Men have been telling stories through art for millions of years. Cavemen, in particular, found that scraping coal against the cold, still stone to tell stories and folklore through drawings and symbols have not only proved their existence, but also has been counted as the first piece of art ever discovered. From cavemen drawings, to a classic Renoir field of florals, art has always orchestrated itself into our modern world. 

Art is found to be a common and shared bond between cultures across the world. Time and time again, through war and peace, art has played a consistent role in culture inspirations, relatability, and sparking creativity all over the world. 

The connection between art and emotion touches anyone who has ever looked at art, watched a performance, or listened to music. The human experience is expressed through forms of art, provoking emotion and a deeper understanding of our own sentiments. 

A way art can be extremely impactful, is when it particularly relates to us. Recognizing its beauty and efforts when we relate to an artist’s work comes easier to us. Even beyond that, we even have the ability to recognize ourselves in the work. 

Participating in any kind of art has been extremely helpful in supporting mental health and can decrease anxiety and depression symptoms according to Bella Monte Recovery Center. It can be an outlet for expressing unsaid emotions and feelings, while also giving us a sense of control over something.

Interestingly enough, art contradicts Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which is that a species only survives on the earth by discarding inefficiency and waste. The act of art takes time, effort, and resources, without supplying our basic needs such as shelter, food, and clothes. 

Although art might have started on a foundation of survival, humans telling future offspring how to hunt and survive has formed to the way it is now because of the humans unbothered pressure of survival.

Art is a direct result of a lack of survival pressure on society.

As humans, we have more in common than we think when it comes to art. Through a global survey it shows our general preferences. A popular theme that we like viewing is landscapes, particularly the ones that include water and animals. Blue is also the most well liked color in art, because of the calmness it gives the admirer. Something not so liked is jagged and harsh lines, which is interesting because in art, they can represent a state of anxiety or stress. 

“Our big brains, the most complex instruments known in the universe, have been released from the vigilance of evading predators and seeking sustenance, permitting our imagination to gambol and explore, to dream while awake, to share visions of God. Art signals our freedom. It exists because we won the evolutionary war,” Micheal Finkel 

Attraction to art is subjective and ties directly to the essence of you. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.