Observing Creativity

Last week, my Christianity and Imagination class went on a trip into Winnipeg to observe the architecture of the Saint Mary’s Cathedral, as well as the art within the Winnipeg Art Gallery. I love art and creativity, but in a family that doesn’t share the same passion, I never really get the opportunities to go on trips like this. So, I was looking forward to this class, and it did not disappoint, especially visiting the art gallery, which I will outline some of highlights from!

First off, I’d like to share a quote that I found with you. It is from author Chuck Klosterman, who says that ““Art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.” I found this to be incredibly true as I walked throughout the exhibits and observed the various paintings, photographs, statues, and other art forms. I felt like in every piece I looked at, I consistently tried to relate my own experiences to them. This often brought out a variety of emotions and feelings, some good, and some difficult, but I always made them personal to me. It is kind of like how we say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I think it is our tendency to try to understand art or life in general through our own lenses and experiences. 

 

One piece that really captivated me was the one shown in the picture I have included in this blog. I spent a long time staring at this painting, as the whole piece grabbed my attention, especially the eyes. It seemed to me that the eyes were for both the wolf and the person inside it. As I observed the various paint strokes and shapes, and to me it symbolized a lot. I saw the struggle to grasp with the darkness inside each of us. I saw the black of the wolf and the bones of the human,and understood the battle that each of us faces to overcome the loneliness and sadness we have all come face to face with. The holes as the eyes screamed out to me the emptiness the person in the painting might be feeling. Yet there is color, which to me provides at least a glimpse of hope. 

Now the beautiful thing about this is that when I showed my boyfriend this painting, he had a completely different outlook on it. He did not think the eyes were even meant for both the human and the wolf, but rather belonged just to the human. I absolutely love that one piece of art is seen differently through each person’s eyes, revealing our own different and unique experiences.

Another joy I had walking through the gallery was the inspiration it gave me. Seeing so many different styles and mediums reignited the passion I have to create. I believe each one of us has this desire to make things, each in our own personal way of course. But, coming from our heavenly Father and made in His image, I wonder if we all carry a piece of creative genes in us, stemming out from the Creator Himself….

Anyway, I love art, and I love that there are so many people blessed with the creativity to make the pieces I observed, and I am thankful that they had the vulnerability to share them with the world.