Art and the rational mind

You may not know this about me, but my husband and I lived in Hawaii for a few years. We lived on the island of Maui. It was an incredible experience. We loved being near the ocean, where we could snorkel, surf and swim, but I also enjoyed having a chance to learn more about Hawaiian culture. I took a beginning hula class and really loved it. We miss it, but life had other plans for us, and now we are in the desert. Lately, I have been pining for Hawaii, for some of the things there that touched me so deeply. Since the hula was such a big part of living in Hawaii for me, I have been watching videos of hula to reminisce.

Some of you may be more familiar with Tahitian hula, rather than Hawaiian hula. Tahitian hula is much faster than Hawaiian hula. The dancers tend to wear elaborate headdresses, and the movement is focused more on the hips and less on the hands. There are two different kinds of Hawaiian Hula. One is the Auana hula. This is the Modern hula - the one with guitars, ukulele, dresses, flower leis - the one most of us are familiar with. My favorite kind of Hawaiian hula, however, is the ancient hula, called Kahiko. There is a lot of chanting, the dancers are usually adorned with greenery rather than flowers, and the instruments used are mostly the rhythm instruments like the Ipu (which is a drum made from a hollowed out gourd.) I have attached a video of women (wahine) performing kahiko hula, so if you haven't ever seen it before you can experience it for yourself.



It's often interesting for me to think about why I love the Hawaiian hula and chants so much. I don't speak Hawaiian, so I don't know what they are chanting most of the time. Yet it touches me deeply, and sometimes when I watch a hula performance, I am moved to tears. Have you ever loved music that is sung in a language you don't understand? What I have decided is that when we hear or see something that really touches us, it doesn't necessarily touch us intellectually. It touches our hearts. It touches our souls. Visual art can be like that too. There is always this initial desire for people to "understand" art. We think maybe if we understand it intellectually, then we will really be able to enjoy it. I don't think that's true. I think if it's something that touches us, it can touch us without our rational minds. It goes beyond that - it goes deeper.

Maybe the rational mind is a barrier between us and an ability to be touched by art. (Music, dance, painting, sculpture - I am putting all art into this word right now.)

I am curious to know what you think about this. Do you think you have to understand the words of a song to enjoy it? Do you think you really have to know what a painter is thinking in order to be touched by their painting?

"Untitled - arrangement on blue." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches

Things that inspire

There are so many things in this world that make my heart sing.  One of the most delicious things in that category is friendship.  I am not only fortunate enough to have good friends that live near me, but also I have friends scattered all over the world.  Some of those friends I have never even met in person.  They are people who I have met because of the world of blogging.  It is amazing, when you think of it, that you can meet someone in another country virtually.  Mind-blowing.  To my dear friends, both near and far (you know who you are) thank you for being out there.  For putting up with me, and my incredibly long list of imperfections.   

Not too long ago, I checked my post office box to find a well-traveled brown envelope.  REAL MAIL!  Can you believe something like this even exists today?  Well, I hugged that envelope to my chest, and waited until I was at home to really savor such a special event.  Turns out that fellow artist and blogging friend Cynthia, from Germany, sent me this envelope with all kinds of goodies inside.  (Click on her name to read her blog.)  A beautiful handmade book, a card with an image of one of her paintings, and a tiny book with a cover made from a paint swatch.  So much fun!  Cynnie, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for such a thoughtful, beautiful gift!!!  Treasures.

Another thing that makes my heart sing is music.  I love music - many different kinds.  I nearly always listen to music when I paint.  Thanks goes out to M, my dear husband, who always supplies me with new interesting music to listen to.  Lately, I have been listening to several bands, and enjoying them immensely.  One such band is Over the Rhine.  Several of their albums speak to my soul, one of the favorites being Drunkard's Prayer.  Another band I have been obsessed with lately is a bit more obscure, perhaps, but equally compelling - Broken Bells.  There are many more wonderful bands making music that helps me paint, and I am thankful to them for sharing their music with the world.

I think I will devote more time on this blog to things that inspire me.  It is always nice to remind ourselves that creativity isn't something that comes from a vacuum.  It comes from how we interact with all that is around us.  So much of that is worth sharing. 

Shoreline.  Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches.  ©k. swenson2011