Window shopping.....for a window to look at life through....

In the midst of a heatwave from which there seemed to be no escape,

it suddenly dawned on me:  what if I painted a window;

a window through which I could see a frozen lake,

 a snow covered landscape, a crisp blue sky,

and birds in flight seeking warmth?

 With drops of sweat trickling down my neck, arms, and legs,

brush stroke by brush stroke, my window emerged.

The canvas was the size of a real window, so when I hang it up on the wall

I suddenly had a window into another "reality".

Is this what art potentially is? I thought. Does art offer a window into other "realities"?

How does art affect human beings?

According to a number of scientists, the arts can help us deal with stress,

anxiety, and it can improve our over-all sense of well being. 

Dr. Daniel Levitin, McGill University Montreal, suggests that music has the potential to activate the

same areas of the brain that are activated by opium, chocolate and orgasm. (Although at different levels of strength) Interestingly, people suffering with Alzheimer's may not remember their own family members, yet they can still sing (or play) songs of their youth. Music, exists in every culture

and it facilitates many functions. Music= a window? Sacred music= a window to a spiritual dimension, relaxation music= a window to a mindful stillness, dance music= a window to a sense of physical freedom, etc..

According to Megan Robb, an art therapist at NIH's Clinical Centre, traumatic memories are stored in the brain as images not words, and if she is correct, then drawing and painting them offer us a window to accessing experiences words cannot, although as we paint/draw these experiences we often formulate words to describe them. Painting/drawing we can also create a window into an imagined or remembered thing of beauty, or if we don't paint or draw ourselves, we can enjoy other peoples "windows".

There are many different art forms and may I suggest that they all offer their own "windows" through which we can view our own and others existence. Perhaps art can be defined as: an outer expression of an inner experience, and artists: people who transform/shape inner experiences to outer expressions?

"We need new ideas, we need new ways of doing things and we need a whole new way of approaching each other with much more empathy and understanding. This means that the rest of society really needs to focus on the world of art and culture as a vital source for not only solutions, but also ways of finding solutions… and a whole knew concept of what a valuable life really means."  (Uffe Elbaek, former Danish Minister of Culture)

 

"I went window shopping today... I bought four windows." (Tommy Cooper, British comedian)

 

If you were to paint a window, what would you see through it?