The importance of art

Although I majored in Italian in school, I was an Art History minor and have always been fascinated by the way people choose to express themselves in art, and the statements that can be taken from different works. I am extremely interested in the technical aspect of art -- how a certain kind of paint can date a painting, or over time can reveal the thought process of the artist as s/he executed the painting. Sometimes the paint an artist used for the pale, flawless skin of his/her subject becomes translucent and allows the viewer to see that s/he painted a full background first before adding figures, or that a layer of green clay was added before painting to give the subject's skin an olive tone. Sometimes underdrawing can be seen beneath the paint to show figures that were never painted at all, which might have added a completely different dimension to the work.

There is also a whole psychological aspect to the field of art history, and art pieces have given historians valuable information about the standards of beauty, fashion, society and beliefs of the artist's time. Humans have been believing their eyes long before they started to talk or read; art allows people to connect to one another across spans of time and distance through symbols and colors and sounds -- things that we instinctively recognize. Art pieces can also make statements and provoke serious thought about current and past issues in society and popular culture. It can also just be downright silly and allow our inner child to wallow in a little nonsense! I am no artist myself, but my appreciation for visual arts has colored everything up to this point and affects the way I look at everyday life. I have had more experience with paintings, drawing and sculpture than with anything else, and would like to learn more about other forms of art and what they mean to people.

What does art mean to you? How has it shaped your life?