When I heard the NEA is in jeopardy of being axed by the federal government, I cried for our country.
This can’t be possible!
I agree with Danby. Art is a necessity and it enlightens us.
This is one of Danby’s paintings.
Its title, aptly named is “Towards the Hill.”
But what is enlightenment?
According to the dictionary, it’s:
insight, understanding, awareness, wisdom, education, learning, knowledge;
illumination, awakening, instruction, teaching;
sophistication, advancement, development, open-mindedness, broad-mindedness;
culture, refinement, cultivation, civilization
Aha! Yes, it is understanding.
You peer at this painting of the boy about to bicycle the hill and you can see the metaphor in it.
To me, “Towards the Hill” is one’s life as we travel through it. The bicycle serves as the imbalanced moments in our lives which we must keep balanced in order to travel on our journey. You know, don’t wobble too much this way or that–right or wrong, rich or poor, fat or thin, loved or unloved. (understanding, awareness, wisdom)
As the boy crests the hill, does he go downhill on the other side? Of does his life end at the crest of the hill? (open-mindedness, broad-mindedness)
One can understand very quickly why Danby’s quote is appropriate.
One critic stated Towards the Hill as ” a dread-filled, Wyeth-esque scene of a boy racing his bicycle through a bleak sun-bleached field.”
Dread-filled? How so?
It looks like a hot, sunny day. The boy is hunched over as one does when he first steps on to the bike pedal. Many a time, I’ve experienced a precarious moment or two getting started a bike. How about you?
Because I am open minded, I can see many things in the painting.
People who don’t appreciate art never see anything more than a boy on a bicycle. They probably don’t even notice the hill which lays before him.
How can we begin to understand one another if we don’t attempt to put ourselves in his shoes?
The arts make for a civilized society.
Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or check out my website at DeborahBaldwin.net