The Magic and Mystique of Art as Portrayed by Pierro and Peacock - Book Report/Review Example

ART: A SUBLIME AND MYSTIQUE SOURCE OF POWER Introduction On more than one occasion, I have seen an audience moved to tears by a performance of drama, poetry recital or song. In museums, a viewer may stand entranced for hours by a sculpture or painting, so lost in the work he/she sees that they are practically in a universe of their own. In ancient times, painters, sculptures and musicians were given the same reverence as were magicians, which was not entirely misplaced because in so many ways art reaches beyond the mundane into the filed of the extraordinary. Art, in any form, has the power to bestow upon us deep insight, to open our eyes so that the world gains a new and intriguing perspective, to draw us to a halt and throws us into deep meditation. In the essays 'Passion Blooms in Winter' by Molly Peacock and 'Fathead's Hard Times' by Pierro Albino, the two writers examine how art, albeit in different forms can not only be the avenue through which human suffering is alleviated, but also be a source for the rejuvenation of hope. It shall be examined what this unique essence of art is that remains incomprehensive to and often defies the stated laws of science. What is this intangible and elusive attribute of art that is so mesmerizing that repeatedly draws the artist to his work and the audience to examine or listen' The magic and mystique of art as portrayed by Pierro and Peacock In Molly peacock's 'Passion Flowers in Winter', the story is told of the late 18th century artist Mary Delaney of whose life she draws several parallels to her own. The unique thing about Delaney is that it was not until she was seventy-three years old, that she took up the art of making collages. Delaney's work is so detailed that it becomes hard to distinguish the artificial flower from the real. Peacock looks up to Delaney as a role model, noting that life is a constant made up of change, and with change, we need a figure or figures who will be the lighthouse to guide the vessels of our lives through the stormy seas of existence. Peacock's two role models are her mother, and Mary Delaney, whose lives had features in common with her own and with each other. Delaney was forced by circumstances to marry an alcoholic at the tender age of sixteen, a man much older than herself with whom she lived with for ten dreary years. Molly's mother was also married to an alcoholic, a situation that threw her into depression for nearly two decades. Peacock examines the reaction of Delaney and her mother to their similar circumstances. Why she identifies with Delaney is because they both have lived through the experience of putting up with the tyranny of the alcoholic. She concludes that the redeeming element for Delaney was her devotion late in life to her artwork while her mother's life cannot be written down as anything spectacular. Art can provide an escape from one's torrid surroundings and be a channel to pre-occupy oneself with other more fulfilling and beneficial activities. It does away with the humdrum actions of every day existence and pressures of life. In Delaney's case, her artwork lifted her above her sordid past and provided more than a refuge from bitter memories, thus instead of shriveling into herself, she defied living within a limited box and instead blossomed to become an outstanding artist (Wallace 2008, p 179). The title chosen for Peacock's essay 'Passion Flowers in Winter' reflects profoundly on another important aspect of what art is. Mary Delaney, at seventy-three years of age was considered as someone who had lived out her life; she was in her twilight years and was, as the saying goes not expected to 'learn new tricks'. However, in the 'winter' of her old age she managed to create beautiful and delicate mosaic designs. Peacock illustrates that at times art flourishes in the harshest of environments and beauty springs like an oasis in a barren landscape. The art that is the focus of Pierro's essay is that of music. He weaves music into the fabric of his story, demonstrating how music holds different meanings to the different characters that he writes about. Whether it be in the sad-sweet lyrics of Billy Holiday, or the tremulous opera, the music that the characters in the narrator's neighborhood is of enormous sentimental value to them. Pierro's narrator refers to America as the musical melting pot. Over the radio, he gets to listen to varying genres of music, from Billy holiday, Frank Sinatra, Bennett and Elvis Presley; he gets so engrossed in the music that he falls asleep right there beside the radio. We can use art to create harmony. Art can give us a clearer understanding of our worlds and the people around us. Art transcends hate, bias and prejudice as quiets the base beast in us. It links us with the spiritual, bringing to us a constant and ever more dazzling revelation of the god of beauty, who is without dogma or rites, but is the pathway to a total human understanding. Pierro's narrator illustrates to us the changes that have come with the appreciation of music over the years. When the narrator was a boy, there was bias shown towards music from his native country, and racial discrimination was experienced. The narrator refers to the Sicilian boy who was victimized for dancing with a white girl because he was mistaken for black. The irony, the narrator points out, is that at that period in time there was a profound like for the rending melodies of African Americans such as, Berry Gordy's Motown Records 62 and Della Reese 63 proving that music cannot be discriminated against merely because of its source. It can be used to bring people together. People of all races and cultures have their own art forms and beauty is beauty. Beautiful art does not come with the label 'black', 'white' or 'Jewish'. People never think of art in these terms and even when they do, if their aesthetic sense is attracted to this work of art, it will override any sense of prejudice. Art can give a cross-cultural appreciation, in that while we generally human beings tend to stay within our own 'safe' environments and are hostile towards anything foreign, art brings us out of our shelves. It is an avenue t hat can be used to brood understanding of people who may not be of our race, creed or color without creating tension. Music, Pierro tell us, can act as the tonic for both physical and emotional pain. The narrator in his essay describes how he overhears his next-door neighbor listens to her twelve-year daughter practicing for their local church choir. The mother has a clearer grasp of the harsh reality of her daughter's future, but as she watches her sing, she can push the fear to the back of her mind and get solace that for the present, her child is happy. Music can also be the channel through which one deals with day-to-day realities. Pierro says that it was only through music that he could cope with the pain he suffered from chronic Ankylosing Spindylitis. Art brings people together as the narrator in Pierro's 'Fathead's Hard Times' illustrates. From strangers just meeting on a street and striking a conversation about a song that they both like and overhear playing on some unseen stereo, to members of a family who tend to have similar tastes in music, it creates a sense of camaraderie. Pierro sees music as a tool that can be at in cross-cultural communication because music does not discriminate. Art creates a cross-cultural culture. People worldwide know Elvis Presley, discounting where they are from or what religious beliefs they have. The narrator in 'Fathead's Hard Times' talks about his German neighbors who have an appreciation for Austrian opera, declaring that it makes them 'feel at home'. The narrator refers to his neighborhood as a melting pot, not really because of the different races that commune there, but more on the grounds of musical taste. Despite the fact that these people can be differentiated along the lines of their tastes in music, this are not differences that breed adversity or hostility. They are differences that have ample room to accommodate all styles and types, and these differences are unified on the common ground of they all being lovers of music. Art can transform the individual singularly as we see with the way it brings about great change to Mary Delaney's life, or it can manifest itself in the lives of many, ordinary people whose names may never be recorded in the annals of history. For every individual, art plays a significant role. Art inspires, lifts up the spirits, awes, motivates, calms and reassures. Conclusion It is often remarked that at times art imitates life. However, the two are inseparable because people are the art they make and this art defines them. Man cannot exist without his art. Art is the pure, distilled part of the soul that portrays humanity at its best. Art can be the source of new beginnings, the path by which we overcome past pains and grief as Peacock's character Mary Delaney does. Art has the unique ability to restore hope and faith in life. Music, with its rhythm and melodies, grants a universal language that though it may be wordless is language that is understood by all. Music captures feelings and sentiments that are too abstract for words. It can provide the platform from which one gets incite into other diverse cultures. Music can relieve our suffering, be it physical, psychological or emotional. The beauty of music soothes away sorrows and worries, unburdening us of the constant turmoil that is natural to the human state. It lures us away from our pathos, sets us free from the clutch of gloom. Peacock illustrates to us that art is as important to the viewer as to t he person ho creates it. For her character Mary Delaney, it is her redeeming quality after having lived in constant fear in the shadow of her husband's foul unpredictable moods and ill treatment. Her art is the vessel by which she finally recreates herself. Man cannot be divorced from his art because he is an aesthetic being. It has lived on through the times, right from the Stone Age and furnishes us with a sense of history and roots. Art is the source of culture. To be an artist is to grasp for immortality for like those artists mentioned by Pierro and Peacock, one's name is passed down through the ages and remains indelible through the times. Bibliography Pasztory E. Thinking With Things: Towards a New Vision of Art. University of Texas Press, Texas, 2005. Wallace F D. The Best American Essays. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Florida, 2008. Read More