Art

Have you ever been impressed and inspired while admiring a beautiful painting, maybe a sculpture, or a tiny flower?

Art is everywhere, look at the trees, at the immensity of the space, the stars and the little world of an ant, everything is such a masterpiece!

Art is the most beautiful expression of the human mind! Its beginnings go far back in time. Our prehistoric ancestors expressed their beliefs, their feelings, described their way of life, and left that as inheritance for their followers, through art.

Clear proofs of this are cave-paintings such as the ones at Alsace, France, and also the small statuettes or statuary groups (‘the thinker ‘‘from Harangue).

Art was always strongly linked to technology, both of them evolving simultaneously. After the prehistoric period ended, the antique period flourished incredibly and gave artists thumbs up to everything they set their minds on and desired to create. These artists, as well as their predecessors don’t create out of obligation, on the contrary, pleasure and passion was what drove them!

Their enjoyment was always present the tiresome process of turning a rough piece of marble into an angel, as they had the "whole picture" in mind from the very start.

What inspired the artists?

They delighted in copying the beauty, complexity and structure of nature. Artists then, as well as now entered into what is somewhat called a trance state and were reliving the days of their childhood ,when they were young ,powerful and omniscient in their own private and imaginary universe. Thus, a very thigh bond between art and play is born.

The creative process becomes a method of unwinding and developing the artistic mind in the same way as a child’s mind develops while he is playing and at the same time, learning new things.

The more time he invests into his work, the more he starts to love his creation, deify it; fall head-over-heals in love with it just like Pygmalion.

The diversity of art is of great value and it split into numerous branches: painting, sculpture, mosaic, architecture, literature, music, theatre and other that have flourished in antique times.

However, humanity has gone through periods of decline in art. The millennium of the great migrations, called "the dark ages", did not leave us any masterpieces comparable to the ones left to us by the antique predecessors. Neither do we have literary work from that period.

After the dark period, the renaissance came; this was a period marked by humanism when art and all of its forms dedicated it self solely to creating works or art portraying man, or serving man and concentrating all of its attention on humans. Artist from that time have left us numerous masterpieces from every form of art: architecture, literature, sculpture and so on.

After the renaissance a large number of other currents appeared.

From the very first forms of art, artists strived to create works that help their fellow humans, get over tough times more easily, teach them new things, inspire and encourage them, offering something that feeds their souls.

They opened our eyes, showing us new horizons by conducting in-depth explorations of their minds and laying them out so everyone can see them. They never gave up their work, even if they were considered insane or fantasists at times.

Artists, as well as children see play as something very serious, something that must be put above all other things. A "number one" priority!

Often artists suggest their playfulness through certain symbols, through key-words in writings that make us think for hours before we figure out the true meaning of a phrase. Thus, the artist is playing with our mind and stimulating it at the same time, doing us great good.

At first sight, the difference between maturity and playfulness is incredibly big, for once people have reached maturity, they forget how to play, relax and unwind when life’s problems press down too hard on them. They might snap if they forget to be children deep down inside!

Consequently adults become more vulnerable than children in certain situations and mostly because the despise ‘homo ludens’ (the man that plays) considering him reduced.

The conclusion is that art and play, even though they are not synonyms, are linked and depend on each-other. These two will transform and broaden our horizons contributing a great deal in the way we perceive beauty and relate to it. Be inspired!