Edy-What is Art?

People often define art based on meaningful subjects, innovative techniques, abstract symbolism, visual delight through space and light, and historical style that represents the value of the time. For me, however, art is nothing unless it can resonate with my feelings and leave emotional echoes in me, even though it may have all the elements above to make it a masterpiece. I think personal interpretation of an aesthetic piece matters more than anything else—the spiritual dimension should be empathetic with the form of self-expression and communication that the artist creates.

To put it into a more concrete way: I consider this photo “the Afghan girls” taken by my best friend Matt Reichel as a brilliant piece of art. Not only because it has the feel of an oil painting and contains perfectly contrasted rich color, but also because it is a powerful shot that tells me a story behind these stunning yet desperate eyes. This shot depicts the hardships of Afghanistan through the eyes of two young girls. It has a curious nature, yet also is extremely serious and in many ways devoid of strong reflective emotion that one may expect to see in such photographs. The colors add to the emotions projected by this photo, the lightness of the mud house contracted with the dark hearth and red Wakhi clothing.

Another piece of art I love is Van Gogh’s Starry Nights. I was attracted to this painting at age 5, and have been admiring it ever since. I read Vincent’s tragic stories, listened to Don McLean’s “Starry, Starry Night”, and tried to feel his pain and see the world through his eyes. Being inspired so many times by his paintings, stories, and even Theo’s infinite support, I burst into tears when I finally stood in front of the original piece at the MOMA when I was 18. It was tear of sheer appreciation of art itself. I’d never been so emotionally attached to any publicly-recognized masterpiece before. I spent a long time just enjoying looking at my favorite painting, and feeling every single brushstroke Van Gogh created 121 years ago. That was my moment of appreciating what I call something art.