On Art
I think this solves the ‘Extra’ Dilemma I had been having quite nicely: I’m beginning to run out of people to illustrate for the purpose of doing these breather episodes in-between blocks in the arc. While Elf Blood Extra allows me to expand the Elf Blood universe and share the larger construct with you guys, I thought it would be nice to create something that allows you to see the Elf Blood characters in their more everyday lives. Today’s is SKO; I love the idea that in her downtime, she likes to go biking, that the danger of such exposed travel at high speed gave her a thrill that betrays the daredevil, fun-lover underneath her often chilly exterior. I was actually going to do an Elf Blood Casual featuring Millie Bach, but then I realised that the last Extra was, itself, one about Millie.
Anyway, to my main point this week: I’ve been thinking a lot about art, and the significance it plays in our lives. Sparked off by a comment a friend made last week, referring to arts degrees and similar as ‘Mickey-Mouse Degrees’. Although I myself possess a Masters in Engineering, a course I embarked upon in order to help people, I feel that such statements belittle the concept of art: Certainly, the industry in which I am involved is a vital part of everyday life, and produces a valuable commodity required by everybody in the country.
It is seemingly harder to justify art in a similar manner, however: One could easily argue that the human race could survive without the arts much more easily than it could survive without power engineering. Can you imagine, though, a world without art? No music. No stories. No paintings, sculptures. Just us, and industry.
Art allows us to do so many damn things. It is a conduit for ideas to pass through, a means by which we communicate our opinions, beliefs, hopes and dreams. Without the passion invoked by art, imagine how much more sterile our politics worlds’ would be. Imagine how dull your day would be. Imagine a world with… No imagination.
It is not in human nature to live without imagination and creative thought. It is, of course, what sets us apart from the other primates and certainly much of the animal kingdom. The arts essentially provide a way to flex those creative muscles, exercising a vital component of our species’ psyche. Whether creating art, to put our ideas down into physical, tangible format, or appreciating art, working to interpret, to enjoy, to escape, we all reap the benefits of art even if it comes in a distinctly indirect form.
So I hope what you’ve taken away from this is that art is incredibly important: Without art, we would be dull and lifeless. And while yes, there are certainly industries out there that are more immediately important to the survival and comfort of the human race, to remove the arts completely runs the risk of excising our very souls.
Anyway, I’m beginning to nod off now, so clearly it’s time for bed! But I did uphold my promise to give you a more sensibly sized post today! Enjoy today’s comic!
M.
I like your lettering for ‘Casual’. Reminds me of Vice City or the font on the Drive poster.
Thanks, dood 🙂 I wanted something vaguely early 90s-ish. Not sure why though! So I chose a bright neon pink color and did a nice sweepy handwritten style. Man, next time I should illustrate someone in a pastel shirt in MC Hammer Pants.
Might see you in a few weeks’ time!
It’s more than that. Technology changes and becomes obsolete; art communicates over time and between cultures. A hundred years from now, Elf Blood will still be interesting; how much 2012 technology will still be in use?
An interesting point: Technology evolves, changes piece by piece until the design of the original creator has been modified to such an extent that it would still be difficult to call it their own; Works of art, on the other hand, tend to remain unchanged for long periods of time, granting the author some sort of notional ‘immortality’ in the minds of society. Think of Rabbie Burns, of Shakespeare, even of Homer. Though their works are of course subject to adaptation, they retain most of the recognition for the poem/play/epic, and have and will be passed on down the generations.
That’s not to say, of course, that technological creators do not get this; Think of Brunel, Galileo and the like; Their contributions to engineering and science will forever grant them recognition, though their works may eventually crumble or be improved upon.
I suppose the point here is that it is easier, and more likely, for a work of art to be ‘used’ in its original form than it is for a piece of technology more complex than, say, a compass.
I’d mention Leonardo Da Vinci, but he’s such a badass that he blows both sides of the argument out of the water. Presumably with some sort of hyper-cannon he designed several hundred years ahead of his time.
Just one point for now… (you’re going to hate me, but I know you love me really).
In the blurb you imply that the arts are the main if not only form of imaginative representation. Coming from a similar engineering background to yourself you have to admit there is art in system designs; aesthetic appeals over pure efficiency, and something surprisingly attractive in a well made machine. Take your phone for example, yes it is pretty purely on the surface, but what makes it even more so is the capability you know that is crammed in that 9mm of aluminium and glass frame. I’d be very surprised if you claim there is less art and imagination in there as any piece of artwork. Just art of a different form.
(We engineers are artists, secretly painting on society with science.)
I don’t think I implied that point, but certainly the amount of creativity offered by corporate engineering is significantly more limited than was advertised to me when I embarked… However, I do agree with your point; It is POSSIBLE to be creative with engineering, given the right employment conditions.
In engineering it is best practice and stability that rules, designing and building systems to do the same job as previous systems in the same way, just tweaked a bit to add value. Less so in research engineering, I will grant you, as the entire point of research is to think outside the box a bit to find new ways of doing things, or doing entirely new things.
Art, on the other hand, focuses on almost the diametric opposite; It strives to create completely new things, or at the very least original takes on what has gone before to create a different outcome. There is no ‘Best Practice’ for art; Indeed, were there anybody striving to somehow codify and systemize art I would imagine two things might happen: 1, They would be ridiculed; 2, They would abandon their task relatively quickly.
Anyway, to sum, I don’t believe that there is NO creativity to be found in engineering. The point of my argument was that the arts should not be looked down upon as being ‘useless’. There is a real need for art in all its forms, in addition to science and technology.