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Where does your mind travel, when someone mentions 'Art' to you?
Like how for an Artist, art could be about realism, straight out of a Jean François painting, or it could be an expression derived from Picasso's work. For some, it could just be a modest sketch of a still life object, or learning different approaches to blend and experiment with their oil tubes.
Alternatively for a Writer, art could be the letters that Franz Kafka wrote to his father, or a Pablo Neruda poetry they keep coming back to.
It could be about creating their own song but synchronously praising Gulzar's lyrics over and over again. It could also be a non-verbal two line narration of their life, or an Eminem rap to let their inner 'Shady' out.
From admiring Shakeel Badayuni's ‘Teri mehfil mein kismat aazmakar hum bhi dekhenge' to getting lost in da Vinci's sculptures, we all constantly thrive on art.
Art can be composition, it can be singing or dancing but it can also be sculpting. Every little thing can be art in itself.
But, what is 'Art' to you?
As a poet myself, I tend to look for art in everything, but at the mention of it, my thoughts always revert to Van Gogh and his mere existence reminds me of the word 'artistic'. When I think of 'art', I think of the creativity in it, a mere speck of innovation and imagination accessorised by the artist. This is one of the many reasons why I always look up to Van gogh.
Van Gogh, one of the biggest artists in history, wasn't famous as a painter before his death, considered himself a failure and sold only one painting in his entire lifetime. He suffered from constant depression, but never once stopped painting in the few years where he actually found his vocation as an artist. Infact, he painted his most famous painting 'The starry night' in an asylum.
He was once used to be hesitant towards the traditional technique of painting and would often work really hard to master it but later he realised that his art screams of his own individuality and expressions. When he realised what he was truly capable of, he would often squeeze tubes of oil paint directly on the canvas, and express his work using lines, giving it a more realistic effect.
Van Gogh's life that we know of, is full of contradictions. There are always two sides to every last one of his stories. It is either living in a ray of hope or in a dungeon of anxiety.
It is said that he once cut off his ear while in a fight with a fellow painter and amidst his distress, went to a brothel and gifted his bloody part to a lady as a token of gratitude. Oh! how lovely he thought the people of this world were. But people often believe that he did it after hearing about his brother's engagement, terrified that he will lose his only financial support.
Another theory says that he ate yellow paint to become more cheerful.
Yellow reminded him of the sun and of his father's ambivalence.
On the contrary, it is believed that Van Gogh had Chromatopsia (abnormal eye vision) which in his case made him see and use the color yellow more than any other. He ate it because he was suicidal and picked up a habit of eating filthy things.
I often sit and ponder over these alternatives but always end up making myself believe in the former theories about him, because it's his life and his work that is art to me.
Art is an expression, an escape from the mundane of life. It is a voice to the deaf, words for the mute, limbs for the amputee, a state of mental peace for the depressed. But it is us who gets to decide what it means to us.
So, what is 'Art' to you?
-Azmii•
____________________________________ (A/N note)- I know the guy in the middle is not Van Gogh but he was kinda fitting into the aesthetic so 💀
