Art is about perspectives? What are yours? By N.LOPEZ

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” Picasso

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” Thomas Merton

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Aristotle

“Art is the proper task of life.” Friedrick Nietzsche

As I was browsing through the latest Sydney Biennale exhibits, sometimes enchanted and engaged, sometimes indifferent, I was pondering over some interesting questions: what is art? What would I gain from seeing, engaging and maybe learning from these artists and artworks? 

Liz Ann Mcgregor (Museum of Contemporary Art Director) last week quoted one of her donors - at a Leadership talk organised by Macquarie University - that “art is the gymnasium of the mind!”. An interesting thought...rather physical...! Maybe I prefer a more intellectual or spiritual approach. 

With my European background, my first thought is that art is our patrimony, a testimony of our identity and history, the remnants of our past, a reflection on our achievements, destinies, evolutions, deep insecurities, dreams, and our hopes for beauty, perfection and the divine. Art can also be traditionally the realm of the rich and powerful, a realm that many people feel is totally inaccessible. Art is often seen in museums and galleries where you need to stay at a distance and try to relate to in a specific way. Yet art can be much more than that and can be appreciated in your own home, in an artist’s studio, in a park, or in the city.

Art may be a window to our soul, a trigger to our imagination, a meditation about life, a gentle or shocking way to exorcise our inadequacies and fears, a soothing reassurance, a strong sense of possibility, sometimes very smart, sometimes useless, and a reflection of who we are and aspire to be. 

Browsing at the last Sydney Biennale, I was touched by the ingenuity, the poetry, the humour, the mastery, the sadness and beauty of some works. On more than one occasion, I was transported to the world of the artists, maybe more beautiful, deeper or meaningful than mine and certainly adding a dimension of empathy, newness and opening to the world.     

Art is about perspectives. What are yours?

I look forward to reading your views.

Noella Lopez

April 2014

"Surface 1" - Etching by Luke Shelley

"Vasa Intestina III" Terminal Loop - Chair by Lisa Jones