A spark of life inside our homes

"Earth without 'art' is just 'eh'" – this popular phase that roams around social media every now and then, reminds us to live each day with a spark of art inside us.

This brings us to the obvious question, what is art? Art is something that makes us look or think differently about ourselves, our surroundings or the object itself.

In the film "Dead Poets Society", Robin Williams plays the role of an English literature teacher, John Keating, who tells his students, "Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

Therefore, art is something which may not be necessary to sustain our daily lives, but without its touch, our lives would not be the way they should be.

Evolving from these emotions towards art and life, a boatman sings songs while fishing in the middle of the sea, a housewife stitches intricate nakshi kanthas and a villager paints the walls of his mud hut with colourful designs.

Our busy schedules mean we may not always be able to manage ample time to nurture our own creative sparks. So we watch films, visit art exhibitions and listen to music for a breath of fresh air. But what is the necessity of a painting, or a sculpture, or any other art piece in our everyday space like our homes?

Teacher and writer Abdullah Abu Sayeed had once said, "Keeping paintings in a house is a sign of good culture for a nation, because there is a feeling of joy and peacefulness in paintings. If we see a beautiful painting while entering a house, then it does not matter how restless our mind is, we will calm down."

Placing artworks inside the house not only help to uplift our moods, but they also work as decorative items for the interior. On a monochromatic wall, a painting can add a splash of life.

A house, no matter how big or small it is, does not need to have luxurious furniture or show pieces. One piece of art with proper lighting can be sufficient to change the whole environment of a room.

A sculpture can create a sense of space, regardless of its size. It gives the feeling of presence of another living being whose clock had stopped at a particular moment of time. It also creates a sense of familiarity.

Shape, texture, colour and material of the sculpture make us curious and draw our attention. Sculptures try to make statements through their presence, which is why we go closer and look attentively at them.

To decorate an interior, high-priced, abstract, modern art is not always needed. Simple landscape paintings, terracotta or ceramic sculptures or clay masks can also be used if someone has a low budget.  

Placement is always important for an art piece to express itself properly. Paintings or sculpture can be chosen in contrast with the interior colour and the environment. For a clear view, proper daylight or artificial light is needed, but sometimes, special lights can be used to create a more dramatic atmosphere.

To be human beings, we have to seek for beauty, search for the meaning of life, and thrive for something special. In the prehistoric era, to express themselves, cavemen had painted pictures on stone walls and made clay sculptures. Keeping art inside the house is like creating reflections of ourselves.

German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had famously quoted "a man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul." True to these words, we need a dash of art and creativity in our lives to survive the everyday struggles.