By Sam Jacques
What is the purpose of art? Originally when this question was given to the class I wasn’t quite sure what to put. You’d think that as someone who has explored almost every version of typical art I’d have a decent understanding of why I do what I do. But it’s a bit more complicated than that.
I’m going to start off with reasons I create and invest myself in art. Most of the time I find myself feeling in the mood for art. It’s not something I usually force myself to do. There are days when I don’t really want to participate in class, but once I start I feel like I could go forever. One example I’d like to give is when I write poetry. I get a feeling in my stomach, sometimes in my chest. But I get a feeling that I can only describe as inspiration. And if I don’t do anything with it I feel like it’s going to keep bubbling inside of me until I look. Then there are times when I’m stressed and all I want to do is paint or draw or strum a Beatles song on my ukulele.
But the purpose of art is much more than just a release of emotions. When someone else experiences it they have a reaction. Everyone has a reaction to everything. And some art evokes a different reaction based on the subject matter. Or maybe the different reaction is because of a certain person’s life and what makes them them.
Something else art does is send a message. The obvious example is political propaganda or cartoons. But then there are things like poetry or visual art that sends a message so deep most might not even pick up on it.
When you think about it, art and its purpose is based on each individual person and their life and what makes them them. Someone might see a piece and get a message from it the artist had not even thought about.
Art is in the eye of the beholder, and so is it's purpose.
