http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08R8tgvXa7o
I find the different ways that artists incorporate the different aspects of their life, such as family and religion, very interesting... While I adhere to no specific religion myself, in the past I have drawn some artistic inspiration from some spiritual ideals. Although my work is obviously not on the level as someone as accomplished as Alex Grey, thinking about it brings some questions to my mind.
If one can use art as a form of meditation, like the Buddhists, is it really possible for future events to be "seen" through some one's artistic inspiration? Using Grey's painting Gaia as an example, it makes me wonder what other events that have occurred have been previously recorded by past works of different artists.
Another question that this video raises for me is how heavily should art rely on religious or spiritual experiences? Throughout history, some of the most awe inspiring art have been the products of religious background. But at the same time, there are countless other artists whose work is clearly secular.
My answer to this question is that I believe it doesn't matter if the inspiration for the work is derived from something spiritual, because the act of creating art is spiritual itself. The concept of creating art that means something to you embeds your own insight into the work that you are creating which, if great enough, will be passed down through the generations and will in turn inspire others. In this art we put a piece of who we are, and in this sense it is possible for us to live forever.
I am not the artsy type. I dislike almost everything about it. But, linds does bring up a strong point about this video that stood out to me. "Another question that this video raises for me is how heavily should art rely on religious or spiritual experiences?" I fully agree with her when she says that creating works of art whether it be a painting or complicated math problem is spiritual in itself. If it came from one of us it is spiritual since we are made in God's image. Also, Linds seeing future events would be epic so if you ever actually read of a successful prediction tell me to convert to Buddhism. <3 Mark
ReplyDeleteFrom watching my sister develop as an artist, and from studying art outside of the visual arts myself, I would say that creation's inspiration comes from life experience in general. One's perception of these experiences changtes with spirituality. If two identical twins, one atheist, and one a believer in some sort of higher being, experienced the same exact day; encountering the same people, places, things, etc.; and were asked to create a sculpture at the end of the week, they would come up with two completely different sculptures. Same goes for if they were asked to sing a song, or cook a meal, or write a novel.
ReplyDeleteArt can be quite fascinating. I find that Lindsey has an excellent understanding of art. I must agree that it is quite interesting how artists incorporate their experiences into their art. Each person views the world and similar experiences very differently, so it is intriguing to see how they portray these experiences.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that Lindsey got to be the 100 eyes beast today! I thought this was all about ways of seeing--the mirror idea fascinated me. But I could make a case for how you see and how you believe as being intrinsically connected. Oh, the paintings were wild too.
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