A-Z : Why Look at Art?
Welcome to my blog. This first series explores why we look at art and the value it brings to our lives—using the alphabet as our guide. Each entry will be short and feature a work of art that illustrates the idea.
Thank you for visiting, and feel free to leave a comment.
A is for Appreciation: When we look at a work of art, one of the first sensations we often feel is awe at the artist’s ability to transform materials into something expressive and beautiful. Art invites us to step back and simply appreciate the expertise, imagination, and dedication of someone else.
Featured Art: The Art of Painting, 1666-1668. Johannes Vermeer. Dutch. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Prompt for readers: Take a moment to look closely. Describe what you see.
What do you think is going on?
How might this painting reflect the artist’s skill, patience, or imagination?
Art can inspire us to appreciate not only what we see but the hands and minds that made it.
B is for Bold Some art stops us in our path and causes us to ask the obvious question, what is going on?
The boldness of the artist arrests our attention and challenges how we see the world—whether through subject matter, color, or composition. Some create bold images; others shock us through words. Dante Allighieri was among the boldest writer: in his epic poem The Inferno (written around 1314), he dared to condemn political and religious leaders, placing them in Hell for their corruption. It was a radical act that cost him dearly—he was exiled from Florence. Since then, artists have continued to respond to Dante’s vision, crafting bold interpretations that echo his fearless moral clarity and push us to confront uncomfortable truths.
Featured Art High resolution scan of engraving by Gustave Doré illustrating Canto XIX of Divine Comedy, Inferno, by Dante Alighieri. Caption: Dante addresses Pope Nicholas III
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DvinfernoPopeNicholasIII_m.jpg
Prompt for Readers In this wood engraving, we see Dante bent over speaking to Pope Nicholas III whose feet are sticking out of a hole, his feet ablaze by oily fire. Nicholas was sent to the Eighth Circle of Hell for simony, which is the selling of church offices, pardons, or sacred things. The new arrivals push down the ones that are there previously.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malebolge#The_Ten_BolgiasTake a moment to look closely.
Describe what you see.
What do you find bold or shocking about this work of art?
What problem would you like to alert others to notice? How would you do it?Art, by the boldness of the artist, can arrest our attention to consider what we might what to avoid.
"Bold art has the power to stop us in our tracks and make us reflect on what we need to think about."