Art Reveals

December 05, 2008

The students’ eyes follow the written words. Glazed over, the eyes scan from left to right. Functioning like machines the students dish out continuous work. Page after page they keep consuming the endless information. Their brains thicken as knowledge seeps in through their ears. They learn all the facts that exist throughout the world and yet they have no way to express their deepest emotions. These students regurgitate the statements, theories, and formulas that they have learned while remaining distant from the words that the heart wishes to convey. Their brains gain complete control and their hearts weaken. Each beat the heart takes looses meaning as its existence remains useless. Art provides an alternative for individuals stuck in circumstances similar to this. Creating art uses different muscles in the brain, allows the artist to express ideas and emotions, and encourages the artist to find their voice. With all the positive influences that creating art provides, a person has no reason to deny themselves the right to make a master pieces.

The left lobe in the brain uses logical thinking. The left brain functions include understands facts and order. The many subjects that schools demand require left brain thinking. Words, language, math, and science all rest in the left lobe. This means that school demands more participation from this area in the brain. In order to become balanced one must ask for participation from the right lobe as well. Here they will comprehend symbols and images. Facts hold less value in the right lobe where the imagination rules. When an individual can understand the facts in the left brain and the emotions in the right then they will accomplish great things. Similar to political views, balanced individuals have the level head. One sided thinkers risk falling into a bad leaders control. Hitler increased his followers by speaking to people who shared similar views and stretching the ideas to an extreme. A well balanced individual will never fall into this trap. Rather than only accepting one side, these individuals will understand the reasoning that both sides have to offer. Seeing both sides’ presents a reasonable conclusion. These level headed thinkers will influence the world in a positive way. Balancing the brain will balance a human’s thinking. With this balance, the artist avoids persuasion in a negative way.

With art an individual can portray the ideas they value and the emotions they feel. Similar to a literary novel, one can spread their thoughts with art. Art, however, reaches one step further than words allow. Picasso's Guernica highlights the values that art encompasses. In the Spanish attack that Picasso painted, great pain and suffering prevailed over the public. The blacks, whites, and grays display sorrow to the viewer. Each face within the paintings boarder reaches out to the audience and captures their attention. Words cannot match the tremendous suffering that the painting makes public. People excuse themselves from art claiming that they do not have the talent it takes to create great things like Picasso’s work. These claims justify laziness and fear. If every man gave up their dreams after the first attempt then the world would not experience such great history. Picasso's Guernica would not rest on museum walls. Leonardo's sketches would not have come to life. Buddha's ideas would not exist today. Running from art denies the world great possibilities. If a person can overcome the laziness by practicing then they will come to enjoy the art world. If a person can overcome the fear by setting aside their ego and expressing their deepest thoughts then they will release the emotions within. Expressing emotions through art brings only good results to the artist.

Seeing as art allows people to express their ideas and emotions, art will also help people find their voice. Human beings do not know themselves because they refuse to think their own thoughts. Humans have qualities that save them from exclusion. This means that people try to fit into the ideals that society considers acceptable. Art does not allow a person to avoid their true thoughts. Each stroke the brush makes or line the pen draws comes from the heart. These materials will not judge the artist or criticize his or her thoughts. The artist can express his or her thoughts on the most personal level. Setting fear aside the artist can find the ideals they value and the thoughts that society does not encourage. After finding the voice hidden within, the artist can strengthen the confidence in that voice. Each art piece will help reach for the confidence needed to make that voice heard. Shoulders back and chin in the air, the emotional man can relieve his feelings. While society expects the man to remain strong and to never express his emotions in public, art provides an alternative answer. Art provides a tool to reach into the heart and pull out the true thoughts that lie within.

Many choose to refuse expression through art. These individuals miss out on the great things that creativity makes possible. To access these possibilities humans must attempt creating art. Through painting the one-sided thinker sees the world from a different side. Through drawing a person’s emotions and ideas can come to life. Through sculpting the man can find his hidden voice. No man who wishes to reach these goals can disagree with the value art provides. Society expects the population to learn by the schools standards. These standards focus on important areas like math, science, and language. If the educational system values these areas they must also emphasize art. Creating art leads to different thinking that benefits a person’s characteristics. These well balanced, emotional, and strong voiced artists will benefit their own situation as well as the world.