Introduction
Art refers to the various activities that man engages in and the resultant outcomes of those human activities. Art is a connection between the theoretical and the real world; in other words, a person uses art in order to express what is on his mind. Art is an important medium of communication because it can be used to express what cannot exhaustively be explained using words. The world would be unbearable and boring if there were no art. Art adds to the beauty of this world.
Freedom is an essential quality in life and without it, life would be unbearable. Freedom refers to the capacity or ability to do various things without being reproached. Freedom is a fundamental right that is enshrined in the constitution. Different States have different kinds of freedom but there are some common ones that cut across. One of such freedom is the freedom of expression. It is necessary not to take for granted freedom of expression because one never realizes the value of a thing until when it is gone. It is extremely crucial for one to know the value of art in the human lives in order to appreciate what important role freedom plays in the expression of art. Art is often equated to a universal language understandable by all mankind (Benedetto Croce, 22). Unlike language that one needs to have a good comprehension in order to get the message, art can be understood be people of different languages as long as they can perceive the images. Art is understood by all regardless of differences in culture, education, political, economic or social backgrounds. Art is an essential tool as it provides an opportunity for self-expression. A person can bring out what is inside his mind and make a reality.
The quote “Without freedom, no art; art only lives on the restraints it imposes on itself, and dies of all others” by Albert Camus in simple terms means that the art cannot exist in a place where there are many restrictions. Art will flourish in an environment where one is free to express himself without any restrictions whatsoever. Art is a product of human activities and as such, its production relies so much on the artist's both physical and mental state. When the state of mind of the doer is disturbed in a manner; it will result in poor production of the art or otherwise no production of the art at all. Physical conditions in which one is experiencing have the same impact on the making of art; thus, it is observed the making of art is dependent on the conditions in the artist is exposed to (Carl Jung, 33). An artist who is living in an environment there are lots of restrictions will end up expressing little or nothing altogether. The restrictions could be legal, economic, political or social; whichever the cause of the restrictions the impact on the making of art is the same. It kills the spirit of the artist in the making of the art; therefore, it is necessary for an artist to be left free in order to fully express himself.
An art will survive on the restrains it inflicts on itself. The restraints in this context refer to those parameters that an artist can change over time. An example of this restraint is talent; different artist does possess different capabilities and experience; this is improved as one become more experienced. An artist will perform according to the restraints of his experience and capability but has a chance to develop as time goes by (Richard Wollheim, 40); this is possible because the artist will device new improved ways of executing his work. It can be explained clearly by the proverb “Practice makes perfect." When an artist does the same job repeatedly over time, he will have a better understanding of the process and may end up optimizing on the process variables in order to obtain a better yield; in doing so he will have expanded his own limits. It is seen that art will exist when the restraints in question are self-imposed because the situation can be changed over time. A simple example to illustrate the quote is as follows: if a State does illegalize the performance of a set art, it will die a natural death in that State because artist will be fear breaking the law. On the other hand, if a particular artist is not capable of performing a particular action or is weak, he can be taught and may end up being the best in the same performance.
In conclusion, art is an essential human activity. It can be used relay information to all mankind, provides an opportunity for self-expression, and improves academic achievement as well as providing means in which every student can learn. It has been proven that when external restriction is imposed on the artist then their work will be impaired and hence no art making; on the other hand when the restraints are self-inflict then art will exist as the artist finds ways to overcome them with time. The quote mentioned above is, therefore, relevant in life situation and it is true to the later of its words.
Work Cited
Richard Wollheim, Art and its Object: An introduction to aesthetics. New York: Harper & Row, 1968.
Benedetto Croce. Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic, 2002.
Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols. London: Pan Books, 1978.
