Shwetha Pangannaya's views on Art and its Purpose !

What is the purpose of art?

Before discerning what art is to me, I have some questions of my own. I will present them here and anyone may answer them.

1. What is the purpose of art? Should it express a society's aspirations? Or its achievements? Should an artist, through expressing them, serve his society? Cannot art become complete and perfect without satisfying the above purposes? If it cannot, should it be banished from the realm of art?

2. Should art have limits? Should an extraordinary art please the senses or just fulfill the artist's desires?

3. Why should people try to understand art? Or does art get a purpose only when we understand it?

I don't believe we need to understand art or pretend to do so. I don't even believe we need to discuss its kaleidoscopic realms. We just need to take it in, silently understand it. Because art is the only expression that is left behind when we wash off our 'intellectual mud.' Castes, religion, society... need intellect but they, at the same breath, banish intellect. However, it is not the case with art. It is like a newborn baby; the more you look at it, the more you fall in love with it. You even get to see its different facets each time you look at it.

- Shwetha Pangannaya
( Shwetha is a writer for " Star of Mysore " and " Vijaya Karnataka ", to follow her musings follow her on www.snippetthoughts.blogspot.com