Art is a language of the heart
Art has accompanied mankind since time immemorial. It is part of the culture of every civilization, civilization period and ethnicity. If we consider art as a language, it is noticeable that the communication between the art object and the viewer takes place on different levels. The same is true for music, literature, film, poetry, etc. But in the last few dozen years, in the wake of various modern trends, more and more of the original idea of art has been lost, until in the end communication hardly took place at all.
Surely everyone knows it; as you stand in front of a truly beautiful and expressive work and you experience that a feeling is transmitted. It can be that one gets goose bumps, is deeply touched or is simply overwhelmed by the beauty. The artist has created a situation and mood to convey his message. Or a good writer who can write a story in such a way that it is gripping and stimulates the reader’s imagination or even contains a valuable message. In ancient stories and heroic sagas, elements such as courage, humility, beauty are often portrayed and taught.
True art inspires and touches
Art is therefore a form of communication. It takes place from heart to heart. Even if it is not a profound representation, nevertheless the ordering elements of aesthetics have their effect on us. Without us having to think about it. In addition, scenes from history and the coexistence of people, etc. are often depicted.
In order for an artist to achieve this kind of communication, he must normally have experienced this moment and this mood himself, or be able to “feel” it. Just like an actor who has to put himself fully into his role so that he can play it authentically. In addition, there is the basic understanding of aesthetics, proportions and of course the technical skills, for example to paint a picture in detail, or to compose a harmonious piece of music.
Regardless of the form – be it poetry, painting, music or film – in order to create stunning beauty and timeless art, the artist himself must have a pure heart. Great artists such as Beethoven, Mozart and Michelangelo have achieved this. Their timeless works still touch and inspire people today with their overwhelming perfection. Outstanding artists, both from today and from earlier eras, maintained very high moral standards. These made it possible for them to create such masterpieces in the first place.
Meaninglessness of modern art
Modern art, on the other hand, is often at the opposite end of the spectrum from harmony and aesthetics. The heart-to-heart communication can often not take place at all, but one looks at a work and analyzes and debates about what message the artist wants to convey at all. Some artists are only interested in shocking. Probably that’s why nowadays there is a need for so-called “art experts” who look for a meaning in works without content…
The profound, the inspiring and the beautiful were replaced by the new, the different and the ugly. […] The level sank until there was no more level. All that remained was personal expression.
Robert Florczak, Artist and graphic designer
The same applies to the domain of music, film, etc. Especially in pop and rock music, gloomy moods and contents are often conveyed, which are virtually in contrast to life. If the heart, the morals of an artist are bad, how can what he expresses be beautiful, vivid and glorious? What value can it convey? If you look at the lives of many artists, some of whom have made it to great fame and fortune, you quickly realize that it is full of scandals and not a few have committed suicide or died from excessive drug use.
Noch erschreckender ist es, wenn Symbole unserer Kultur verschandelt werden. Besonders befremdend fand ich die folgende Darstellung eines Lebensbaums, den ich in einer Kirche(!) in Schweden gesehen habe. Der Lebensbaum ist ein Symbol der Verbundenheit. Seine Wurzeln reichen tief in die Erde und seine Äste weit in den Himmel. Es ist ein Symbol, das weltweit in zahlreichen Kulturen und Religionen eine grosse Bedeutung hat. Der Künstler hat den Lebensbaum einfach verkehrt herum dargestellt. Dies zeigt sehr gut, bis zu welchem Grad die Kunst entartet ist, hässlich und schön wurden vertauscht. Noch beschämender als das Kunstwerk selbst ist, dass so etwas in einer Kirche ausgestellt wird.
Art carries the essence of a nation, ethnicity or civilization and is its heritage. Now the question arises, which culture is created with the stream of today’s modernity. But make the comparison yourself: Visit, for example, an exhibition of modern art and one of Renaissance paintings and feel the difference for yourself.
Summary
Translated to photography, this means for me that I want to show and promote the beautiful and good with my artistic work. The beauty, the richness and the divinity of nature is an ideal field to do this. At the same time, I am constantly expanding my knowledge and skills around photography. I wish that my works may amaze, dream as well as inspire the viewers and give them a joyful mood.
The occasion for this article was the project “Gasträume 2020 – Kunst auf öffentlichen Plätzen Zürichs”, which has been supported by the city of Zurich for several years. I had the ” pleasure ” on my way to work to examine these “works of art”. It may be one thing to create such things, but it is something else to waste the resources of the population for such nonsense. But make up your own mind. On the website of the project you can find the works of the current and past exhibitions:
Original Article: https://jd-photo.ch/kunst-ist-eine-sprache-des-herzens/
All images: © Jan Düblin – https://jd-photo.ch
