Henry Moore- Reclining Figure, 1945
Because a work does not aim at reproducing natural appearances it is not, therefore, an escape from life — but may be a penetration into reality…as expression of the significance of life, a stimulation to greater effort in living.
–Henry Moore, Henry Moore: Sculpture and Drawings, 1957
This thought from the great sculptor Henry Moore echo that of many others through the years, that art provides a deeper penetration into our reality. This is not because it mirrors exactly what is visible to the naked eye. No, it is because of the perception of the artist and how the artist interprets that vision and adds to it, creating its own sense of reality.
It is in how the artist makes the common feel uncommon. How the artist makes the seemingly mundane resonate with deeper meanings of this life.
And as Moore points out, this recognition of that meaning of life sometimes found in art provides stimulation for one to more fully experience this life. To recognize the significance of all things, all experiences, all feelings. All people.
Art is not an escape route from life. It is an inroad.
I needed to hear this, or should I say, write this at this moment. Sometimes when I am working on a piece or series of work, I become too focused on little things in the process that I lose sight of the overall feeling that is moving the piece forward. Revisiting this thought brings me back to what I see and feel beyond the surface. It’s a hard thing to explain here without turning this into a treatise that I don’t want to write and you most likely don’t want to read at this time.
I think I will leave it right here this morning. I am stimulated enough by Moore’s word to make an effort. Here’s a classic from George Harrison, What Is Life. It is actually more of a love song but I guess finding the significance of life in art is a form of love in itself.
So, let’s just say it’s close enough. Give a listen and make sure the door is closed when you leave.
Redtree Times 