Art - Luxury or Necessity?

Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. And hence by art here I do not mean just drawings or paintings but more as an encompassing term for every art form out there be it films, music, plays or literature.

If we look at brass tacks art is of course not necessary for basic existence, but so is education or societal constructs. Basically everything with the exception of water, food and oxygen. The genesis of mankind; those 3 things would be all you needed. But with civilization and hundreds of thousands of years the definition of necessity has changed a lot. Does ART fit into the definition in today's day and age?

Is art all important to the average Joe? They have a life to live and they’re probably not all that concerned right? Until they lose their father, someone breaks their heart or the inverse; they meet someone they love so much they can’t think straight. And all of a sudden; they start trying to make sense of their life and all of its chaos. “Has anyone felt this before! What is happening to me?” That’s when they turn to art and that’s when it is no longer a luxury. it’s sustenance.

The world is an unreliable critic when it comes to art as it’s so deeply personal and individual to every person. You may relate to it to a certain degree; others may at an even higher level. While some may not at all. And that’s the beauty of it. The ability of something so individualistic as art; to nail the basic human emotions in such a way that it may relate to billions of people worldwide is baffling and is what makes it such an important social construct. It brings people together.

Art encourages community cohesion and reduces isolation in a way technology cannot. The first smartphone made in 1992 of course cannot compete and bring out the same results as the latest version of an iPhone. But is that the case with Art?

F.W Murnau’s 1922 black and white masterpiece Nosferatu, often called the first ever depiction of vampires on screen, had an overarching theme of death, which Count Orlok (the vampire) represents. The quiet town of Wisborg appears to be a more or less typical small German town until the arrival of Count Orlok. Orlok brings death and disorder, very much like what World War I brought to Europe. Can this also be taken as a metaphor for the Covid pandemic which occurred 100 years later?

Art truly transcends the passage of time as at its core, it’s the most raw form that emotions can be put forth in a tangible manner. Bringing up the point of the individualistic nature of art; your art represents you. It brings your inner turmoil or joys into reality, be it in the form of a movie, or a poem or a song in ways you can’t to another person. It makes you THINK, it makes you learn new ideas or cultures and just appreciate life for what it is. Will you die if you do not consume or make art? ABSOLUTELY NOT. But what’s the fun in that? One has to make the most of one’s life. Do you think one can do that without art?

Again; with time the definition of a necessity has changed but the involvement of art in it has not. It is not only intrinsic but vital to human life. It has been with us since the very first origin of mankind. Expressing our feelings and emotions in many diverse ways from cave paintings to the creation of motion pictures of today. Indeed, art is intertwined with the very essence of a man’s soul and forever shall.