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Thoughts From A Preface
This afternoon, I asked a friend to come with me to Serendra because I was craving for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Cupcakes by Sonja. She happily came along and before we both knew it, we found ourselves in the newly-opened branch of Fully Booked.
One thing about me being in a bookstore; I take FOREVER.
If I had all the money in the world, I would spend it on books... (Actually, I’d spend it on guitars and gear too, but I’m talking about books here.)
I went around for a long time until I finally decided that I was going to purchase a novel by Oscar Wilde called “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
As soon as I read the preface, I began to experience what a great writer Oscar Wilde actually is. He started off with something he wrote about art. It got me thinking, which is why I decided to post it here.
One line from the preface really struck me:
“It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.”
I found this line particularly interesting because it was rather different from my view of art. Because of this line, I’ve been pushed to rethink how I’ve always described art. I always used to relate it to literature, in terms of both being a reflection of life.
And then I realized that when a person comes face-to-face with a piece of art, they are the ones who decide how that piece of art is significant to them. (Much like our first activity.) When people see a painting, or a sculpture, maybe even hear a song, they interpret that piece of art based on what they are going through, their lives, and basically who they are. That’s why I think this quote by Wilde certainly holds true for me as well. I now realize that the way I see and make sense of the world is affected by the experiences I have had and my own personality. Everytime I look at a piece of art and think about what it means to me, I’m surprised by the new knowledge I gain about myself and about the way I relate with the rest of the world.
Same goes for watching movies. The person’s interpretation, as well as how a movie affects him/her, depends on the experiences that the person has been through. It does not simply convey one message for everyone… At least, that’s what I think.
I find it interesting how a piece of art is able to conform, somehow, to the life and the kind of person viewing it. It’s like being able to shape-shift into something that the spectator can relate to and after that, it leaves a little something with him/her. I suppose a certain positive change occurs; and I really do think a person learns a thing or two after reflecting on a piece of art and like I said, this modifies them somehow- whether it’s a small change or a big change.
I think that’s really cool.
6:20 PM
