Why is art neccessary (a rant)

In a perfect world there would be no art.

Art is born of necessitythe imperfection of our world demands us to rail against the injustices we face, the love we feel, joy, elation, anger are all so important and can so easily overwhelm us that we have to vomit them out: purge our systems, so we can see (and truly know) how we feel. In a sense, we all live within ourselves, within our own consciousness, within our perceptions. In this simple fact of human psychology art is born. Through the arts, we have the capacity to consciously shape our perception and the perception of others. The sensations created by an art form are called aesthetics. Beauty is a part of esthetics, but only a small part. Often the reason an artist is compelled to create has nothing to do with capturing beauty or perfection. The need to create, the creative imperative, is more primal and infinitely more subtle than the lazy cliche of beauty. Art is an essential part of life IMO, it is food for the soul. By creating, giving and receiving art, the depths of our spirit are revealed to ourselves and each other. Art is one of the primary methods of forming the cultural bonds of our human community, it links us with something greater than ourselves. Great art dissolves the boundaries between art, life, self, other and spirit.

Empathy is the result: it takes us out of our familiar (and often selfish or ego saturated) selves into the worlds of other people and places, enticed by both attractive and (unattractive) character ridden beauty. A good Bekett play does the latter easily, for example...or once the senses are primed by seeing a great painting show..like after seeing the Homer exhibit at the deYoung in san francisco a few years ago, and noticing a late day reflection and mood in the trees around the lake at the Berkeley Marina in some odd way like the mood Homer painted in the Adirondacks. This kind of empathy can bring joy or feelings that don't exist at all before knowing art...the more you learn, the more you feel. After seeing Andy Goldsworthy's leaf snake in a river, now when I look at any leaf just dropped into water, it has one more shade of meaning it didn't have before.

Can the same effect be achieved with writing?
Well yes, but I view poetry, literature, painting, theater, sculpture, film, photography, knitting, cooking, singing, playing music and print making, it's all groovy man.
So why bother with all that other stuff, if you feel something, just say it plain and simple?
Good question if I do say so myself. There's many reasons, but for me specifically, I have a broader repitoire or vocabulary in visual communication. For instance I disn't understand, what sartre was talking about, but giacometti's paintings and specifically his sculptures explained existentialism so concisely and eloquently that at the moment of revelation I teared up a bit.
In a broader sense I usually respond to this kind of question by picking up the closest baby and asking it to explain the nature of it's existence. (as long as it can't speak yet) it says nothing, but it will draw something once given the tools. Isn't that interesting, before a human can talk it has the instinct to leave it's mark, to express itself visually before verbally.

"I think there's no question that art is as much a part of our human nature as eating, breathing, sleeping, procreation, communicating, etc. There is no time in history that people did not make art or perform art. It's just how we are. The issue becomes not if art is necessary, but how much we choose to nurture and support what is innate in us."

--Miriam Grosman

"Art is neccessary because without it, artists would have no excuse for their odd behavior."

--Ricardo Toronto, photographer, Vallejo CA

I wish more people would cultivate their own creativity. People would be happier, communities would be stronger, and the arts healthier.

If you read that you are either a complete nerd with no life or another "artist" with artist's block. Who am I kidding: an artist isn't a special kind of person, every kind of person is a special kind of artist.

I pretty much agree with it, although I think the question itself was rather poetic. Only idiots and brutes question art's importance.

Originally Posted by Odovacar

I pretty much agree with it, although I think the question itself was rather poetic. Only idiots and brutes question art's importance.

I hate when people agree with me.
Meh, I've changed my mind, I take back everything I've said.

Art isn't neccessary, that is what makes it beautiful.

My gut reaction is that art isn't necessary, but to tell the truth it is impossible for me to imagine a world without music, films, plays, musicals etc.

or a world without Baddies! *sobs*

Originally Posted by René Artois

My gut reaction is that art isn't necessary, but to tell the truth it is impossible for me to imagine a world without music, films, plays, musicals etc.

or a world without Baddies! *sobs*

I agree, art isn't neccessary. But you gain strength from it don't you. We feel empathy for the stormtroopers on the death star just like the way we draw comparisons between our own regimented and samey lives and the regimented stack of soup cans.

It isn't neccessary, but it is.............something else. I can't describe it. Soothing isn't the right word, but it'll have to do.

some things are hard to say

Well, if there's no art in the world, and this forum, as well as TW games, will never exist.
Imagine a typing tw game without graphics:
Computer: The enemy cavalry is approaching! Our infantry started to charge!
You: flank the enemy.
Computer: Sorry the computer don't understand you. Do you mean cornflakes?
You: OMG!! Move the legions to the enemy's right!!
Computer: Ok, now your legions bump into enemy elephants, they are running away...
You: Grrr.. Send archer to fire arrow at them.
Computer: Please use plural.
You: Damn it, SEND ARCHERS TO FIRE ARROWS AT THEM.
Computer: Sir, our archers successfully threw back the enemy elephants in panic, and since you are playing the hard level, the computer suggest that the fleeing elephants had knock out your general.

i used to play zork, a lot. Well after it was out obviously. It was like a "thing" with my group of friends like 10 years ago.

Anyways text based games are art as well, anyone who had played Zork, Planetfall, or Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy knows this.

I did admit that writing is just as much an art as the visual arts.

It just looks nice.

Originally Posted by René Artois

It just looks nice.

That's an interesting opinion.

Do you think the various versoins of "the decapitation of holofernes" looks nice?
Looking nice is a strange requirement for any kind of art. I understand it, hell I like to look at nice things, but if it's not "nice" who are we to that it's not art?

I think it looks nice. My favourite art is paintings and drawings. The one you mentioned so detailed and realistic it looks lovely. Nice=/=happy

My favourite album covers are the Cannibal Corpse ones (look them up it's against the rules to post them here) They are by no means your definition of nice.

Originally Posted by René Artois

I think it looks nice. My favourite art is paintings and drawings. The one you mentioned so detailed and realistic it looks lovely. Nice=/=happy

I prefer painting too. I'm something of a traditionalist (much to the scorn of my fellow artists). I always think the word "nice" has condescending over-tones. I teach a special needs class on the weekends and every comment, criticism, review of their work has the word "nice" in it. I dunno, maybe it's my troubled relationship with the word "nice" that means we have different ideas as to what it means.

Originally Posted by René Artois

My favourite album covers are the Cannibal Corpse ones (look them up it's against the rules to post them here) They are by no means your definition of nice.

See, I'd call them cool. Nice would be the opposite.