Is it possible that art has the power to change the
world? While some would be quick to disagree, after reading Jerry
Saltz's, "The Whole Ball of Wax," I was convinced that art does
in fact have more power than one would think. As Saltz points out, art
may not be able to solve some of life’s major problems, but it does have the
power to change the world "incrementally and by osmosis." In simpler terms, it may not directly change
the world in a major way, but it can have the power to change one’s ideas or
knowledge without he or she even consciously realizing it. Art is just as useful as any other form of knowledge. One story that I found particularly
interesting was about the Italian Jurist, Antonio Cassese, who served on the
Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in the Hague. Cassese would sometimes go to the
museum to look at two beautiful paintings, not because they were beautiful, but
because he claimed that they were “invented to heal pain.” Cassese looked beyond the physical aspect of
these paintings and instead experienced them. Admiring these paintings allowed him to escape
physical reality for a little and alter his feelings in a positive way. This example emphasizes the point that art is
not made to merely be looked at. It has “thought
and experience embedded in it” and therefore has the power to change one’s
mindset. Art can help broaden a person’s
ideas, beliefs or feelings which can then lead to change. Sometimes the answer to a problem is not
directly in front of a person, and art can be a means to find it.
I really liked what you said at the end of your post. If we all think of all of the problems we have ever faced, sometimes the solution is not right in front of you. It may take a little time or some trial and error, but that does not mean that all is lost. You just have to keep looking. This is the same with art.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Saltz article, the part about the Italian Jurist did not stick out to me like it did to you. I think Cassese can give some true advice on how to not only look at a painting but experience it too. If a painting evokes emotions, it's doing exactly what art should do.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThe last sentence of your review of this piece really caught my attention. Although I didn't read into this piece as deeply as you, I'm glad I was able to read your review. Contemplating, viewing, and even experiencing art makes an individual think more abstract than they would. It allows for different ideas that may not normally come to mind, so it makes complete sense when you say art can find the answer to a difficult problem.
When reading this article I didn't take as much focus on the quote you pointed out by Cassese, yet it was such a moving point. To really absorb a work of art you cannot just look at the physical part of it, yet fully place yourself in that moment and experience. That was a really moving example that I didn't realize originally.
ReplyDelete