John Clark and Sula Chance are two artist who have let the soft
white sand, endless blue waves and the vibrant flowers of Caribbean
landscapes inspire many of their stunning paintings. All they wanted
to do was capture the beauty of the Caribbean in colors and shapes,
nothing more. Of course, with flamboyant islands as your inspiration
and blank canvas and bright paint as your resources, who needs an in
depth analysis of the meaning behind the shapes and colors?
Chance’s and Clarks stunning pieces simply represent Caribbean
landscapes, but analyze hard enough and you could even find a
connection between these paintings and the first world war. That is
just the thing with abstract art, you can see just about anything in it. Of
course, interpreting art is one of the many joys in life and you should
not completely stop searching for meaning entirely. But don’t do it
because you think that every piece of art has to possess some hidden
purpose before you can enjoy it as art. Let the object speak for itself
sometimes, and if it doesn’t immediately convey a hidden meaning,
simply enjoy it for its other qualities. Make your brain stop overthinking
everything for just a minute and let your senses do the talking.
Are you entirely sure your first world war theory is correct? By all
means, tell all your friends, write an essay about it. Let your creativity
go wild and find even more important life events this painting might
represent. But even then, in the midst of all that theorizing, stop to
experience the delicate ways in which the colors seem to counteract
and cooperate at the same time. See, feel, and smell what’s in front of
you. Let every one of your senses join in on the party. This way we can
learn to really appreciate these amazing paintings and the gorgeous
Caribbean they represent. But we don’t have to limit this way of
looking to art. In the same way we can learn to look around, and truly
experience the visual glory of the world we see every day.