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02/23/2005: "Art Is Inspiration" by Michael Corbin
Sitting here in my den looking out the window. What I'm seeing is inspiring me to write what you're reading.
The scene is wondrous. Snow is hugging the ground, dancing on tree limbs and floating elegantly through the air on a downward slope. It's a winter inspiration of white.
Isn't nature great? Whether it's winter, spring, summer or fall, it speaks to us. Certainly, nature is one of the things that motivates artists to create great works. Yet, I think it's also what inspires collectors.
Webster's Dictionary defines inspiration as, "a sudden urge to write poems, compose music, etc. A sudden good idea."
Just think. Everything that exists is really the result of inspiration. A novel, a symphony, the Mona Lisa, a baby, an automobile! It all comes from that creative energy that flows around us and through us, sometimes easily, other times, more difficult. It's always there. We just have to look, be open and not judge.
I think inspiration is what causes me to want to buy a painting. It's not about whether it's good or bad. It's about feeling a connection with the piece. A sudden urge to possess it. For me, visting a museum, art gallery or art website is a marraige of bliss and torture. I want practically everything I see. I think that art galleries are really orphanages. Art waiting for someone to adopt it and bring it to a loving home. Also, it doesn't matter if I'm in a gallery alone or with lots of people. Looking at art is ultimately a solitary experience. An emotional, intellectual and spiritual communion with the piece. A fleeting relationship that was nonetheless, destiny.
Here's the real irony. Whatever inspired an artist to paint may not be what inspired me to buy the piece. It's kind of strange. We all bring our own perceptions and experiences along when we view art. The artist paints and sees one thing, I see another and you see yet another.
And you know what? That's fine! It's called inspiration and it comes in many different forms. Besides, if we all saw the same thing all the time, how un-inspiring would that be?
My inspiration may be a winter wonderland. Yours may be a summertime backyard barbecue.
Whatever the season, there's always a masterpiece just a brushstroke away from creation.
MICHAEL CORBIN IS A WRITER AND AVID ART COLLECTOR
