A Lesson in Art

I love art. The history behind it, the techniques, the way certain pieces can evoke powerful emotions, the diverse styles--I love it all. I love the burst of inspiration that hits in the middle of the night, the way a brush feels as it scratches along the canvas, and the smell of oil and turpentine. When I'm creating something, the world slows down, and everything comes together to make sense. My thoughts become ordered, my emotions become streamlined, and all that matters is what I'm creating. I've recently figured out that it doesn't matter how my work turns out in the end. What matters most is the process of creating. It's the process, and not the final outcome, that creates order in my chaotic universe. 

According to art historians, "artwork" did not come about until around 30,000 BC. Some of the earliest paintings and sculptures come from Africa, during the Paleolithic era. From that point on, art evolved from rudimentary carvings and cave paintings to the art of Ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantium, the Far East, and Medieval art. Cathedrals, altars, life-like statues from Michelangelo and Donatello, incredible architectural facades from Bramante, Alberti, and Bernini, realistic and intensely emotional paintings by David, Delacroix, and Goya. Classicism, Neoclassicism, Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Modernism, Expressionism, Postmodernism, Neo-Expressionism---the list goes on and on. 

Art has been a part of this world from humankind's humble beginnings, and that's not an accident. The urge of mankind to recreate the world around him, to express himself using a medium other than language, is a reflection of our previous life, and a foreshadowing of our life to come. Our Father is a creator who installed within each of us the ability to create. He created this life for us, that we may learn, grow, and experience happiness. If we make it through this life and are able to return to our Heavenly Father, we will have the opportunity to create worlds of our own. Creation is happiness. 

President Uchtdorf explained this so much better than I ever could. He said, "Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty..... We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. ⁴ Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things."

Our opportunity to create is now. We have to put aside the fears of imperfection and failure, and just do what we do best: create!
I'm always looking for inspiration when it comes to art. Today I found an awesome site that has a lot of crazy art prints. Here are some of the cooler prints. Enjoy!

This one is my favorite!!