The art of art and torment

In this nation, right now, we suffer from many ills. The most dangerous is an obstinacy that can kill politically and, now, literally. We must remain diligent in our efforts to protect ourselves until our leadership agrees to do the right things.
Still, we manage to find moments to digress from the problems long enough to refresh, to take a breather once in a while. In fact, it’s the breather that allows us to continue to battle for all the right things, including our nation’s strength and independence. Last week, I had such an opportunity, when my daughter treated her sons and me to the amazing exhibit on the life of Vincent Van Gogh.
“Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” is quite incredible. Even if we ignore the technical dedication and invention or energy that delivers to us this amazing experience (because to call this a show would be artistic sacrilege), the work of this gifted yet tortured genius is enough to overwhelm even the most blasé browser.
We’ve likely seen photos on social media posted by our friends of their visit to this exposition, or printed ads, or commercials that bring us motion and color. Still, they can only be compared to having someone explain the scent of a rose instead of actually smelling one, or having someone describe the color of millions of tulips in a field instead of seeing them for ourselves.
Some days, I wonder how different this planet would be if mankind had never been introduced … if all life came and went organically, rising from the dirt and returning to it the same way. We’ll never know, but since mankind is here and making a grand mess of much, it’s wonderful that so many have dedicated, indeed sacrificed, themselves to beauty and wonder, most notably, the arts.
Chatterbox has discussed the arts before. We’ve talked about the art programs at schools and why they are such an important part of the curriculum. We’ve talked about dedication to one’s art, and the discipline, sacrifice, even pain endured to perfect one’s chosen craft. It’s likely, however, that we’ve never discussed the mental and emotional cost, which often accompanies the dedication of a life to an art form.

For me, never before has the life and work of any artist struck with such abandoned beauty and sting. Certainly, it’s emotional overload to be enveloped in the dark in what seemed like 50 feet of “The Starry Night” and “The Sunflower” series, softly accompanied by rounds of classical music and languid vocals. Still, enhanced by the virtual journey through his hometown, with inspirations for many of his pieces literally framed out along the way, the entire exhibit was nothing a dry eye could pass.
Above all, though, was the narrative. It offered the most passionate component of the exhibition. Throughout all facets of the display were the disarming and poignant words of the artist, immersing the audience in the soul of a person blindly and passionately dedicated to the delivering of beauty to the world, despite the commercial failure in his own time. It makes one wonder if the passion to continue such pursuit against all odds is something that other humans not only can’t hear, but can’t even understand. It’s a visit so deep within a soul that, sometimes, those chosen don’t understand it either.
Among the many quotes featured from his life journey, Van Gogh was noted as saying, “I put my heart and soul into my work, and I have lost my mind in the process.” We can only wonder what isolation and torment induces such a realization about one’s self. That is a calling that comes from a higher place, entrusted to – some might think inflicted upon – the selected few.
Vincent could never have believed that one day the work he couldn’t sell would loom hundreds of times its size against quiet walls, dazzling thousands to tears. The rest of us can only wonder what drives a passion against all common sense, and we must remain thankful to those who endure the doubt and difficulty, sometimes abandonment and isolation, to persevere, for their passion and on our behalf.
We can merely observe as dancers dedicate themselves to twisting music into motion, or as musicians give years to turning marks on paper into sounds of passion, fear, and joy, and as actors change written words into raw and believable emotions. We can only be mesmerized … even by colors on a page.

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