Two Major Revelations of Being an Artist

Creation is the one thing that makes an artist closer to a state of godliness, and appreciation is just the result. It is the ability to make the intangible form of thoughts and visions into something uniquely tangible that separates the genius from the populace. The artist gathers all the so-called atoms of the creative world into a visible masterpiece that speaks to us without human translation. A work of art comes to life. Some fascinating and others, intriguing. To a few, it can even be provoking, or it can mean nothing at all. And yet, art is there and it has survived eons, from the time when the primitive man made his first cave art.. to the streamlined designs of the modern artist.

First Truth: Art Lives in History and History Lives in Art

Every creation comes out of the deepest human desire. It can be love, anger, passion, or fear. It is the gift of inspiration that moves any artist to build something non-existent, in time and space. It might even started with a keen eye of recording time and place like those great masters in the olden days did, when they didn't have the luxury of a digital camera. One can only visit a museum and be amazed by the precise capture of light and shade, of night and day. There are even works that make you feel like you're opposite a parallel plane to another reality, with only a tiny frame separating you from walking to the other side. Or maybe, you could visit the great pyramid of Khufu standing majestically in Giza's desert heat to feel an art larger than life.

Second Truth: The Artist is the Very Voice of Humanity, Longing to Stand Beyond Time and Space

Every artist knows, from the moment he or she started to create a draft of things to be made, that there lies a great responsibility on the task at hand. There is the possible acceptance or rejection of the art done, or worst, persecution. Only those who are brave enough to know their limits and still take the risk makes it to the elite few who are called " Masters " of their crafts. Take for example Francisco Goya, the father of modern art. On his time, when the society is not much open to possibilities, he had dared to express himself frankly and fearlessly, which made him a pioneer of a movement that caused much rave in the 19th century. Even nowadays, he's still causing such an intrigue. There was an incident on a university in Pennsylvania on November of 1991 when a memo was passed concerning a reproduction of Goya's " La Maja Desnuda " hanging on a classroom wall. To others, it may seem an appreciation of the beauty of the female nude form, but it can also be interpreted as sexual harassment by some.

Art is just a mirror of the hidden truths about humanity and the universe surrounding us. The artist knows this and it will always be a source of inspiration to make an art that delivers this message, even if it can cause a stir. Leonardo da Vinci's classic " Mona Lisa " is such a good example. I sometimes wonder if the woman on this painting is smiling or frowning... or maybe, it depends on how the viewer sees it. There's just too much ambiguity that makes you even more interested. Is it even Leonardo making a portrait of himself?

Whatever the media an artist use to channel the flow of creativity within, in the end, the role of the artist will always be to capture our imagination and open our minds to the limitless possibilities of life and the world. To free our minds from the confines of our narrow realities and opening a new dimension of consciousness is a major fete only taken by those who are touched with divine inspiration and tremendous creativity. This, conclusively, is the definite role an artist takes, not only on art appreciation.. but on life, in general.

( Dedicated to a Painter.. )