What's The Point of Art?
This weekend I went to see The Lion King musical in London and for two and a half hours I was transported out of my life and into a fantasy world filled with colour and song. It was magical.
Musical theatre can do that: It can give you a little break from the everyday and offer a breathing space; space to dream and believe the world could be a better place if only we all burst into song once in a while.
I believe all great art can do that.
I remember seeing Gustav Klimt’s painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II earlier this year at The National Gallery in London. My eyes immediately welled up with tears at the work's exquisite beauty. I sat entranced by the canvas for half an hour, mascara smudged under my eyes and a hankie in my hand. (Did you know Oprah Winfrey once owned this work?)
If, like me, you’re wondering about the value of art in turbulent times, or you’re struggling to see the point of making art when we’re faced with horrendous images of war every day, with the threats of climate change, and political upheaval, then I offer great art as a temporary bandaid.
Art cannot prevent a war, nor can it stop one that’s already raging.
Art cannot temper climate change.
Art cannot solve a refugee crisis.
Art is no substitute for calling your local government official, volunteering, or donating funds.
But, what art CAN do is offer a vision of hope, solace, and comfort. It can remind us of the beauty that already exists in the world and the beauty that can be created by human hands. It can offer a brief distraction, a moment of rest, a few seconds of dreaming that interrupts chaos. It can remind us of why a peaceful life is worth striving for.
This planet has never known peace amongst its human inhabitants. Well, maybe when there was just a handful of us walking out of Africa we may have been kind to each other – we’ll never know for sure. For all recorded history, humans (mostly men) have fought each other for land, power, resources, and religious and cultural supremacy; we’re not a nice species.
Informed by history, we can make a fair assumption that unless homo sapiens make an evolutionary leap that transforms us into peaceful beings, or we all get some kind of AI pacifier implant, then while modern humans walk the earth, conflict will continue. It’s tragic.
During times of crisis, we as artists have to acknowledge the limitations of our artistic practice and not bypass reality, but we can also step into our roles as visionaries, futurists, and fantasists.
Peace may seem like science fiction - unattainable in the real world - but that’s where you come in. Use your tools: words, pencil, brush, the lens, the loom, scissors. Craft a vision of the future you want your grandchildren to live in. Make it as colourful as The Lion King and as beautiful as a Gustav Klimt painting.
Offer a brief distraction for those in pain. Remind viewers why this world is so worth preserving. Give people a space to dream. Give them beauty.
In peace and love.
Until next time.
JC