“Alba,” Francesco Clemente. Photo: Guggenheim Bilbao
If everything else falls apart in my life, I take shelter in art. I know it would embrace and comfort me!
I have an empty, vacant hole in my heart, an emotional condition, which can only be filled with art. This is a reality I live and deal with. Sometimes, it is as though I am emotionally walking around with an empty stomach until I encounter a beautiful painting or a great movie, until I hear a piece of music or read a poem which moves me. Then, all of a sudden, it is like I had been fed a very satisfying emotional meal.
Art allows us to love, embrace, and adore it to death. The impact of art, music, literature, movies, and all the other art forms are very significant in our lives. We can certainly transfer and release our pain and get rid of our stress and our anxiety through art. Creating and enjoying art improves our health tremendously. Art affects our bodies’ cells and it increases our brain function. It raises our immune system and helps us get rid of any kind of negativity and depression.
We can all use art as a means of self discovery, self realization, and self enlightenment. Art can excite us at the same time that it can give us a sense of peace and serenity. In the end, it is correct to say that there is no substitute for art. Art and music cannot be taken away from the culture of a society. It is only through art which we can connect with each other globally, tell our stories, share our deepest feelings with each other. We can lose ourselves in art as well find ourselves through art.
I am always moved by the kind of art which is emotional — the kind of art which acts like a dagger in your heart and makes you think and feel and carry its effect for days or even indefinitely with you, in your mind and in your soul. It is like when you watch a great movie which moves you, and your mind just is not able to part with it. Or when you hear a great tune that you just need to hear again, to be filled with joy all over again.
I think everyone agrees with the fact that the world in which we live is a very chaotic, cruel, and cold place. At the same time, I am sure everyone also agrees that the world in which we live is an amazing, magical, beautiful, and bountiful place.
For me, art always creates a balance between the good and the bad, the real and the unreal, between the light and darkness, the pain and joy. I say art is like God, and artists are all like prophets who come into this world with a mission to spread the word – to spread the word with any language they can master, where the language could differ but the message is always the same.
It is also true that most artists have a love affair with their art. Some of them are loved back by their lover – their art – some are rejected, just like in a true love affair. Nevertheless, they are all on a journey to search for nirvana of art. But alas, on their way, some get lost, some fall apart, some simply give up, and some are even destroyed. Only a few make it to attain the “art enlightenment.”
Being an artist myself and also being a gallery owner for years, I have met artists who claimed they were so much in love with their art that were willing to suffer for it endlessly. I well understand where they are all coming from. After all, taking shelter in art helps you find magic in the ordinary, and it softens the hard edges of our lives’ harsh realities.
In my hidden heart, I always think that even if everything in my life falls apart, I can always rely on art to rescue and comfort me. If I am down, if I am in darkness, and if my hearth is bleeding with sorrow, I could always listen to my favorite music. I could always read from my favorite book of poems. I could always watch my favorite movie. It sure is not the whole cure, but you cannot deny that art is an effective magical band aid.
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Tags: Art, Mahvash Mossaed
Posted in Art & Exhibitions, Art Reviews, Mahvash Mossaed, Miscellaneous & Opinion, Reviews |
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