Art, Artists, and Their Work

 How we benefit from artists! Some friends and I went to a world-class museum yesterday to see the works of an amazingly accomplished young artist, Kahinde Wiley. He had, as his theme, juxtaposed scenes seen depicted many times through the ages with the images of contemporary young Black men and women. It was both beautiful and disturbing. That’s a function of art—to make us feel, to challenge our thinking and present us with more questions than answers. Mr. Wiley was immensely successful.

I recently read the address given to parents of an incoming class of serious music students. In it, the speaker acknowledged misgivings they may have as to where this field of study might take their children. After all, for the same hard-earned money, those gifted children could have chosen to embark on more lucrative careers.

He reassured those parents by citing examples of beautiful music created amid harrowing conditions, and asked them to imagine a life without music of any kind. In the first example, he pointed out the beauty of the notes woven together from within the walls of concentration camps. How could that form of art have been birthed in such bleakness?

He asked the parents to imagine a great film—another art form—without the swelling music adding to the telling of the story as it was being watched. The score underlines the emotions, helping the audience to feel what they’re watching more deeply.

The message was clear: Music is vital. Art is vital. Look at any creative venture and ask yourself how it may have changed you. Not everything will have done so, so consider a song, a painting, a sculpture, a book—any work of art created by a fellow human, and relive the feeling.

Such was the effect of Mr. Wiley’s work. It was stunning in idea, composition, execution, and in the way in which it was displayed. It made us feel. It was somber and beautifully created, asking the viewers to see his subjects in a new light. 

Today I am deeply grateful for those who have the ability and the wherewithal to delve into the Arts, as well as to those who make it possible for them to do so.