THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE THROUGH THE MIRROR OF ART

Art has a unique way of capturing the essence of life. It reflects our joys, sorrows, and everything in between. When we gaze at a painting or listen to a haunting melody, we often find ourselves pondering deeper questions about existence. What does it mean to live? How do our experiences shape us?

This intersection of art and philosophy invites us to explore the human condition through various creative lenses. Each brushstroke, note, or sculpture tells a story—one that resonates with our own journey.

As we delve into this fascinating relationship between life’s philosophies and artistic expression, prepare for an enlightening exploration that could change how you view both art and your own life's narrative. Life is a canvas, and we are the artists. Each experience adds color to our existence, shaping who we become. Art allows us to explore emotions that often elude words.

Through painting, writing, or music, we express complex thoughts about love, loss, and identity. This creative outlet becomes a mirror reflecting our innermost selves. The struggles of life transform into powerful expressions of resilience in this space. Art invites us to ask big questions: What do we value? How do moments define us? It challenges societal norms and pushes boundaries.

Each piece tells its own story while resonating with universal themes—connecting individuals across time and culture. In this way, art serves as both a personal journey and a shared experience among humanity. As we engage with different forms of art, we're encouraged to reflect on our beliefs and philosophies about what it means to truly live.

The contributions submitted by our guest writer were first published in the souvenir of 6th Chimera 2022, organised by the AMRAPALI (Society for ARTS).

BIMAL KR. HAZARIKA, ACS | Retd. Bureaucrat, Author & Playwright | Guwahati, Assam

Before we talk of art, for that matter, mirror of art, let us ponder over the philosophy of life.

My philosophy on life is that you should 'LIVE' while you are alive and you should give others that same privilege. We should not judge people for the choice they make, because we often make bad decisions. You should do what you want with your life as long as it makes you happy and causes no harm to others.

A philosophy of life is defined as having, at a minimum, two components: a metaphysics i.e the area of philosophy that deals with the nature of existence, truth and knowledge and an ethic i.e. the study of what is right and wrong in human behaviour. A metaphysics is an account of how the world hang together. An ethics is an account of how we should live in the world.

Your life purpose consists of the central motivating aims of your life - the reasons you get up in the morning. Purpose can guide life decisions, influence behaviour, shape goals, offer a sense of direction and create meaning. For some people purpose is connected to vocation - meaningful, satisfying work.

Now let us see how the philosophy of life is determined through the mirrors of art. Art is something that stimulates an individual's thoughts, emotions, beliefs or ideas through the senses. Works of art can be explicitly made for this.

Art is a highly diverse range of human activities engaged in creating visual, auditory or performed artifacts - art works - that express the author's imaginative or technical skill and are intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.

In fact, participation in the arts may even assist kids with language, motor skills and visual learning development. Research indicates that young people who regularly participate in the arts are four times more likely to be recognised for academic achievement later on. Art has the power to move individuals to social action, manipulate and influence, entertain and educate. There are seven different forms of art - painting, sculpture, architecture, cinema, music, theatre.

Traditional categories within art include literature including poetry, drama, story and so on, the visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic art painting, design and other forms expressed on flat surface) the plastic art (sculpture, modelling), the decorative art (enamel).

We may in this context mention that dance is a performing art consisting of sequence of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorised and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or by its historical period or place of origin.

Art makes people optimistic about their future. Arts can be used to help spread message of inspiration, making people achieve great things in life. Art can be a form of communication between people to focus on common issues for the betterment of human kind. Inspirational music is the best form of creative art. Art has the power to move individual to social action, manipulate and influence and entertain.

Art influence society by changing opinion, installing values and translating experiences across space and time. Art in this sense is communication, it allows people from different cultures and different times to communicate with each other via images, sound and stories. Art as said by many is often a vehicle of social change and as I stated earlier we should live while we are alive and give others the same privilege. Our motto in life should be to remain happy without causing harm to others.

MARK BORDOLOI | Entrepreneur & Community Service | USA

DR. SEETA SHAH ROATH | Multimedia Educator, Ed.D, M.Ed, BSc | USA

PRERONA BHUYAN | Sattriya Danseuse | Guwahati, Assam