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"What is that supposed to be?"... sound familiar? I'm pretty sure that many artists have heard this phrase or one similar to it upon showing a completed artwork. This has happened many times to me as I started out in art, and I've seen it done to other artists as well. Perhaps it was said towards an abstract piece or a short poem on an odd backdrop... whichever way it was done, some just don't seem to 'get it'. What 'it' am I talking about? The 'it' that does not exist. When an artist opens up a program on a computer, grabs a pencil or paintbrush, or just doodles on their history notes in class, they need neither reason, explanation, nor accountability. What they create is for their purpose in portraying what it is that they want to portray.
So why the big fuss? Many people want art to depict that which is understandable or normal. They don't want to see pictures of death, sadness, or things they don't recognize. To think that an artwork must have a reason to look a certain way is absurd. To expect artists to only draw happy situations or to draw things they see everyday is annoying. There are those in life that look at art and only see what's wrong with it. They are the ones that think all art should look the same: have a pretty picture that appeals to 'me'. Then there are those that look at art and see what the artist wanted to portray and not what 'you' (the viewer) want. I once was the first person... I saw art and thought, "It's a painting of fruit... I don't like it." Now I look at the same thing and see the work put into it. I see the brush strokes, the texture of each object, the lighting, the detail and time put into it.
An artist that truly believes in self-expression will not conform to the demands of others on how to express one's self. I'm not saying that an artist shouldn't listen to advise of others. They just shouldn't change their style based on negative comments of what it is they depicted. Telling someone what to draw and how to draw are two different things. There should never be a set way on what art should be. If there was... it wouldn't be art.
Art's purpose is not to 'imitate life' (as I have heard), nor is it to lighten up a room. It is to show a feeling the artist wanted to get across to others, or it could be to just to show a way of expression. For those that can appreciate it, art will give them that satisfaction. For artists who can make it, art will give them a far greater sense of worth. For those that understand, no explanation of art is needed. For those that don't understand, no explanation of art is possible. Art is not something to always be understood... just appreciated. To artists, they need no words to describe their feeling because they've already used their language of choice... art.
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