Art is Beauty

"Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."

 Alexander Graham Bell   March 3, 1847

The other day I discussed the idea of Art as a vehicle for emotions with my class.  I said that many times I have heard it quoted that if a work of art doesn't start with an emotion, it isn't really a work of art.  I brought up two opposing views of that idea.  The first is that I hear docents in museums go on and on about how this or that artist felt this way or that when he/she created a work of art.  "You can see by their use of this color/shape/line/tone that the artist was depressed, lonely, etc"  I guess it gives them something to say, but HOW DO THEY KNOW HOW SOMEONE FELT at any given time?  The second scenario is that a given work of art makes us feel sad/happy/etc. because of this, that, or the other use of this or that element of art.  Two people standing in front of the same painting are going to have two responses to that painting depending on their own makeup/feelings, etc. about life in general and visual subjects in particular.  In other words, I don't put much "truck" in "art as emotion/feeling".  I DO like the idea of art as beauty and the more one is touched by all things beautiful, the more one is influenced by all visual art.  One who sees beauty in life, can see beauty in the most grotesque visual presentations, be they paintings, sculpture, dance, music, etc.

So I gave the students a little assignment.  I gave them three pages of lists of all the emotions and feelings I could find on the internet.  I told them to look the lists over and envision three things that have happened to them or someone close that have generated any of the feelings listed.  I had them write these down in the their books.  Then I had them draw little sketches of each of these scenarios.  I had them turn them in for a "grade".  I used the extrinsic motivation of my grading them in order to motivate them into getting the assignment done in the prescribed time.  I didn't want to take forever doing it.  I haven't looked the sketches over yet, but I'm looking forward to doing that over the weekend.

After that little exercise, I demonstrated another little exercise in using a variety of media in a variety of techniques to create some cool TEXTURAL designs.  I am posting the video here in two parts because Youtube won't take longer than 15 minutes.  Hope you enjoy them.