Visual Representations of the Surrounding Culture - Essay Example

of the Visual Arts and Film Studies of the Concerned 12 August Final Reflection There is no denying the fact that this class had a deep and emphatic impact on the way I perceive the world and the way I visualize things and phenomena. Indeed, attending this class was a life changing phenomenon. This class facilitated me with multiple tools and ways of looking at things that introduced a degree of versatility and variety in my approach towards analyzing and interpreting things. Indeed, this class had a marked impact on my personal psychology and my attitudes towards art and society. As while attending this class, I was literally flushed with images and visual representations of the surrounding culture, this class really redefined and reshaped the visual literacy I possess. It endowed me with the ability to interpret the physicality of things and brought me to the realization that a work of art not only happens to be a conveyor of information in a wide variety of manners, but also helped me understand the fact that a visual approach towards things imbues the consciousness with multiple meanings that are hitherto oblivious to the human perception (Leppert 178). It also helped me get a hold over the varied nuances associated with the mediums that are used to contrive art. The impact of this class had been so intense that now when I approach a work of art, I am not only enamored by the physicality of it, but have also discovered that my art appreciation abilities have been immensely enhanced by attending this class (Davies 156). Now I have come to respect the raw power inherent in the works of art and their capacity and ability to facilitate a complex physical and sensual experience. The onus of drafting discussion board posts on a regular basis matured and refined my capacity to analyze and criticize the works of art. This class has bolstered my visual literacy in the sense that it has enhanced my capacity to think and furthered my talent for creating and communicating graphically. I must acknowledge that hitherto my attitude towards art was not that mature and well contrived. My basic understanding of the role of art in life was limited and constrained. In that aspect this class has expanded my overall vision towards art. It has helped me understand that art not only stands to be an all embracing notion, but it has also played a pivotal and important role in the advancement of the mankind (Bennett 92). I have come to know that art tends to have multiple functions and that it is literally impossible to overestimate the relevance of art in life. Art has and will continue to play an important role in the enhancement of human consciousness (Bennett 92). Art not only helps an individual make a sense of the world surrounding one, but also much helps answering eternal questions pertaining to the nature of beauty and love. I have realized that not only the language of art happens to be universal, but art also pivotally helps in shaping the human notions of harmony and beauty. Art stands to be utterly important in the sense that it helps in linking human lives, ideals, values and interests. It goes without saying that commensurate with the refining of my innate capacity for art appreciation and my enhanced respect for the visual phenomenon, I experienced many breakthrough moments. I experienced many moments when I simply stood back and experienced many new things in the works of art that were hitherto familiar to me (Carroll 151). For instance only a few decades back I was looking at the black and white photographs by Ansel Adams. Earlier I looked at these photographs as just being merely black and white pictures. However, courtesy this class, when I look at these photographs now I am not only able to decipher the meanings hidden in the dark and light variations, but I am also able to appreciate the varied interplay of tones and texture contrived at by the artist in these pictures. Thereby now I have more of ‘wow’ moments when I look at a work of art. My approach towards art appreciation has somewhat matured and many a times now when I look at a work of art I have moments marked by a cerebral tingling, a rush of intensity and a feeling of being enamored by something quiet powerful. I am quite confident to say that the exposure to art and the knowledge regarding the nuances associated with varied art mediums to a large extent bolstered my world citizen credentials. The active engagement with varied art forms that I experienced in this class helped me get an idea of the least common denominator that marked the world of art and the commonality inherent in human emotions, aspirations and yearnings throughout the world (Nussbaum 95). Certainly, in that context, this class enhanced my cultural literacy. It immensely helped me cultivate such values as a human being that made me appreciated the art and art forms originating from diverse cultures, ethnicities, and nations. When it comes to appreciating the art contrived throughout the world, this class helped me grasp the rudiments marking the realm of art around the world, and allowed me to engage in a rich and thorough appreciation for the works of art originating from around the world, without being marred or hassled by predominant stereotypes (Nussbaum 95). This class facilitated much understanding of the major visual art traditions emanating from around the world, and helped me understand the role of art in the context of specific cultures, traditions and nations. It helped me envisage oneself as an inhabitant of a heterogeneous world. Hence, it would certainly not be an exaggeration to say that this class in a way altered and redefined my entire personality and the way I perceived things in general and the works of art in particular. This class imbued me with much visual literacy and helped me understand the larger role that art played in human affairs. Not to mention that the exposure to salient art traditions emanating from around the world indeed broadened my world view and perceptive and enhanced my talent for art appreciation. Works Cited Bennett, Tony. Pasts Beyond Memory. London: Routledge, 2004. Print. Carroll, Noel. Philosophy of Art. London: Routledge, 2008. Print. Davies, Stephen. Definitions of Art. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2002. Print. Leppert, Richard D. Art and the Committed Eye. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2002. Print. Nussbaum, Martha C. Cultivating Humanity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997. Print. Read More