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I begin this brief essay with a passage from
Psalms; to me it’s a logical beginning for an essay on the subject of
art and inspiration, for inspiration is not only uniquely human, but
truly divine.
“The heavens tell of God’s glory,” we are
told in Psalms 19:2., “and the sky declares His handiwork.”
Even God, it seems, is proud of His creation, so
much so that He invites us to know Him better through His work.
How much different is the artist of today?
Art as expression:
Art has been used throughout ages to express many
things. But, as you shall see, when I talk of true art, I define it not
only in terms of its expressive purpose, for there are countless works
called art whose expressive purpose is hardly artistic. When I think of
true art, I refer to that which speaks to the best of who and what we
are.
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"Guernica" by Picasso
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make a political statement. Picasso
used his “Guernica”, with its images of death and the carnage of war
to point out the terrible destruction war visits upon innocent
civilians. John Singer Sargent, upon seeing the suffering soldiers lying
helpless at Le Bac-de-Sud Station in France, painted a twenty-foot mural
titled, simply, “Gassed”. Sargent’s work speaks volumes to the
suffering endured by young men sent
off to fight and die, not just in
World War I, but in all wars. The message is universal.
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"Gassed" by Sargent
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These are two totally different compositions in two
totally different styles. Both focus on the faces of suffering not to
exploit them, but rather to appeal to our humanity, inviting us to
reflect on the senselessness of war itself.
Political art has also been used for less noble
purposes. Hitler used poster art, and radio and film to mock and
dehumanize Jews, thus immunizing the German people to the holocaust that
was about to occur. Stalin used caricature to turn the Russian people
against landowners and wealth, thus numbing opposition to the mass
executions that followed. |
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The use of art to demonize has its modern
counterparts as well. Such art is often used as a political tool to
offend, a technique employed by Andrew Serrano and Chris Ofilis, in
their shameful desecrations of religious icons.
While all art falls comfortably under the
protective umbrella of the First Amendment, as well it should, the major
difference between those artists whose body of work survives them, and
those whose fifteen minutes of fame are up the moment the controversy
surrounding their work dies down, is the ability to inspire through
one’s work something that touches the best of what makes us human —
our conscience.
Picasso and Sargent’s works endure, because their
work, although they occasionally challenged the orthodoxy of the critic
and casual viewer, also represented an achievement in human and artistic
expression, whether you like or dislike what they produced. They
inspired themselves and others through their work, and used their talent
in paintings such as “Guernica” and “Gassed” to depict the
worst, but only in order that they might suggest something better. |
"Virgin Mary" by Chris
Ofilis
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Neither Serrano’s “Piss Christ” nor Ofilis’
dung smeared “Black Madonna” will
show up in any serious gallery or museum’s permanent collection, nor
will either ever likely be part of a private collection of anyone who
takes art seriously, for neither inspires us through its excellence or
its ability take transport to a better place within ourselves.
To produce true art is to produce something akin to
the spiritual. It touches as near the soul or conscience of man, if you
will, as humans can venture. At its best, it communicates something of
emotional value, whether complex or simple in form, sanguine and
profound, comical or serious, be it landscape, portrait, still life,
marine art or abstraction.
As 19th Century Russian composer M.P.
Moussorgsky observed, art is not an end unto itself, but rather is a
means of addressing humanity.
Art
and inspiration:
To inspire, through art, is not only a noble purpose and important
function of art, but is an artist’s greatest contribution to the
community of mankind. Our attraction to art, regardless of the subject,
is an attraction to that which is good and reassuring to us. It is an
attraction to perfection that captures a moment in time whether on
canvas, paper or board, and freezes it, to be enjoyed over and again. It
enlightens us and pleases the senses, and offers the comfort of a
lifelong friend.
With art, what we see is
often what we experience. A painting or photograph that crosses the
threshold from material to ethereal evokes powerful emotions that come
from deep within, and beckon the observer to a time or place that exists
only in their mind. It is a ready place, a respite to be visited with
each passing glance. In that sense, art becomes not just a mere
possession; it becomes a part of us.
Examine Robert K. Roark’s “Cape Gold” for a moment.
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"Cape
Gold" by Robert
K. Roark
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While physically it is no more than oil paint on canvas, it is much more
on an emotional level. It reflects a time, sunrise; a setting, serene;
an atmosphere, quiet and soothing; an emotion, peaceful. It is rich in
warm, natural color and evocative of shared moments and experiences.
When I view it, I think I have either been there, or have seen that
exact sunrise somewhere. And then, again, maybe it’s simply a place
I’d like to visit. Perhaps I’d like to sit and read for a while, sip
some coffee, or maybe just remain fixed in awe as I study the image
nature places before me.
In the above sense, “Cape Sunrise” is a true
work of art because it is an inspiration on canvas that succeeds on many
levels. It draws the observer nearer to the inner self and invites a
state of mind that is not just at peace, but elevated by the beauty of
what God and nature have placed before us. That, is true inspiration!
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