Thoughts on Art
When I was younger, I didn’t quite know how to appreciate art. Somehow the common notion was that anyone who could reproduce something exactly as the original was considered a good Artist. I used to try and do that and while I may not have been the best, I thought I was not bad either. It is only much later in life that I realized that when I reproduced something well, I was only mastering a skill; it had nothing to do with Art. It was just a technique, and I was just mimicking on paper what already existed. Real Art has to be original, and has to create the right Rasa, and it happens spontaneously. The idea of Rasa comes from the genius of our tradition, and there isn’t one single word in English that can capture its meaning completely. Either Rasa is created or it is not; there isn’t any middle ground. Next time you go to a museum, and are trying appreciate modern art, try this. Most people can appreciate a Vermeer or Rembrandt but often struggle to appreciate a Picasso, Vangog...