Art: the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination… producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
Even the Oxford English Dictionary definition of art is word porn ain’t it? Art in modern times is often delegated to the realm of expertly curated museums and studios, and while these places are replete with often beautiful and thought provoking art, it can be found anywhere if you see the world through its filter.
Today, we are coming to you from the Hialeah Garden of the Arts. Located in an unassuming nook of the city, this beautifully kept garden makes large scale paintings and sculptures an accessible part of the community. If you’ve been a long time reader, you may recognize some of the elements of today’s outfit, which believe it or not was perfect for this January stroll in the middle of Miami winter.
In the beginning
From the luxury of this technological age, it’s hard to imagine that being bipedal hominids or hunter gatherers could have led us to becoming the sophisticated animals you see now. Walking around with all the information the world has ever gathered in our fucking pockets, is pretty fantastical, but how does it relate to art? Well, your cellphone is just a modern day tool, and ancient man’s ability to make and use tools is exactly what caused art to evolve in humans in the first place. This skill, paired with growing cognitive abilities, and the visual memory that hunting finely tuned, was a game-changer.
It is theorized that art evolved along with language, which makes intuitive sense because what is art if not a visual language? As early man concocted and used tools for utilitarian purposes, our dexterity improved. As social animals we moved and hunted in packs, and inevitably tried to find better ways to communicate with each other. Primitive cave drawings are the oldest forms of what modern anthropologists consider “art”, and depict aspects of every day life including animals, hunting, naked bodies, and a whole lot of fucking. The further you dive into art history, the more you’ll notice that ancient art, sculpture, and pottery, was inspired by the same thing that compels a middle schooler to draw a dick on a bathroom wall, sex.
As we moved out of caves, became farmers, and started building communities, we became more adept communicators and artists. As religion and politics became part of the human experience, so did their influence on art. As a patron of the arts, the church funded and influenced millions of works for its own agenda, the politicized art of Napoleon heroically riding up the Alps on horseback (when in fact the terrain would only allow for mules to do so) was good PR at its finest, and the depiction of war-time icon Rosie the riveter inspired a whole generation of women to join the work force during the second world war. While the beauty or validity of a piece of work is often up for discussion, there is no arguing that art has the power to move and influence.
Art in modern times
From dicks scrawled on cave walls, to the sophisticated works of the Renaissance, and the free-form “anything goes” attitude of contemporary art, there is no telling in what direction art will evolve. Art exists in a complex climate that is highly personal, political, and telling of the place and time in which it flourishes. It says more about the times than other media because its voice is diverse, inclusive, and cannot be silenced. While you may be bombarded with strategically placed government propaganda, all it takes is a kid, a spray can, and a little brandalism to shake shit up.
To be moved to “art” is an impulse as visceral as sex, which may be why they often go hand in hand. While chimps and elephants can wield paintbrush to paper, and even computers can produce unsettling glitch art, no other species (to our knowledge) derives such joy from art and only the extraordinary human animal can be moved to tears by it. This impulse lends to why art is often a spark of revolution. A disenfranchised populous can show their outrage regardless of literacy, or socioeconomic status, by rallying behind the art of symbols and slogans.
In modern times, performance art and graffiti are a way to assault the senses of a society that all too often ostracizes. Art is incredible in its power to transform people and groups. The benefits of public art and recreational areas include increasing civic participation, engaging youth in community issues, and preservation of the community itself. Ironically, it is sometimes even blamed for the gentrification of the neighborhoods it seeks to save or represent.
The visceral power that art has over humans does not go unnoticed. Advertising continued the historical trend of churches and dynasties to influence public opinion through art. By anthropomorphizing mascots, or taking the aesthetic of community murals to infiltrate neighborhoods and sell us vodka, art is a commodity like any other, and is commercialized for profit whenever possible. Corporations try (and sometimes succeed) to mass produce and pre-package “art” to move us to consumerism. Using the power of psychology and color theory to subtly influence our moods and actions, every wall or public space is treated as an opportunity to sell.
Well fuck. Sounds a lot like art has turned into a business doesn’t it? So now what’s the point?
The point
For as long as I can remember, art has been a source of escape for me. I’ve written in diaries and journals since I was old enough to string words into sentences. I kept them under lock and key and treasured them as physical parts of myself. Like any kid that falls too deep into their feelings, I’ve found escape in music, and felt the auditory art of others course through my body in bass chords and dope bars. Thick paint has coated my clothing, fingers, and brushes, during times where painting has pulled me out of my own madness. This feeling of art as a savior, isn’t unfounded either. It is man’s best coping mechanism because it is built into our DNA.
When you immerse yourself in creating, you relieve stress and enter a state of “flow” similar to meditation. Making and viewing art improves your mood by increasing your dopamine levels, and makes you less of an asshole in general. Studies show that a trip to the museum increases your tolerance of others, feelings of empathy, and feelings of love (as it effects the same area of the brain that registers romantic love). It also makes your brain fucking jacked by improving neural connections, plasticity, cognitive ability and fluid intelligence. Studies on the effects of art programs show increased impulse control in children, improved quality of life for dementia patients, and appeasement of the symptoms that burden people with chronic illnesses like depression and anxiety. Best of all, it’s free, it’s effective, and the best medicine you can take for what ails ya. It’s a drug so replete with positive side effects big pharma fucking wishes they could come up with something so delicious. The beauty of art is you just fucking do it and it saves you.
Today, America inaugurated its 45th president. For a huge portion of the population, and the world itself, the next four years feel bleak and uncertain. In times of intense oppression, political turmoil, and civil unrest, art is the burgeoning force that inspires change, incites action, and moves us to connect with each other and find a fuck to give.
Art is inspired by the range of feeling that cannot be contained inside these physical human vessels. Whatever you are feeling, let it boil over without logic or reason, and pour out of you onto paper, canvas, melodies, and movie screens. Through art, we let our imaginations run wild, we live the fantastical realities that help us deal with our own, and we inspire each other. So I fucking beg of you. Create. This is the time to be loud. To protest and be heard in an establishment that will try its best to silence you. Art brings people, and communities together, and this togetherness is our light in the darkness. Contact your local representatives, let them know what is important to you. Demand that gardens and public parks be built in your neighborhoods, sign petitions, and exercise your rights. While the power of art is often wielded by the oppressor who is more keen on using it adeptly, make no mistake about it, art is of the people. Learn to speak this language of dissent, and use it to communicate your outrage. Revolution starts with art, let it set your soul on fire, create to inspire the world you want to live in, and keep your double-x fly.
Insanely accurate view of art. Through creating we are living. Well written and deviously informative.
Ooohhh, I like that! “Deviously informative” ??, thanks doll ?