A slightly unrelated blog post.
Recently I have seen many films about art and it’s affect on the world, starting with Monuments Men and just last week The Book Thief.
Art in film has always been a major influence on my life and as an avid cinema goer along with most of my family, my dad and brother mainly, it’s a joy we all share. Film has a way of sweeping me into a world away from reality just for an hour and a half, where I can forget my worries and be a part of someone else’s life. Just like art, the role of film is to transport you to a new exciting place. This is what art does to me also. Looking into the paintings of Turner and Rothko just to name a few, can bring your soul to the surface and give you a life changing experience.
Monuments Men told the true story of a group of older gentlemen enlisted in the American and British army to help regain art that Hitler had stolen during World War II. The overall feeling of the film was that art is worth a lot to many people and can change us. Two men died in the journey to recovering the art and by the end of their story you felt that it was worth it; the achievements of the worlds greatest creative souls needed to be saved. Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child statue, Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man and many other world famous pieces of art were all included and as a whole reconfirmed my love for art, both classical and contemporary.
The Book Thief, although not so much about art and more about books, still holds that same message that creativity is important for us as people. It is a form of expression and what is most unique about both art and writing is that no two people will respond the same. It is the most individual way of showing ones self to the rest of the world. The Book Thief follows the story of a young girl who gets adopted by a family in Germany during once again World War II. The family take in a young Jewish man hiding from the Fuhrër, and the man and girl bond over their love for books and together they steal and read books whilst he is in hiding. This touching story, although fiction, could be just as true as any other War story. The importance of a creative outlet once again the main message.
Although slightly irrelevant to fine art practice, I find that film, especially art in film, can help inspire me creatively, as does reading. The emotional attachment of art and books to many people not just in the film but in the cinema screen, is a great influence in my life, to carry on loving art, both viewing it and making it.
