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Why do people enjoy art?
WHY DO WE ENJOY ART?
ETHAN SUN (THIRD FORM)
Art is an extremely sophisticated form of expression for the human mind. Anything can be considered art, including dots and random strokes. Humans love art because they have an inquisitive nature and are inclined to delight in it. What is it about shapes, colours, and patterns that still give us pleasure thousands of years later? Several studies have been conducted over the past few years to try to figure this out. Some people believe that, despite living in a world full of modern comforts,
there is still a part of our brain that strongly responds to the essentials:
water, food, sunlight, etc. Some pieces of art have been seen to take the form of water and maximize its blue colours in paintings. By looking at Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, our brains may recognize the characteristics of water and resonate with the work positively. We rely on water to survive and seeing such an essential part of life on canvas makes us appreciate its beauty. Likewise, we are drawn to the colour green. A German study concluded that creativity inspires motivation when infused with the colour green. This suggests that:
Several other studies have strongly suggested that there is a significant connection between the 'golden ratio', or the 'golden rectangle', and superior creations. Golden ratios are used in many diverse types of construction, such as buildings, paintings, and sculptures. Those of these which employ the golden ratio tend to be more renowned and acknowledged throughout history than those who do not use them.
Another study published in the journal Brain and Cognition from the University of Toronto found that the brain processes art in two ways. First, we see and process it visually. This involves thinking about how the piece works. The researchers found that, when we are shown a picture of a knife, our brains do not just see it as a shape, but also perceive how to use it.
All good art engages a deeprooted obsession with needing to survive.
This first stage takes place in the cingulate cortex of the posterior cingulate of the brain, which deals with thinking logically and understanding concepts. So, there is enough evidence to suggest we enjoy a puzzle. And art supplies a much greater stimulus to the mind than other types of puzzles.
The study also goes beyond this first logical reaction to works of art. As a result of thinking about "how it works," the posterior cingulate cortex is also stimulated. In this area of the brain, we contact our innermost thoughts and
emotions.
Studies also show that we can experience a wide range of emotions from all types of art, whether it is fear, joy, peace, or pain.
Art is also now academic. Genres like conceptual art can be intellectually stimulating and enjoyable at that level. Although these pieces essentially require analysis to enjoy, everyone experiences a primal response to them.
Additionally, these studies suggest that our responses to and appreciation of art may exist as biological predispositions rather than a cultural activity that needs to be acquired through upbringing. This entails that
we are all capable of creating and enjoying fine art.
Various reasons can make art appealing to us, but none of them is more valuable than any other. Here are some of the reasons:
1. Art helps you realize that people are fundamentally the same in any place
and time. Yes, a lot is different in the world today. But pictures of pets and pretty landscapes have a universal appeal. There is a desire in people of all cultures to capture those things and preserve them, to remember them, because art lasts longer than most things.
2. Art can express things that words
alone cannot. Words cannot convey how a sunset looked 300 years ago, how people dressed a thousand years ago, or how they carried themselves.
3. Art makes you think. For example: I thought about what the artist was trying to say; I thought about how the artist did that; I thought about why I like some things and not others. Even art that does not appeal to me makes me think about why it doesn’t.
While we do not require art to thrive, our lives would be very different if it did not exist. The arts are a sort of meaningcreation as vital as science in making
