Art that changed you

Let's face it, a fast majority of art is merely for arts sake, such as reading a book for fun, or listening to the latest band because its good to dance too. There is nothing wrong with that, there is simply too much art for every piece to resound with everyone. Some art, however touches at a much more personal level. Some art changes who we are or how we view the world. It is this art that I am interested in.

Please list the art that has changed you and how it changed you. We are not critics here, so feel free to post whatever you feel is art. This thread is not meant to be limiting. Here are mine.

Music:

Pink Floyd- For a long time I was very casual music listener. Listen to the radio in the car and perhaps buy a few cds here and there, but for the most part music played a very minimal role in my life. This all changed with Floyd. I started with the Wall and from there was no stopping after that. I was so blown away that I rapidly expanded my collection to the entire discography minus a few rare sound tracks. My life was forever changed. Not only did Floyd introduce me to music, but it introduced me to a lifestyle. It encouraged me to try mind expanding drugs, it fundamentally changed the way I see the world. It freed me. Even now when I listen to Floyd my soul is soothed like nothing else. Floyd brought me into myself.

The Beatles- I got into the Beatles sometime after Floyd. Sgt. Peppers was the natural extension to my blossoming interest in all things psychedelic. The Beatles have such a vast array of songs that it is impossible to categorize them all simply, but at a basic level there is one similarity, they make me happy. So the Beatles greatest contribution is that they make me a much more optimistic person, even at the face of death. What could possibly be a greater motto in life than, Oba-di, Oba-da, life goes on, oh, life goes on.

Bob Marley- Much like Floyd, Marley has been a large factor in changing me into the person I am today. Most of the time Marley is 'chill' music. Marley has an uncanny ability to calm the senses. But Marley can also be incredibly thought provoking. It may be cliche, but the line emancipate yourself from mental slavery truly did help me lift the shackles from my mind. Marley helps bring the senses into awareness.

Literature:

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien- The first 'real' novel that I have read. I read it in fifth grade and it feels like everything before was merely preparation. In the short term it caused an obsession with fantasy that would last many years. In the long term it helped mature my imagination. Every kid imagines things, but after reading the book I was able to imagine entire universes of wonder. These thoughts of wonder are what make life worth living and worth exploring.

Island by Aldous Huxley- This picture into the utopia society of Pala is the most thought provoking piece of writing that I have ever come across. Huxley calls into question our social practices and presents viable alternatives that could provide a greater life. This book opened me up to some very liberal ideas and Eastern thought. A truly great novel for anyone interested in opening the Doors of perception.


That is enough now for me, I will add some more latter, but please add your own and don't be afraid to expand beyond the forms of art that I have posted.

The works of the Impressionists have taught me to look at the world with vibrant colour.

The Beatles. Opened up a whole new world of music for me.

Shostakovich's symphonies actually swung open the door for me to a (back then) "new" world of expressionist and really intelligent and deeply meaningful music (the latter being found very rarely, I think).
And then there was Kant's traumatic writing style (regarding the critique of the pure reason, I know, not really art, but still literature, so, kinda...), which is actually the reason why I have read only about 4 books in the past 3 years, quite to the contrary of dozens per years as before.

Once I understood, at least in part, what was being presented by Braque, art has taken on a whole new meaning.

I was typically a Neoclassical fan (Jacques-Louis David ) because of the technical ability shown in his paintings but one piece of Romantic-style art changed my way of thinking.




Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

I found this piece so beautiful with simplistic depth. This in turn made me search out other artists such as Joseph Turner.

HB

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez

Originally Posted by Sleeper

HB

Aye, The Garden of Earthly Delights is eerily breathtaking. A precursor to modern psychedelia, for sure. Deep Purple used it in their third album.

My grandfather gave me a book of M.C. Escher's sketches and I was sold.. When I first saw them, it seemed like they were just regular pictures, until he told me to look closely. When I did, I realized something wasn't quite right.. And then he told me to always look closely when looking at a painting, so I'd never take the 'picture' for granted. Best advice I've ever gotten..

Originally Posted by therussian

Aye, The Garden of Earthly Delights is eerily breathtaking. A precursor to modern psychedelia, for sure. Deep Purple used it in their third album.

And Dead Can Dance


... And Celtic Frost

The Divine Comedy by Dante, Longfellow translation. He opened me up to poetry.

Before that, Tolkien.

I'll just name a few things...

MOVIES/TELEVISION

"Alexander"
Although this movie changed some historical facts around, I have to say it really increased my fondness for Alexander the Great (although I was already a supporter to begin with). The character-portrait of Alexander was powerful and the musical score by Vangelis was spiritually-fulfilling.

"In the Footsteps of Alexander"
It's one thing to read about the conquests of Alexander, but it's a completely different thing to follow a fellow Alexanderphile around on the same path taken by the famous Macedonian and his army.

MUSIC

the symphonies & sonatas of Beethoven
Beethoven was a deep, brooding individual, and you can feel this attitude in his compositions. Beethoven's famous Ninth Symphony is the most glorious symphony ever composed.

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture
It was this piece that probably got me hooked on military warfare. Although Napoleon loses, I still became a huge fan of his (although I've become a bigger fan of Alexander as I read more about him).

LITERATURE

the "Harry Potter" series
Aside from my forays into the old epics (i.e. die Nibelungenlied, Beowulf, etc), I never really read a lot of fiction. I was typically a history-book-only-kind-of-guy. But reading Harry Potter actually did change me tremendously. Now I'm willing to read a lot more modern fiction than I used to.

"the Iliad"
It's the story of Achilles. How did this book change me? Well, after reading it for the first time, I went around trying to act like a badass (a la Achilles). I still try to act tough sometimes hoping to emulate the Greek legend.

"The Campaigns of Alexander" (by Arrian)
This is where most of our knowledge of Alexander's battles comes from. It's well-written, and although it was written hundreds of years after Alexander's death, it still makes me feel tingly reading through these pages. It's virtually the bible for every Alexander the Great supporter.

VIDEOGAMES

Dune: the Battle for Arrakis (Sega Genesis)
This was my first RTS to ever play. And wow, I loved it. This game got me hooked on RTS. That's how it changed me.

PAINTINGS/DRAWINGS/STUFF OF THIS NATURE

"The Alexander Mosaic"


Found in Pompeii, this mosaic is said to be a faithful reproduction of an artpiece created by a contemporary of Alexander the Great's time. This image is the first one I saw of Alexander when I was reading through my elementary books, and it sent chills down my back thinking about this man's greatness.

I spent 3 hours in front of Picasso's Guernica in Madrid. I can't quite say why it made such an impression, but it did.

Originally Posted by Prince_of_Macedon

"The Alexander Mosaic"


Found in Pompeii, this mosaic is said to be a faithful reproduction of an artpiece created by a contemporary of Alexander the Great's time. This image is the first one I saw of Alexander when I was reading through my elementary books, and it sent chills down my back thinking about this man's greatness.

I've seen that in person. It's truly awe-inspiring.

The Picture Of Dorian Gray has corrupted me in a way i can't explain.

Originally Posted by Esthete

The Picture Of Dorian Gray has corrupted me in a way i can't explain.

Lol, a truly great work though I can't say it had a terribly large effect on me. The only thing is it gave me a great urge to smoke opium, but alas it is damn near impossible to get in America these days.

Originally Posted by Earl of Rochester

Lol, a truly great work though I can't say it had a terribly large effect on me. The only thing is it gave me a great urge to smoke opium, but alas it is damn near impossible to get in America these days.

That is a part of said corruption along with hedonism, duplicity, etc.

Carlos Santana for unlocking the door to enjoying music.
Red Hot Chili Peppers (Frusciante and Flea, specifically) for nudging it open,
And Hendrix for blowing it off its hinges

In terms of film, I can't say that anything has changed me, but as far a performace that touched me was Tom Hanks in Cast Away.

Music: Robert Johnson and similar early blues artists - I started listening to them after I started paying a proper interest in the early British Rock acts - they were always cited as the main influences and I can definitely see why.
I also think I would be missing something quite profound if I'd never heard (regularly) Bach cello suites (G major).

Literature:Brave New World and Island by Huxley. Awakened me to both politics and philosophy. I should also mention 'The Raven' by E.A.Poe. It has been a major influence on a lot of my own work.

Art: Yes. All of it, I eat it, breathe it and sleep it. I guess my major influence (as a sculptor) is Alberto Giacometti - His work introduced me to the world of experimental modernism - and shattered my previous quest of anatomical accuracy in favour of expressive symbolism.
I still don't 'get' the modern British Art movement though. Emin & co. Just do nothing for me - and mean nothing without having to read the notes. Why don't they just write books instead!!

Because the thread was getting too "high brow" and because Adamantium cant be everywhere.