Art shapes everything. Whether it’s music, paintings, writing, sculptures, or anything else created with intention, it shapes culture. Without art, we wouldn’t have expression, identity, or difference and everything would be a bore. Art connects people by making them feel, whether they feel anger, relatability, joy, sadness, or any other way, art can cause it. People of different cultures can be connected because of this, creating a chain linking all life.
Cultures have always created art. Cave paintings in South Africa, murals painted by French artists, music created by the Brits, are just a few examples. Not only have these expressions always been created, but they’ve always been extremely meaningful for the cultures they came from. For example, Egyptians way back in 300,000 BCE created art. Whether it was a sculpture, painting, or a carving, Egyptians would commonly represent their religion, views on the afterlife, and worship of their royalty, through their art. This represents the culture of the Egyptians at the time and it is beautiful.
Their views were not the only ones being shared through artistic expression. Another, more controversial example of beliefs being shared through art, was propaganda during WWI and WWII. One of the most infamous examples is a poster of Uncle Sam created by James Montgomery Flagg with the writing “I Want You For The U.S. Army.” This poster, although it was controversial propaganda, was an example of sharing views through artistic expression. Art can be used to make a political point and this poster shows that claim clearly. Without political art, people may not be compelled to share their beliefs. Without the sharing of beliefs, our culture wouldn’t change and evolve and we would be stuck with antiquated ideas.
Music has also bridged the gap between cultures and different peoples. The human experience can be similar for all. Whether you are an old white man from America or a young Hindu woman from India, you may still have similar experiences like sadness about a breakup or being excited for your birthday. Music can take these common experiences and articulate them beautifully into a song. This can relate to completely different people of all walks of life. Additionally, people who are very similar may be differentiated by their music taste, this gives people a sense of self and an identity separate from people very similar to them like their family. This can be said for any type of art but music is one of the most consumed formats of art as means for entertainment. As stated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, “Music is perhaps the most universal of the performing arts and is found in every society, most often as an integral part of other performing art forms.” Clearly, music is the most popular of art forms, making its contributions just that significant to culture.
Overall, art as a whole shapes culture significantly. Whenever you listen to music, go to a museum, read a book, wear clothing, do makeup, or do almost anything else, you are participating in the production and consumption of art. It is important to know this and recognize the importance of art because it is a form of expression that creates one’s identity. It makes people feel love, relatability, joy, anger, sadness, and any other emotion you could possibly feel. All of this is to say that art shapes the world and creates the beautiful cultures that we have today.
