For the Sake of Art

Art galleries and museums were not places I had the good fortune of spending a great deal of time in as a child.  I missed out on seeing original paintings in my formative years.  During college though, I took what I thought would be a breeze easy-hours art history course.  It was neither a breeze nor was it an easy grade.  However, I was hooked.  By the time I graduated, I'd taken 5 different classes in art.  All were geared toward appreciating paintings that others created.  I've never desired to be a painter.  But I do enjoy and admire the creative genius in making a visual image from inside one's head come to life.

Paintings and Art Through the Years

People have been painting for a long time.  The discovery of the cave paintings in France underscore that capturing and retaining a visual image is not something we've come up with in the Modern era.  Without a doubt, Leonardo da Vinci's work, The Mona Lisa, is one of the most recognizable paintings on Earth.  Click on Wikipedia to learn more from their excellent article on painting.

Communicating Through Art

Sometimes paintings make us feel good.  Sometimes they make us think.  There are "dark" paintings -- and I'm not talking pigment or color.  It's really amazing to me all the various subjects artists choose to paint.  I've seen a painting of a field of flowers, a single flower, and even a single petal of a flower.  I'm looking at an amazing landscape painting right now called "Cane Fire" from Upcountry Maui by one of my favorite artists, Curtis Wilson Cost.

Some people like abstracts and electric colors art.  Others are captured by black and white.  People and poses and predicaments are riveting to still more.  Controversial people painted in the history of art:  Hitler.  Today, an elephant painting has captured over 5,000,000 YouTube views [that video is below for your viewing pleasure and some fun ].  Talk about amazing!

It's not too late to start learning about and collecting paintings.  You can visit many art galleries and museums for little or a nominal fee.  I enjoy the places paintings take me.  While I'm not looking for a substitute for travel and adventure, I do value how some artists creations stir my spirit and imagination.  That's what I'm talking about when I say I enjoy where they take me. Simply the art of art. =)

3rd day Amazing Original Elephant Painting(39" x 59") Art by Elephant Artist