numerous changes and mutations art has undergone under the craftsmanship of time, Man and his conceptions. A superficial observation of art takes account only of its aesthetic value. But, should art be restricted only to beauty for beauty's sake?

Art plays an important role in establishing the records of history. It immortalizes certain specific periods in the world time line. For example, wars and political revolutions have a profound influence on artists who seek to express their opinions and feelings on worldly affairs. George Orwell is one such artist who perfectly ridiculed the zeitgeist of old USSR in his satirical masterpiece Animal Farm'. In the same way, art helps to mark particular moods prevailing at definite times of history and remarkable trends of thought that brought about momentous social and cultural upheavals around the world. Through his literary works and plays, the French author and philosopher, Racine, introduced novel concepts and attitudes in the Seventeenth century, advocating the principles of French Classicism in literature or the exaltation of the senses and the portrayal of the tragedy of Man, victim of his passion. So, art in its dramatic and literary forms, serves to illustrate subtle concepts and harsh realities to the common people.

Among the faculties of Man, there are three prominent ones that can be discerned and that moreover, are the vertices of the triangle that dictates human expression and response to his environment. These are logic, sensorial perception and faith, or supra-sensorial perception. These are in turn, governed by science, art and religion. Man needs art as much as he needs science or faith in his principles. If science describes objective reality, then art describes subjective reality. Art is an attempt to describe reality as it is uniquely perceived by the senses. A person can be said to be truly alive' when he is capable of self-expression and shows sensitivity to his surroundings. If Man was solely a being of reason and logic but not of creativity, imagination and passion; the very fuel of art; then, he would be no more than a cold machine.

Art has another less obvious reason for its raison-d'tre. The world of art is extensive,


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