Art nurtures creativity, innovation and cultural diversity for all peoples across the globe and plays an important role in sharing knowledge and encouraging curiosity and dialogue. These are qualities that art has always had and will always have if we continue to support environments where artists and artistic freedom are promoted and protected. In this way, furthering the development of art also furthers our means to achieve a free and peaceful world.
Each year, on 15th of April, World Art Day celebrations help reinforce the links between artistic creations and society, encourage greater awareness of the diversity of artistic expressions and highlight the contribution of artists to sustainable development. It is also an occasion to shine a light on arts education in schools as culture can pave the way for inclusive and equitable education.
World Art Day is celebrated on Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday in order to honour the artist. According to IAA (International Association of Art), Da Vinci was chosen as a symbol of world peace, freedom of expression, tolerance, and brotherhood. Leonardo da Vinci is also a testament to the influence of the Fine Arts on other fields. World Art Day has also been supported online, especially by the Google Art Project.
On World Art Day, in a message, Audrey Azoulay, the Director General of UNESCO said, “Bringing people together, inspiring, soothing and sharing: these are the powers of art, the importance of which has been made emphatically obvious during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. With hundreds of thousands of people directly affected by the virus and billions more either in lockdown or battling the pandemic on the front lines, this World Art Day is a timely reminder that art has the power to unite and connect in times of crisis.”
”As we mark World Art Day amidst a global pandemic, join me in thanking artists around the world for continuing to be a source of inspiration, solace, and connection,” tweeted UN Secretary General Antonia Gurterras.
Art is a means of expression and communication between the sensibilities of the artist and those of the observer on a higher level, which is why its very important. Art speaks to our feelings, sometimes to our intellect and often addresses our humanity in a deeply philosophical way. It can stimulate reflection and introspection or generate feelings of joy and admiration (or the opposite, sometimes). In the end it is the output of our finer selves, and the responses it generates in us address our common humanity at the highest level.
Art is one of the ways in which a human being can have an unmediated experience with those essential things that are beyond description in words. These things include love and faith and hope which are among the most critical and meaningful aspects of the human experience but are totally incapable of being fully expressed in words. An artistic image – and possibly the original intention of the artist which we sense – can assist us. Our brains are designed for symbolic shorthand, and art is full of it.
One of the primary reasons behind the importance of art is that it is our most significant record of all human society. Almost everything we know of history outside of things that are in the nature of granary receipts, comes from art. It tells us how societies thought, associated, moved, ate, lived and died. From this we learn the rich tapestry of not only our past, but the past of other cultures. We share ideas. We discover what worked – and what did not. We have the opportunity to learn, to broaden ourselves in the present, and – at least theoretically – to avoid mistakes.
Art gives us a way to see ourselves in a greater context. Socially, psychologically and in all ways for humans – invaluable.
In a world where productivity and efficiency reigns, taking part in a creative process may remind us that the shortest path from point A to point B is rarely the most enriching. Art may help us rediscover the lost value of exploration for its own sake. It reconnects us with the creative moments of childlike play which we, as adult, often learn to trade for the creation of value through tangible outputs and actionable results. Art help us to rehabilitate uselessness, rediscover the efforts of work and find value in it.
Art can be anything. While there are rules of perspectives, theories of music and guidelines for dramaturgy, the artist is free to ignore them and concentrate on what she wishes to bring forward. Institutions may expect commercial appeal, a certain ideology and such other things, but art history reminds us that there are more than one masters to bow to and it’s up to the individual to select her own priorities. Few disciplines are so liberating.
Years ago, renowned artist Pablo Picasso once said, “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” The quote holds true even today when the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic that affected scores of people and continues to do so.
In India, the number of positive cases is increasing again. From night curfew to other restrictions, states are intensifying their approach towards the pandemic and are updating their strategy to curb the number of cases.
As people are advised to stay indoors, there a few challenges at hand. Experts believe that being confined within the four walls of a home has a negative impact and efforts must be made to fight off the COVID blues. Last year, when the country went into a lockdown, people took to making espresso, cooking and rediscovering old passions.
From dancing to painting, people across the country started investing in several forms of art to restore their sanity. Posting their feats on social media also became a trend among people and often encouraged others to indulge in art.
Dance, paintings, songs, poems and cooking proved to be stressbusters for people who found their lives mundane and looked for a release. This year, World Art Day must be celebrated to acknowledge the important role art played in giving the pandemic a little bit of colour and mirth.