Monday, August 9, 2010

Which Art Do You Love Best?

Most people who are interested in one of the arts – literature, music, painting, sculpture, theater, dance, opera, film, etc. – are also interested in one or more other arts. This is true for me as well; I go to museums, galleries, concerts, and plays. I took art history classes in college. When I travel, I always look for art museums and for concerts. I buy art books and various types of music on CDs. I go to “art films.” I particularly love dance performances. These arts all give me aesthetic pleasure, teach me, and often move me intensely. My life would be far poorer without my experiences with them. But none of the other arts have anything close to the powerful attraction and influence on me that literature has. I am not sure if this is because I had more exposure to books when I was a child than I had to the other arts, or if I am hardwired to be a “written word” person rather than a visual or aural person, or if there is some other reason. Whatever the reason, my truest and most compelling passion among the arts, by far, has always been literature. I wonder if it is true for most people, as it is for me, that they can appreciate and enjoy several arts, but there is one genre, one art, that stands far above the rest for them and is their “true love” aesthetically and emotionally. What do you think?
 
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