ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
THE ARTS ISSUE
THE QUESTION ‘ WHAT IS ART ?’ CAN BE ANSWERED BY ONE SIMPLE ADJECTIVE : SUBJECTIVE . PAINTER AND PRINTMAKER , EDWARD HOPPER CLAIMED THAT IF HE COULD SAY WHAT ART WAS IN WORDS , THERE WOULD BE NO REASON TO PAINT IT ; SCULPTOR , RODIN THOUGHT THE MAIN ROLE OF ART WAS TO MOVE , TO LOVE , TO GIVE HOPE , TO TREMBLE , TO LIVE ; AND MODERN ARTIST PABLO PICASSO FAMOUSLY SAID : “ THERE IS NO ABSTRACT ART . YOU MUST ALWAYS START WITH SOMETHING . AFTERWARD , YOU CAN REMOVE ALL TRACES OF REALITY .”
Wonderfully inclusive in its function as an expression of human creative skill and imagination , art means something different to every one of us . One painting can have a thousand meanings . One sculpture can be looked at in a hundred different ways . One photograph can stir up feelings recaptured from a dozen memories .
Whatever the medium , be it painting , sculpture , pottery , music , the written word , or any one of the other many forms of artistic expression that humanity is so lucky to have created and explored , art enriches our lives – not to mention our mental and physical wellbeing – in infinite ways .
It is also a way for people to express themselves . As Oscar Wilde once said : “ Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known .” He was right . Art has been a part of humanity since the earliest times , since cavemen daubed on stone walls , and though it has evolved over many hundreds of thousands of years , it continues to strike a timeless chord . For the artist , it is a way of putting a little of themselves out into the world ; something that will last long after they have gone .
And for the art enthusiast , the collector , the one who finds enjoyment in simply looking , listening or feeling when it comes to art , it ’ s a way for them to understand that they are not alone . Other people like the same things . Other people understand the same things .
Other people feel the same way . So , as individual as art is , it is also a way for us to come together in a shared appreciation of what has been created from nothing , which is in itself a glorious kind of magic invoked just for us .
Where would we be without art in our lives ? We would be exactly where we are now , but probably a little more lost , certainly a little less open-minded , and definitely a little less human . From standout galleries to the art of food itself , read on to find out who , what and where is putting art and creativity on the Kent map , and prepare to begin your own artistic journey in our carefully curated annual issue dedicated to all things art in Kent .
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