Collaboration of the Existence and Imagination - Essay Example

Lili Zhu Angela Frattarola International Writing Workshop Nov. 12 Second draft Collaboration of the Existence and Imagination “Our Father who art in heaven...” as Berger states the first line of his essay, he pictured out heaven with images that can not be converted to words. Yet, can be conveyed through art. Art is an expression of ones soul. It can be expressed in various ways and perceived quite differently as well. Various forms of art are seen hanging on the walls of museum,in the many ceilings of old churches, in the array of notes in a musical composition, in the curves of a statue, in the intricate and calculated lines of the architectural work, in the historical fast sketches in cave walls, or even on a black and white doodle in the lowliest paper canvass. Art is the giving of artists of what is inside of him, what he perceives, feel, believe, wish and more. Faith for one is expressed in the many forms of arts that surfaced through out history. A painting of Jesus such as “Sermon on the Mountain” by Carl Heinrich Bloch for example exudes worship from its spectators. Just the sight of the painting reminds an individual of the collaboration of the spirit of Jesus, their belief to His existence, with memory of the many anthems sang in Sunday churches and the natural pulsating of humans heart to the very idea of a God. A mere painting collaborated with humans response to it thereby proves its existence. The beauty of art is found everywhere. It is up to an individual how he perceives and appreciate it. While it is true that aesthetic beauty lies in the eyes of a beholder, visual representation brings the collaboration of art formed in many approaches: music,painting, stories, imagination and even science. John Bergers Step toward a Small Theory of the Visible analyzes the way every individual perceives things in the real world. In his examination or art in modern society, he claims that painting through visual contact with the model brings the most direct existence of the object. He points out the presence of disparity between the reality of the subject and the manner it is visually represented thereby questioning the artists paintings with the collaboration of the model through visual contact. He further adds “More directly than any other art, painting is an affirmation of the existent, of the physical world into which mankind has been thrown” (Berger 108). Thus, he reinstated the lack of collaboration and understanding of the model that contributed to the degradation of reality of the actual thing. As the many technological innovations twists and blocks the reality, reflected images are turned askew. There is distortion of the authenticity of the artwork and “this produces in the spectator, not, as claimed, a sense of freedom but a profound isolation”(107). Berger expresses quite clearly his anxiety concerning the lack of collaboration of the many art works existent today with the actual likeness of an object. As for me, I do believe that different kinds of collaborations such as hearing, touching, and even imagination play a vital role in the real existence of art. There are other collaborations that are happening in the daily events of our lives. For example, music reflects art in unique ways. A music composed of scientific pitch intervals, notes and pauses, is beyond the physical arrangement of tones. Instead, the heart of the composer binding every chord and melody, has magically collaborated his understanding of how to create music and partakes part f his soul. The feelings and emotions tagged along the notes is something that makes it fascinating. Contrary to Berger, Wilsons E.Os “The Bird of Paradise: The Hunter and the Poet” claims that the ultimate understanding of nature is the combination of both analytical and synthetic view. In his essay, he narrates his experience of coming into contact with nature while conducting a research project in the Huon peninsula of New Guinea and his exploration with the living organisms he encountered day by day. As a scientists, he views the surroundings as an “enchanted world of thousands of species of birds, frogs, insects, flowering plants and other organisms” through the understanding of “nerve impulse” and “chromosomes” (Wilson 460,461). He describes the beauty of the bird of paradise calling it as a “jewel” and “the most beautiful bird in the world” (460). Contrary to Bergers idea, he perceives the existence of an organism through aesthetic (appeal) and scientific (natural selection) way. Examining art with science sometimes gets us to a higher understanding as science deepens the appreciation of art through a more analytic way. Wilson points out to an individuals innate ability to appreciate nature and to view art with a perspective of seeing all that is beautiful in the world. With personal interpretation and added imagination, the actual skeletal form of an object can be perceived way beyond the form and elevate it further into an intellectual and spiritual level. Berger wants to perceive the actual lifeless form of the object, while Wilson ponders deeper considering various ways of interpreting art in nature. It is more amazing to ponder nature in this manner and it is invigorating to consider the various interpretation that the others have of any given piece of art whether in canvass or in music. In my daily life, this theory is best understood as I play the piano. A year ago, I fell in love with Chopin’s music and started to practice it. During the first few days of practicing, I focused mainly on the basic skills and closely followed the music paper, the accuracy of the notes, strength of the staccato, and the coordination of the two hands. However, while I paid attention to every flat and sharp marks, the slurs and the tuplets, the fortes and pianos, there was just something “je ne sais quoi” missing. I turned on the radio and listened to this masterpiece again and again with my eyes closed. All of the sudden, in the blink of an eye, I finally understood the sorrow in Chopin’s heart. Sitting in front of a wooden grand piano, I quietly daunted the vintage keys. In my imagination, it was a cloudy, gloomy autumn Sunday afternoon and everything looked so depressed. I could see Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin sitting in front of his desk, the brownish, kraurotic leaves falling down on the ground; sparrows mournful crying for the passing summer; ragged tramps leaning against a gray wall, looking for cigarette thrown by passengers. He sometimes frowns, sometimes closes his eyes, and sometimes smiles, and his mind becomes filled with chords and scales. In his hands, the pencil is softly dancing on the paper along with the music in his head, and its footprints form the most gorgeous melody. I could hear my deceased grandfather telling me my favorite story. I could see my grandmother waving her hand at my old house with her gracious smell. I could see… all the images just rushed in my mind and brought me into the melody. In that moment, I finally perceived the essence of piano, music, or any kind of art: To bring your imagination and personal interpretation of art into the object, combine the solid, scientific, and touchable model, or melody, with the imaginative, perceptual, and creative thought. Psychologist Diana Blom explains the role of collaboration with other form of arts and technologies in the incorporation with music through an experimental study. She states that “within several styles of collaboration, learning occurred through different types of communication – spoken dialogue (Literature), musical (theater) and movement dialogue (dance and drama )” (728). In this study, students are grouped randomly with different majors and talents including drama, dance, music, and film, allowing them to communicate and share ideas while doing art-related group exercise. The experiment resulted positively as the students are benefited with the collaboration of various fields of studies. The outcomes produced are “explicit”, “dramatic”, and “allowing movement to a new level of development”, and “textural sound ideas abd theme and story” were all brought into music (Blom 731). As quoted from the report, “several felt the collaborative project offered theater and dance student the opportunity to expand and cross boundaries indicating how imaginative thinking can lead to discovery of ones art” (734). After building connection between all forms of art, persona; “energy”, “attention”, and “imagination” help “understand and concentrate” the existing knowledge, further strengthening the ability to appreciate and perform musical art (732). Further, she states that technologies such as “film, videos, and electronic games make the world interconnected and interdependent when “working collaboratively”, “offering opportunities for the individual to share his/her creative identity and develop creative growth”(735). As revealed, Dianas study is a contradiction to that of Bergers idea that all forms of arts are the affirmation of existent, instead inter-collaboration between arts and technologies proves to give better results. Music uses chords and tones to claim its existence and that the aspects involve must go to the level of collaboration between science (the analytical, theoretical music paper), art, personal interpretation and imagination. In short, the analytic and synthetic aspects must be acknowledged. A musical performance must not just be a mere form of entertainment but also a symbolic thought of progression. The reason why one may sometimes take much of their time playing piano with no positive progress is due to the lack of clear understanding of the nature of the art that is constantly evolving. The playing of the piano should serve as an inspirational idea to the minds of the targeted audience. As a form musical art, piano should serve as an adequate presentation of ideas that will, to some extent, allow deep and unspoken conversation between the composer, player and the audience. As a result, this internal soundless conversation would lead to an unspeakable appreciation and understanding that cuts beyond the simple music played by artists. As what I have gathered from the written works of Berger and Wilson, I should say that I have learned a lot from them. Art, irregardless of its cultural background, is a way of expression that is always existent collaborated with media and technique. It is sublimated into a more sacred stage with its coexistence with other arts intertwined with personal interpretation and individual imagination. Understanding art and its relationship with nature and the source by which it is created thrives on the idea of the existence of other fields that contributes to its existence at a certain point in history. Works Cited Berger, John. “Steps Toward a Small Theory of the Visible.” Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay. Ed. Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II. Boston: Thomson, 2008. 106-10. Print. Wilson, E. O. “The Bird of Paradise: The Hunter and the Poet” OCCASIONS FOR WRITING. Evidence, Idea, Essay. Ed. DiYanni, Robert and Pat, Hoy. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2008. 459-461. Print. Blom, Diana. "Psychology of Music." Psychology of Music. vol. 40 no. 6. (2012): 720-737. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. Read More