The Importance of Imagination in Art

Art is powerful. It speaks to us on both a personal and a cultural level. It connects every one of us in some way. Yet, what exactly is art? And why does it hold such value to us?
Art can many times be a way of "saying" something when words fall short. Art resonates deep within us - has the power to make us feel something we couldn't feel before, or see something in a totally new way.

Personally, relating back to the four theories of art I presented for my midterm, I feel like Collingwood's Expression of Emotion and the bigger picture of the Family Resemblance theories stuck out to me the most. Both of these theories have led to my own further thought on the question, "What is art?" Art is something created by humans. I think the thing that connects all art roots back into this fact. All art is connected in some way culturally because it is made by people and about aspects of the human condition - whether that be cultural or personal. When I say "cultural" and "personal", as related to the human condition, I mean that art serves to function to bring awareness. This awareness can be about a certain theory or reaction to some cultural event or about the personal expression of emotion of the artist.

"Art is about life, and it can't really be about anything else." - Damien Hirst

We are all humans. We are all connected with large similarities and small minute details - like Wittgenstein's metaphor "no fibre runs the length of a whole rope". Even though no one person can be in the exact same mental and physical state the artist experienced when making a piece of work, we are all humans.

This brings about the importance of imagination both when creating a piece of work and appreciated art. Imagination gives us the power to empathize with others. Even when we may have not experienced the same event of went through the same emotions as another person, by using our imagination we can all place ourselves in that position, and therefore empathize with the other person. This, at its core, is crucial in the connection between artist and viewer. This is why art is so valuable to us - because it is the most powerful form of connection we have.