To Every Action...

there is an equal and opposite reaction" - said Sir Isaac Newton several years ago. In simple terms this translates to saying that forces always act in pairs. (If an object X exerts a force say F on an object Y, then the object Y exerts an equal and opposite force -F on X provided both X and Y are involved). Some practical examples are:

• Swimming - While swimming you push water backwards (Action) and water in turns pushes you fwd (Reaction).
• Jet Engine - Burning fuel produces hot exhaust gases which are made to flow out from back of the jet (Action). A resulting thrust is produced in opposite direction and pushes it forwards (Reaction).

Newton's Third Law was a stunning insight that eventually led to significant scientific research pertaining to universal law of gravitation and astronomy. Genuine artlovers have said time and again that the best artworks seem to exert a compelling force (Action) on the viewers. What's interesting to watch is how these artlovers respond (Reaction) to this force in accordance with Newton's 3rd Law! Some pursue art as a career, some try to relate art concepts in their jobs/lives and some even become artists (after years of diligent practice though) themselves. That quick science refresher was for my acquaintances who strongly believe that-crude logic, scientific facts and technology govern our lives and drive this world as against creative thinking and imagination :D

I visited Danforth yesterday evening and I ended up filing my journal with 3-4 ideas yet again. I've observed that the more I allow myself to interact with artworks, the more interesting ART gets. Here's I think why:

• Focus: When you walk into an art gallery, you zone out all noise sources (internet, phone, news, road traffic, verbal interactions etc) and give your 100% attention to analyzing artwork.
• Transformation: A painting or a sculpture or a portrait transforms an otherwise void gallery space into something important, meaningful and sometimes influential too.
• Visual Energy: Like 3-5 aged kindergarten kids (Their inquisitiveness, candidness and willingness to learn is just amazing), some artworks invite your attention right away.
• Emotions: Artworks evoke both logical (This artist's earlier work was far better!, This looks pricy!, Why is this painting here?, It is irregular or it is quite unsymmetric!) as well as emotional responses (Woooow!, Ahaaa!, I see!, Ewwwww!, Mindblowing!, Oh my God!, Hummmm!) in the viewer.
• Rhythm: There's always a mystical compositional rhythm in artworks. It could mean variance in thickness or thinness of the brushstrokes for some, strong straight lines or delicate curved lines for others, excessive use of warm or cool colors and so on.
• Impressions: Colors in artworks register deep impressions in our minds and usually have an immediate effect on viewer's mood and energy levels.
• Taste: Art also offers viewers an amazing opportunity to find "alone-time" to nurture their brains, to build critical thinking skills and to develop fine taste in human inventiveness.

Here's a quick exercise (esp. for my friends in software/business world)...

Next time when you spot a majestic sculpture centred in your favorite shopping mall, library or casino or you see this beautiful glass painting as you walk from Terminal A to Terminal B (or C/D/E -choice is entirely yours ;)) to catch your connecting flight-pause for a minute-see if you find something appealing or stimulating or mysterious, ask yourself "What's going on here?", "What could be the underlying message painter is trying to convey?", "How do you feel when you this artwork?" etc. Trust me it feels better than analyzing those stock prices, server response time graphs on Monday mornings or reading those news alerts with not-so-good statistics about terrorism, global warming, unemployment etc

In case you do feel amazed and wish to relive the experience on a larger scale in a climate controlled and conducive environment-you know who to call or where to go next :) By the way-my best wishes to Uncle Newton on his 367th birthday :D

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known”~Oscar Wilde

[Image Courtesy-© Vladimir]