At first consideration, it seems as though it is a simple question; Why do humans do art? Have you ever thought about this question? The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that the answer is hidden deeper and deeper, somewhere in the depths of the universe. Why does anyone do art? It surely cannot be to get attention, money or fame. That explanation would certainly fail to explain why cave paintings exist! Speaking of cave paintings, have you noticed how these cave paintings are not geographically restricted? Prehistoric humans from all over the globe have shown to have resorted to cave paintings. So, the answer to our question, why do humans do art, must lie at a global level and not in an isolated cave in some remote Mexican ruins.
The history of art is as old as the history of humans. Arguably, it is older. The male member of any animal species must decorate itself with bright colors and grand machoism to attract better looking females. This is the art of mating, the art of seduction and it surely goes beyond humans themselves. When my long lost monkey of an ancestors mated, that was poetry in motion. When certain tropical birds decorate their branches (with bright flowers!) to attract mates, isn’t that art? So, do we actually let the question transcend beyond humans? Does the question change itself; why do living beings do art? I started by asking myself, why do I like doing art? Then I found myself asking, why do humans do art? And here I am now, answerless, questioning why life does art.
I went through the usual routes. I asked myself, what motivates me to do art? Then weirdly, my mind asked me, what is art? Hence, I had to first seek answer to this imposture of a question, what exactly is art? Can anything and everything be art? The art of cooking, the art of writing, the art of computer programming? The art of a heartbeat!
Following this line of questioning, I pretty much hit a dead end very soon. It was like asking the question, why do humans need pets? For comfort? For superiority? I have a pet, I love him and I do not know definitively, why I need a pet. But, I do feel I need one to keep me silent company and I guess I should be content with that answer.
So, I tried to find answers which could satisfy me temporarily or in half measure. I satisfied myself with the notion that art is the expression of creativity. And creativity, the way I defined it, is the unique voice of the artist. I guess that is pretty much self explanatory. Lastly, I added the term ‘obsessive’. Now, I am content with the definition I made up, art is the obsessive expression of creativity. I added the term obsessive based on my own personal experience with writing. I write obsessively. The only reason I am writing this is because I felt the obsessive need to, and also because of the lack of another topic to write about! So, we have come one step closer. We know now, that art is the obsessive expression of creativity (the way I define it at least). And creativity is the voice of the artist. Assuming that we are satisfied with that, we may begin to fit a partial solution to the grand question, why do humans do art? After careful consideration, here is what my mind came up with.
As I grow up, there is a palpable feeling of the hopelessness of life which is increasing day by day. Everything I experience in the real world tells me that life is kind of pointless, that there is truly no meaning to this mess (at least that is what my mind makes of the mess!). I feel the growing feeling of loneliness inside me; that we are truly alone in this life. It is safe to say my mind believes, more and more surely with each passing day, that life is meaningless, that existential crisis is something very scary to deal with. Then, why am I still writing? Surely, my mind should have stopped feeling the obsessive need to write because what is the point of it all if there is no point at all? This is where I struck gold and received relieving deliberations from life.
Life might be hopeless. Life might be meaningless. Life might be lonely. But, it is the artist’s job to not succumb to this despair. It is the artist’s job to let the voice out into the real world; so that the artist, having let out the voice (and done art), feels much less lonely, much less hopeless and feels that life is much less meaningless! And this answer I can live with. So, why do humans do art? They do it because it is an antidote to the meaninglessness of life.
So, now we might know why humans drew obscure paintings in caves! And why humans scribble words on sheets of paper! Why humans code beautifully formatted computer programs. Surely, fitting this answer to the broader question of why all animals do art raises some perturbing questions. Does it mean, for example, that birds do art as a means to feel less lonely? I honestly don’t even want to go there. For now, I am happy with the three conclusions I have drawn:
- Creativity is the voice of the artist.
- Art is the obsessive expression of creativity.
- And finally, we do art because in some magical way, it makes us feel that life, against all available evidence, has some meaning to it.
The third point always manages to bedazzle me. It shows the power of art! Art can stand up and face death right in the eye, and win! Art is forever. Art is timeless. At the heart of art, lies surely the spirit of life.
