The Art Volunteers
September 6, 2014
Art has a language of its own. It does not require explanation nor does it need logic. Art is something that has to be felt. It is a person’s own expression of himself or herself through the discipline that he or she has chosen.
Unlike science where everything has to be proven and substantiated, art only requires the audience to feel and understand the message behind the painting, sculpture, or performance that they are seeing.
Picasso, van Gogh and Rembrandt never had an equation to show that their paintings have a meaning or makes sense. Donatello, Bernini and Rodin never had to face a panel of judges to prove and explain why their sculptures make sense. Rodin’s Gates of Hell still makes me curious if there is indeed a hell.
There are those who can make the transition between sculptures and paintings like the great Michelangelo. Michelangelo is one of the genuine geniuses of art who is also a great scientist. He was one of the few who have combined science with art seamlessly.
Art is an emotional expression and one has to feel it to understand the meaning of it. It is not unusual therefore for people to naturally gravitate towards it because most men and women have a natural tendency to appreciate art in one form or another.
One art that has always been as popular as ever is music, it reaches all kind of individual regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. People get into art not to make money but to express themselves. Although it is true that art can be a great business, it is somewhat ironic that most great artists do not consider financial status as a necessity.
A lot of the real art people often do it for free. Volunteers for art museums are not unusual and they do it for the love of the art. Organizations like The Volunteer Organization of The Metropolitan Museum of Art which was founded 1967 that now have more than 1200 men and women do volunteer work like guiding tours. This is great since you know that the people guiding you through the museum tour are actually passionate and knowledgeable about what you went there for.
Art is related to how rich the culture that the artist is in at the time. Many of the greatest artists were products of the times where the world was undergoing a lot of changes. It seems that they were inspired by the changes around them and though their art may not have been fully appreciated in their time, it showed just how rich their talents were. Artists are almost at a league of their own. Not restricted by financial influence or social requirements.
They create and whether people appreciate it or not, they go and do it because that is their self-expression. Art is a form of freedom and nothing seems to come close to the impact that it has on a society. Without art, we might as well just be a machine. No heart, no warmth and no meaning.