Art Big and Small
Art can be anything you put effort into, painting, singing, or cooking for your or another’s enjoyment. Art is vital to the human soul. The making of art is as important as the enjoying of art. Art is meant to be shared and enjoyed.
Big art is for the masses- to move societies to make us all feel. I think big art is the summer blockbuster, the Mona Lisa. It is art that enters into the cultural zeitgeist. Other examples are Star Wars, Harry Potter, and mainstream radio music. Big art is important. I think most artists would like to make big art. To have their art appreciated by the public and to have the glory of that high achievement. That is a universal human desire. We all want recognition for our efforts.
Big art is essential, but it is impersonal. A great song can make you feel like it was written for you and genuinely great artworks can make each of us feel that it was made just for us. As we step back from it and hear someone else sing the same song with the same enthusiasm, it loses that touch of intimacy.
Then there is commercial art, art that was created for sale. To sell itself or sell something else. Commercial art can be good, but it often feels vulgar and cheap. The concept of your favorite artist “selling out” to reach a larger audience reflects this.
Which brings us to the concept of small art. Small art can be commercial, such as the art found in these pages, or the local artist sell their pieces at a small market fair. This art is valuable in its own right and approaches the ideal of small art.
The art with the most beauty is art that is made for a single individual or group. The smaller the group, the higher the value. Compare and contrast the value we place on music of varying audience sizes. Starting with a publicly released song, played on the radio for everyone, music interspersed and interrupted by advertisements. This is given away for free. Next is the value we place on a song we put in our digital library or purchase the hard copy medium. We have intrinsically increased the value of that music. Now we have the ability to play that music whenever we want for ourselves. Rising in value is purchasing a concert ticket to see that artist live. The market and our obvious intrinsic value system place a higher point on smaller venues. Your favorite artist playing in a small, intimate venue is more valuable to us than a large concert with thousands of others.
A similar analogy can be made with paintings. The Mona Lisa is beautiful, and we, as a society, have determined that it is priceless. When you see it in person, it is relatively underwhelming as you view it from the back of a large crowd in the Louvre. It was, however, very likely priceless to the individual it was created for.
Everyone can make art, and the value of interpersonal art is priceless. Quality increases the value but is subjective and is overshadowed by effort and intent.
Think of a small child struggling to make a Mother’s Day card. The quality of the drawn flower and how closely it resembles an actual flower is quite meaningless compared to the value the recipient mother places on the art piece.
Infinite examples exist to reinforce this theory. Please think of the immense value we place on the poem written for a lover’s eyes only or wedding vows for that day. These words are immensely valuable. They are beyond monetary value surely. They are so valuable they transcend the concept of money.
A simple home-cooked meal, made with artistic love for a family, has immense value well above the monetary value of the food or the service.
Small art ties the world together. Intentional artistic acts improve the world for everyone.
Anyone can make art. If you can’t sing, act. If you can’t act, paint. If you can’t paint, cook. If you can’t cook, draw. If you can’t draw, play an instrument. If you can’t play an instrument, dance.
You get the picture.
If you can’t do any of the above…
Bullshit! You can do any of them. The value of small art is not in the quality.
Find your Art.
Make your Art.
Share your Art.
-V/R
Bigcat
