Choosing Meaningful Art
Over the summer I purchased a print from a small artist I found on etsy. All of her work was beautiful but one print in particular spoke to me more than the others. I had been going through a rough time and I was feeling profoundly lonely. Motherhood is never an easy path but at this time in my life it was downright exhausting and there were days I struggled to make it out of bed.
The title of the print is the Breakdown. The subject is a woman, her hands over her eyes. She could be crying or just tired, it’s hard to tell. The tones are a muted blue - even her hair and skin are shaded blue as though she’s in mourning. Behind her there’s a set of windows open to the midnight sky. A plate of cut up yellow fruit rests beside her, untouched.
We are left to wonder at the source of the subject’s pain and it is the mystery and ambiguity of this which invites us in. We see only part of the story - the viewer is left to interpret the rest. My own response and the set of emotions the artwork elicits in me, fill in the blanks. I see a woman carrying too much and breaking down under the weight of it all. She is me.
Like good music or a profound novel, a powerful piece of art allows us to acknowledge and respect our own internal emotional world without forcing its opinion on us. The story is there, we just need to look inside ourselves to see it and to make sense of it from our own perspective.
It goes without saying that what we find meaningful can change based on the circumstances in our life. When I was in my twenties and early thirties, I adorned the walls in my tiny apartment with old Vogue and Vanity Fair covers from the 20s and 30s. The lithe flappers from the art deco era reminded me of my life in the city and the girl I wanted to be. They were mysterious and maybe a little broken but always so elegant.
Although I still love their iconic elegance, I no longer feel an affinity for their beauty. As I’ve grown, the themes I seek out in art resonate more deeply with the person I am today. That’s not to say I don’t still appreciate these images. A beautiful piece will never stop being beautiful but it’s significance can change over time.
Therein lies the power of meaningful art - it has the ability to help you heal. I know one day I will look at the Breakdown and acknowledge that painful time has passed. I hope I can appreciate how this particular print, not yet hung but leaning against the wall of my office, helped me make sense of that time and brought me the wisdom to move on from it.