The Beginning of Art
Since its very introduction among the first humans, art has been a way of depicting life and telling stories. As life and societal structures became more complex, art continued to tell stories and became a medium of inspiring emotions in others, critiquing social and economic systems, and calling for change. With art’s many functions, where does the role of the artist fall? Art has a way of drawing people in, of capturing the attention of many, so the artist, while being a creative source, is also a storyteller, an empath, and an inspiration for change.
Art is Universal
Part of what makes art so amazing is its ability to communicate across cultures. Language barriers often prevent communication, both verbal and nonverbal, from translating one culture to another, but the emotions inspired by a work of art are universal. Using their personal experience and emotions, artists tell stories, often without words. One piece of art can be translated all over the world both in our time and in the future. An artist’s amazing ability to invoke feeling both across cultures and across time periods using their work is truly a gift that many other professionals do not get to experience.
Artists are not only storytellers but messengers of the truth. Art is commonly found in history books because it carries the truth of any given time or civilization. Art paints a picture of the facts of life, both good and bad, for others in the present and future to see and understand. Sometimes, art comments on or critiques political, economic or social systems, drawing attention to or inspiring societal change. The artist, then, becomes the holder and deliverer of these truths to the public. Those that view the art in the future will know what the people of today laughed about, loved, and longed for.
These truths will also serve to preserve our human history. From the very first prehistoric cave paintings to modern-day artistic movements, art has been and will continue to be a way in which we document human history. Art depicts war, suffering, and sadness, but it also depicts the way that people have triumphed over hard times, have found beauty in the hardship, and persevere to find a new future. In these ways, artists are not only carriers of the present-day truth but are also tomorrow’s historians.
What’s Your Message?
As artists, we are so much more than just a creative mind. A piece of work is different for every artist. While art can be therapeutic and simply be an escape or a creative outlet, it can also be viewed as so much more, as every artist channels their own emotions and truths into their work. Something to think about while creating in these upcoming weeks: What messages do you portray through your artwork?