During this month of love, we always think of someone we love friends, parents, partners, and many others. We make time to celebrate with them as well as renew our bond and commitment to them. This is just like other yearly events that are dedicated to specific purposes, and we expect lovers in restaurants, hotels, and parks.
When many people hear the word "love" they immediately evoke images of fairytale romance; passionate, glamorous, uncomplicated love. The reality could be quite different. The different kinds of love we feel are as diverse as the people who experience them, and so is the art that explores this theme.
Art is beneficial to our well-being. However, it is not spinach. Its goal is not to make us healthier or wiser, though that may occur along the way. The motivation for nurturing a relationship with art is the same as the motivation for bonding with other people: To feel more fully human. These connections, like friendships or romances, can be difficult to initiate and manage. However, it will be worthwhile.
Art can feel too big, too much. Billions of words have been spilled on the subject, and we will never be able to read them all. In visual arts, for instance, it is easy to feel intimidated because we are not an expert on the Renaissance, or Fauvism, and we cannot quickly articulate the difference between the Baroque and the Rococo.
But it all boils down to one thing: Our own reaction is what matters. There is no one correct answer. Our reaction is critical, and it cannot be faked. It is pointless to repeat conventional wisdom or to accept the word of a respected critic as gospel and convince ourselves that we agree. The whole point of the endeavor is to identify our own reaction, in all of its emotional, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions.
The art world is not ruled by a dictator. Everyone is free to form their own opinion. In fact, doing so is critical to the experience. We have the right to dislike what is fashionable and to champion what is unfashionable, whether ancient or modern, representational, or abstract.
In literature, paintings, and for real-life artistic couples, art and love have always gone hand in hand. Today we reflect on all things love and the various forms it can take for humans, the only species capable of making it so complicated.
The intersection of art and music has long been a source of philosophical debate among theorists. Musical paintings and colorful songs seem obvious in our everyday conversation. Aren't artworks referred to as "arrangements", "harmonies", or "symphonies" of creativity under the grand umbrella of the arts? As a result, the converging disciplines of music and art are inextricably linked.
Great art transports us far beyond our daily lives into a realm where learning, connection, mystery, and wonder can provide us with deeper and more fulfilling relationships with ourselves and the world we live in.
We will also be proud of the arts during this month of love for teaching us to appreciate the essence of love. If it is founded on love, anything is possible in the arts, as it is in life. In our lives, there is a single color, like on an artist's palette that provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love.