It is November, and the national flags are flying high, bringing in memories of celebrations each year marking the National Day of the Sultanate of Oman.
The temperature is pleasant, and everyone is in a pleasant mood. It is a perfect time to appreciate art, and rightfully so; we have just enjoyed the third edition of Muscat Art.
Art is an amazing experience, just like poetry and poets; some like to use the right measures and others break all the rules. After all, writing and painting are ways to express oneself. It is lovely to create your own space to give time to project your work, and then it is time to look inward to create space for your thoughts and ideas.
Then we, the viewers, have the opportunity to see it on the canvas. For the poets, the page they write on becomes the canvas, and for entrepreneurs, it is their project that is the outcome. There are artists who are not shy to show their work to others, and then I came across a young Omani artist who doesn’t even let others know about her talent and skill, let alone show her paintings and life-like sketches.
She brushed off my compliments, saying she is not trained. “Who wants to know?” I replied, adding that people would be enchanted. Her qualifications in art would be the last thing on the viewer’s mind because her works are so beautiful. Her subjects vary from her grandmother to a man reading a newspaper on the sofa to simple subjects like figs and ice cream. Her images have energy, and you realise there is happiness and energy oozing out of her paintings.
So what does one gain from seeing art and artworks? Viewing art rewards the brain, writes Shenandoah Art Therapy, adding that when we view art, we are processing emotion and activating the pleasure centre in our brain (Bergado, 2014). Viewing art allowed chemically addicted women in recovery to reconnect with their feelings and engage deeper in their recovery (Feen-Calligan et al., 2008).
Apparently, viewing art increases empathy, tolerance, and critical thinking skills. Arlington Museum writes that “art’s visual, emotional, and cognitive stimulation can benefit the brain. And art’s effect on the brain reduces anxiety, bolsters neuroplasticity, improves focus, and more.” Most of the art exhibitions in Oman have free entry, and there are numerous expos.
The opportunity to see paintings must be taken because the benefits are numerous. It may be that you might not like all styles or be able to relate to some of them, but they will all make us think. The interesting part is that we develop a connection with the artists even though we might never meet them. There are artists who have become historical figures today, and we feel a connection with them. Could it be that their paintings connect us to their minds? Another factor, of course, is that art is a therapy on its own. Artists go into their zone because they apply focus, where it almost becomes meditative. So you could be experiencing it, viewing it, consuming it, or expressing it — whatever the situation may be, the benefits are many.
The art experience can trigger the release of a range of neurochemicals, hormones, and endorphins, according to S C Versillee, which could result in inner peace. So obviously, art has an impact on our thoughts. The process of creating and appreciating art promotes brain plasticity, the brain’s ability to form and reorganise synaptic connections, writes East End Arts.
They go on to explain the three parts of the brain that play an important role in the experience of art: “The visual cortex, which is at the back of our brain, processes visual details, extracting colour, movement, and shape from what we see; the frontal lobe, which is integral to our conscious thoughts; this area is what helps us understand and attribute meaning to art by linking visual information to our existing knowledge and experiences; and then the amygdala, the almond-shaped structure that helps in emotional processing, and this is what allows us to connect with art on a deeply emotional level.”
Even great works of photography move us emotionally, but I suppose in art, there is an element of artistic interpretation and imagination, even extending to daydreaming elements. So let us embrace art with all its benefits, and if there is an instinct of creativity in young minds, let us nourish them.
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