insideKENT Magazine Issue 62 - May 2017 | Page 33

Arts THE ISSUE 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, ART ENRICHES OUR LIVES – AND OURSELVES – 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.” And he was right. For the artist, it is a way of putting a little of themselves out into the world, and of having something of themselves out there that will – hopefully – last long after they have gone. And for the art enthusiast, the collector, the one who finds enjoyment in simply looking or 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 itself is a kind of magic – just for us. Where would we be without art in our lives? We would be exactly where we are now, only a little more lost, a little more sad, and a little less human. Long live art! 33