Art Enlightens Us
A. R. S. Rumy
In Culture
​​​​​​​"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." - Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)
Worldwide every day millions of people read books, enjoy melodies, watch movies and visit theaters or art galleries. But why? They expect to be relieved and desire entertainment. But, what is entertainment? Why and how it amuses us. Do we know the secret? Whatever the mystery is, in the backstage of entertainment it is a pleasant, colorful and delightful cognition of our unbridled diversified mind.
According to contemporary American author Anthony Jay Robbins- "We aren't in an information age, we are in an entertainment age" and entertainment would fall under the art, what influenced by the society and impact the nature of art. But art is defined as the expression or evocative appeal of human creative skill and imagination. So, it introduces a symbiotic relationship between art and entertainment and provoke entertainment is a form of art. Once I was exposing the compromising cliché 'entertainment' in one of my enigmatic artwork as 'Enter', 'Tain' and 'Ment'. Many people commented on it, one of my poet friends noted that -'Oh! Dear mercury-mixture come in with pride' like this.
The right to enjoy art and comments are probably accepted. But reading or writing, listening, and watching are not just entertainment; unquestionably there are many elements of knowledge, information, and enrichment in it. This stage Gilbert Murray's (1866-1957) explanations are relevant – "Doubtless there is in every art an element of knowledge or science, and that element is progressive. But there is another element, too, which does not depend on knowledge and which does not progress but has a kind of stationary and eternal value, like the beauty of the dawn, or the love of a mother for her child, or the joy of a young animal in being alive, or the courage of a martyr facing torment.
We cannot, for all our progress, get beyond these things; there they stand, like light upon the mountains. The only question is whether we can rise to them. And it is the same with all the greatest births of imagination". In this imparadising form, art wants to entertain and interpret its inner self, gives us pleasure and makes us imbued. This phenomenon demonstrated unrevealed word and nurtured into the womb of wonderful wisdom. So, where do this authority and proficiency of art come from? The answer is very simple - from the artist. For example, an author efflorescence his knowledge through into a book, artists also spread the splendor of pleasure and peace, during his artwork.
If we imagine a bookstore or library- quiet, silent and relaxed. But see the books; it is fell like the inner flame and vigor of a writer. The artwork like same - tranquil, cool, sedate one thing, tied in a frame or in the gallery. But it poses the whole inner senses of an artist, what is fascinate and enamor us. So, art is not only a part of entertainment but it also enlightens us. Being enlightened forever humans deserve a great dream and expect to be enlightened. Now, the question: How will a mellifluous modest light enlighten? We know, light is dazzling and candescent. It seems like a radiant ray, charming and sublime. But its source is a terrible flaming-world, named fire; it will spread as long as it shines. So, the person is enlightened - who is spontaneously burning.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) noted with pride that: "If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun." This sun of greatness, affection, self-sacrifice, and ideal - that burns an artist. This made the rays of a rising rainbow and reflects at his paintings and sculptures. In this context, my elder brother said, "If you want to be resurrected, you have to be crucified at first. In our day to day life, we are being crucified regularly by our bitter social realities. Art resurrects those dead souls." So, by the artist burning colorful flare enlightened all. That flare is not like the sun rather like the moon. Once somebody was asked Molla Nasreddin Hooja - Which is more beneficial neither the sun nor the moon. Hooja replied - the moon. Because, the sun shines when there is light, but the moon shines when there is no light. The artists are just like the moon, standing in front of the darkness and flooding with full moon night.
As a gibbous sportive moon, let's stand up against the darkness and fill the new moon with full moonlight. The universe is a magnificent collection of art. The beauty and rhythm of art are hidden everywhere. For the moment we might have to conclude that knowledge in art might contribute to enlightened value. The fact that we do not often talk about aesthetic knowledge indeed is capable of providing us with the splendor of knowledge. We have to remember- nationally who are reddened and enrich - they are culturally enlightened and science-lover. In the history of civilization - they could not make much progress, those who did not maintain their originality and came away from the study of culture and science. Let us first clear about- political freedom, economic freedom, and cultural freedom are inevitable for a nation's prosperity. For many years, innumerable people have made sincere cooperation and contributed to cultural salvation.
Against inauspicious and immoral thoughts, the analogy of the auspicious ideas and amoral sense is not insufficient. In contrast to darkness, may enlightened modern society will be stronger. All the peace-loving community is exposed to beauty. You also contribute to the eternal human world as human beings. We should end by considering the musing of a popular painter Ken Denby (1940- 2007), he said, "Art is a necessity - an essential part of our enlightenment process. We cannot as a civilized society, regard ourselves as being enlightened without the arts."
Writer: A. R. S. Rumy, Associate Professor, Department of Fine Arts, University of Development Alternative (UODA)
Issue 5 - 6
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