Art has been around forever, but...why? Here are a few reasons why.
Art keeps us hopeful
A lot of art is PRETTY. Yes, pink flowers, beautiful sunsets...it makes your brain feel good! The top selling art postcard in the world is this picture by Claude Monet.
Have you ever had a bad day and then looked at a picture of a cuddly puppy or a beautiful sunset? You might feel better after you do. "Pretty" art helps us remember that life can be kind of amazing/beautiful/poetic when it doesn't seem so.
Art makes us feel less lonely
This kind of art is the opposite of "pretty" art. Sometimes we feel sad. It's easy to think that you are the only one in the world who feels sad, but of course this is not true. Some art is about BEING sad. It makes us feel less weird to know that others are feeling the same things.
Here is a famous piece of art by Picasso. He was very poor and hungry at the time. What does this picture make you feel? Why?
Art makes us pay attention to things we usually don't pay attention to
I went to London this summer and saw a beautiful painting of fruit. I stood and looked at it for 10 minutes at least. However, I do not stare at my bowl of fruit at home! I grab a piece and don't give it a second look!
Artists can take something "boring" and make us look at it again. Here is a bunch of oranges by Vincent van Gogh. Look at all the details and colors in his oranges. What do you think? Have you ever noticed your oranges' beauty??
Art tries to convince (tell) us something
Sometimes artists want to tell us something. It might be a feeling or idea. Here is a famous piece of graphic design art that is trying to convince people to join the army. It has our "national mascot", Uncle Sam.
In 2008, a graphic artist created this poster for the presidential race. Many people liked this poster and it became famous. It was created to tell people to vote for Barack Obama for president. What does it make you feel when you look at it? What does it have in common with the one above?
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