Arts & Culture: Life of Culture
Sunday, April 13, 2008 by Lindsey
One thing you might not know about your life: It's filled with culture and fine arts, modern and ancient, abstract and realistic, good and bad. I've had so many people emphatically insist that while it's nice to be well-rounded, fine arts are not necessary for their lives. If you're one of these people, please allow me to dissuade you of this notion.
What comes to mind when you hear the words "Fine Arts" or "Culture": Museums? Operas? Sculptures? Couture? These are all legitimate thoughts, but the definition of arts goes far beyond these things. With a bit of investigation into your lifestyle, you'll find an explosion of culture lurking beneath the surface.
DC1/Lindsey Bledsoe
Notice the architecture of buildings around you and how they resemble those of ancient Egypt, or Greece, or Rome. Sit in a coffee shop and observe that guy in the corner, sulkily sporting his "goth" persona. He reflects the whole Gothic-romantic movement from the eighteenth century--and probably doesn't even know it! Theater began on the stage and has now evolved into more, but we see reflections of age-old stories, characters, and formats in the drama of the movie theater.
Rhythm, music, and dance are more diverse in our lives than they have ever been. There's something for everyone. Listen to your favorite song. How does it make you feel? Inspired? Connected to other human beings? Essentially, that is the most important purpose of artistic culture: a connection. Whether your style is classic, bohemian, urban, Gothic, punk, abstract, Victorian, or any of the other myriad of styles, (whether you know it or not) they all have very direct links to the progression of cultures and arts over the course of history.
Sculpture Garden/Lindsey Bledsoe
Even technology can be attractive and artistic. Pull up your favorite web page and look at it - not the content, but the colors and layout. Good or bad, some graphic artist designed it. Flip open your cell phone, and notice the color and the contour. Someone created that form and strives to make things more attractive.
So by this point, either I've piqued your interest, you're thinking "So what?", or you're not even reading anymore. But regardless, examine what life would be like without these things. It's necessary that arts continue evolving, and that we--as the modern generation--develop an appreciation for them before they die.
I've displayed the major part that modern and ancient arts plays in your life, but it shouldn't end there. Arts evolve with us over time, but we need to maintain a connection to the classics. That doesn't mean you have to force yourself to choke down stuffy aristocratic arts. However, I urge you to try and explore, don't like opera? Try ballroom dancing. Don't like Museums? Try smaller, eclectic galleries. Can't swallow Shakespeare? Try Moliere.
There are three important keys to embracing culture in your busy lifestyle:
First, find a starting point, because once you start you may not be able to get enough. Even if something seems boring or overwhelming right now, if you start small you may find yourself longing for what you used to think of as "boring."
Second, don't judge! I cannot stress this enough. It sounds cliche but it's one of the most critical components to embracing art and culture. Read, observe, and broaden your horizons--even if you disagree with the content. Rather than avoiding new ideas like the plague, appreciate them as history and use them to question and reaffirm your beliefs.
Third, be open-minded. Don't shut yourself off to things that you have no experience in. Just because you're not well-versed in something doesn't mean you can't find value in it, and possibly even enjoy it! One of the best ways to come up with original ideas and perspectives is to jump into something you have absolutely no background in.
With that said, I am looking forward to investigating and exposing the explosive world of unrealized cultures. My goal as your arts and culture columnist is to pique your interest and get you excited, to provide a modern outlook on the classic arts and culture that seem to be dry or dead. To delve into arts lost in the shuffle of today's hectic pace. To provide intimate portraits of modern artists. And to expose modern arts that are still barely developing--but may one day make history.
What comes to mind when you hear the words "Fine Arts" or "Culture": Museums? Operas? Sculptures? Couture? These are all legitimate thoughts, but the definition of arts goes far beyond these things. With a bit of investigation into your lifestyle, you'll find an explosion of culture lurking beneath the surface.
DC1/Lindsey Bledsoe
Notice the architecture of buildings around you and how they resemble those of ancient Egypt, or Greece, or Rome. Sit in a coffee shop and observe that guy in the corner, sulkily sporting his "goth" persona. He reflects the whole Gothic-romantic movement from the eighteenth century--and probably doesn't even know it! Theater began on the stage and has now evolved into more, but we see reflections of age-old stories, characters, and formats in the drama of the movie theater.
Rhythm, music, and dance are more diverse in our lives than they have ever been. There's something for everyone. Listen to your favorite song. How does it make you feel? Inspired? Connected to other human beings? Essentially, that is the most important purpose of artistic culture: a connection. Whether your style is classic, bohemian, urban, Gothic, punk, abstract, Victorian, or any of the other myriad of styles, (whether you know it or not) they all have very direct links to the progression of cultures and arts over the course of history.
Sculpture Garden/Lindsey Bledsoe
Even technology can be attractive and artistic. Pull up your favorite web page and look at it - not the content, but the colors and layout. Good or bad, some graphic artist designed it. Flip open your cell phone, and notice the color and the contour. Someone created that form and strives to make things more attractive.
So by this point, either I've piqued your interest, you're thinking "So what?", or you're not even reading anymore. But regardless, examine what life would be like without these things. It's necessary that arts continue evolving, and that we--as the modern generation--develop an appreciation for them before they die.
I've displayed the major part that modern and ancient arts plays in your life, but it shouldn't end there. Arts evolve with us over time, but we need to maintain a connection to the classics. That doesn't mean you have to force yourself to choke down stuffy aristocratic arts. However, I urge you to try and explore, don't like opera? Try ballroom dancing. Don't like Museums? Try smaller, eclectic galleries. Can't swallow Shakespeare? Try Moliere.
There are three important keys to embracing culture in your busy lifestyle:
First, find a starting point, because once you start you may not be able to get enough. Even if something seems boring or overwhelming right now, if you start small you may find yourself longing for what you used to think of as "boring."
Second, don't judge! I cannot stress this enough. It sounds cliche but it's one of the most critical components to embracing art and culture. Read, observe, and broaden your horizons--even if you disagree with the content. Rather than avoiding new ideas like the plague, appreciate them as history and use them to question and reaffirm your beliefs.
Third, be open-minded. Don't shut yourself off to things that you have no experience in. Just because you're not well-versed in something doesn't mean you can't find value in it, and possibly even enjoy it! One of the best ways to come up with original ideas and perspectives is to jump into something you have absolutely no background in.
With that said, I am looking forward to investigating and exposing the explosive world of unrealized cultures. My goal as your arts and culture columnist is to pique your interest and get you excited, to provide a modern outlook on the classic arts and culture that seem to be dry or dead. To delve into arts lost in the shuffle of today's hectic pace. To provide intimate portraits of modern artists. And to expose modern arts that are still barely developing--but may one day make history.
