Art as Impact and Access to Art

 In class the other day, Dylan shared his personal perspective on art:

“Art is simply for art’s sake.”

True – one of the purposes of art is to be, well, artful. Much artwork out there is merely for aesthetic, visual value and doesn’t serve much else of a purpose. Where I disagree, though (and maybe because I’m a bit of an idealist) is that art has the potential to leave resounding impact – to start conversations, change minds, and transform identities. Lofty, I know…but it’s why I’m pursuing a career as a filmmaker. I believe the medium has potential to make a difference.

I visited the Modern Museum of Art in New York for the first time this past spring break. As I was wandering through the museum, I turned a corner and unknowingly stumbled upon my favorite piece of all time: “Starry Night” by Van Gough. I had studied the piece at length in my high school Humanities course, so beyond its striking beauty, I had developed a pretty strong emotional connection to the work. The best part was, I had no idea it was at the MoMA – so my discovery was a moment of true surprise.

As I stood in awe of the painting, I couldn’t believe the vast majority of people – all buried behind their phones and tablets – that merely took photos of the piece and quickly moved on to the next exhibit. They only ever experienced Van Gough’s handiwork through the lens of their technological devices. They seemed incapable of just enjoying the art…even for art’s sake.

A common narrative throughout this semester has been the effect of technology on contemporary society, and this truth holds up when considering how we experience art. Now more than ever before, we have access to any piece of art at a moment’s notice. A quick Google image search for “Starry Night” yields thousands of photos of the famous painting. Spotify and Pandora play any song whenever for free. And movies are now streamed directly to your computer, disregarding the necessity of the theater.

It’s this last point that really resonates with me: people don’t go to the movies anymore. A recent study from Business Insider shows that 61% of Americans don’t attend their local cinema, and services like Netflix and Hulu are revolutionizing the distribution industry by providing greater selections and lower costs.

I personally believe that – with access to art being easier today than ever before – we are largely eliminating the collective experience that art is supposed to provide. If art has the potential to drive and define culture, as I will always argue it does, how can it when we experience art alone? So much of art is meant to be experienced with others…yet so often technology is reducing its potential to bring people together.

Films, in particular, are uniquely designed to be experienced with other people. The concept of putting a group of strangers in a dark room and giving them a shared experience in the form of art is absolutely unique. My favorite film of the last few years is Terrence Malick’s Oscar-nominated art film “Tree of Life.” With its stunning visuals and powerful story, Malick deconstructs the family unit and compares it in scope and scale to the founding of our universe. If you aren’t familiar with the film, you can check out the trailer here:

Now imagine watching this film on its original 35 mm print with a roomful of peers in the beautiful and haunting Michigan Theater.

Now imagine watching this film on your iPhone at the bus stop waiting for the Commuter North.

Technology is impacting the way the view art, and not always for the best.