Art as an Allegorical Figure

Mankind has always been attracted to beauty. At no time through the long passage of history has humanity not been expressed through art.

In every corner of the world, in every society, known as civilized or uncivilized, art, as an expression of that society, has flowered.

We can still look with admiration at great, early Egyptian art and at the unsurpassed sculpture and architecture of classical Greece.

In Australia, anthropologists recently discovered, a long gallery of aboriginal art beneath a shaded rock shelf with depictions of the hunt, men and women and native animals. The question was how old was this undiscovered art gallery?

All was revealed when one scientist noticed a now, stone like wasp’s nest covering a section of art work. The once sandy, but now rock hard wasp nest was gently removed in total darkness, so as not to let light enter the covered section. A tiny sample of the hidden area was removed and sent for carbon dating – the answer came back, the gallery was 60,000 years old. 60,000 years ago, men and women were decorating their environment!

Art, in it’s vast range of expressions, has always appeared at the apex of human achievement. It raises humanity, it does not destroy, it uplifts, it does not darken, its music nourishes the soul of humanity, it does not deplete, it unites mankind, it does not separate.

Art, in every form, flourishes today, more than at any other time in history. In the past, art was exclusive; today it is inclusive and is available to anyone who decides to be involved.

One of art’s greatest gifts is its capacity and ability to constantly give. Its resources are infinite. It holds in trust, thousands of years of the greatest artistic talent and freely offers it to all without reserve.

Just like music, with its cornerstones, like J.S Bach, who, we are told by musicologists, is the founding father of all Western music, even the most contemporary owes is origins to Bach. Bach’s great music still gives and gives, even when the recipient never realizes that he is the recipient of the gift.

The history of art, in all its forms does exactly the same thing. Great pictures not only inspire an artist, but they continue to teach and instruct with lessons in composition, perspective and balance.

Every century has had and will continue to have, its “style of the day” and art, like every thing else, is voguish, with its periods of fashion, e.g., rococo, classic, neo classic, cubist, impressionist and revivalist, all available and always ready to bestow.

These periods are usually seen as the birth of new ideas and as with the birth of a child, the infant, or new idea, grows and develops, until it in turn, is overtaken by a fresh, new idea. Art, therefore is a living, breathing form, constantly reborn in all its many facets.

We may not always understand the art of our day, but it is well worth remembering that many of the great names, now revered as masters, were not accepted as such in their day, but were criticized, rejected and certainly unaccepted as artists in their time. The great Dutch painter, Van Gogh, sold exactly one picture, in his lifetime!

If we can imagine “art” as an allegorical figure, a curator of the world’s storehouse of music, pictures, literature, sculpture etc, we would need many more than one life time to see all she has to show us!
Art constantly sets new challenges for all our five senses so let us follow our allegorical guide and welcome her vast wealth.