As humans, we share a need to communicate with one another.
Even before language existed as we know it today, there were ways for us to share knowledge, spread warnings and tell our stories: we did so through art. Perhaps art doesn't consist of concise words or definitions, but it has always been a part of who we are.
Through the visual arts, we transform our individual experiences, making them tangible: we convey life's dangers, provide instructions for those who come next, we leave pieces of ourselves behind to tell the tale of the times we lived in. Using shapes, colors, symbols and textures, we create movement, life, light and emotion. We leave evidence of our human experience.
These traditions date back to cavemen, marking their groups encounters, important moments and struggles on rock formations. We've documented mythology, historic victories and defeats, plagues, developments in technology, the start of industrialism, and so much more, all through the visual arts.
Today, we manifest a broad spectrum of ideas about ourselves and our environs to share with the world: our innermost thoughts, parts of our identity. All we have to do is pick up a brush and reach out. In so doing, we take steps to bridge the chasm that allows us humans to feel seen and validated.
[Banner image: Replica of painting from Chauvet Cave in Anthropos Museum]