Art, for Art’s Sake

Robert Fulford, at the National Post (link from Arts and Letters Daily) skips the whole religion is bad/good dichotomy in defense of art. Loving great art does not make you good, neither does creating it, he notes. So, he asks,

What, then, does it guarantee? Those who give it their time and love are offered the chance to live more expansive, more enjoyable and deeper lives. They can learn to care intimately about music, painting and books that have lasted for centuries or millennia. They can reach around the globe for the music, the images and the stories they want to make their own.

Fulford’s is a short piece, and he’s probably singing to the choir. Yet it’s a good reminder to give a piece of art more than a few seconds of your time. Really look at it, don’t just take a picture or videotape it to consider it later. Read a book, then read another book related to it; come at things from a different angle. Do the same with a film. Listen to music and don’t do anything else. Put aside multi-tasking for the moment. As the author of Mental Multivitamin continually exhorts us, “Read, Think, Learn.”

2 Responses to “Art, for Art’s Sake”

  1. MFS Says:

    Thanks for the link to the article… and for the regular nods. I appreciate the encouragement.

    As for yesterday’s poll: I shared your message with my socially gifted husband. He chuckled appreciatively. Of course, he understood that apart from sharing your note with him because it supported his position, I shared it with him because I take such pleasure in receiving messages — even when they present opposing views — from M-mv readers who seem to “get” M-mv. In other words, he knows who you (and a handful of others) are (in terms of M-mv correspondence).

    I am off to hell… I mean, a swim meet. Wishing you and yours a good weekend.

    Melissa

    Postscript: Is “Heroes” among the programs you watch? I think I’ll cull through your archives during a break in the swim action to see what/if you’ve written about it. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Season I on DVD.

  2. weirleader Says:

    Speaking of multitasking, you might enjoy this article:

    http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200711/multitasking