Brooks Riley at Art At First Sight:
Every once in a while, a work of art tells us something about ourselves we didn’t know. In an instant, aspects of our identity fall into place—triggered by details on a canvas, a film we’re watching, or a musical phrase we’re hearing—suggesting affinities we were not aware of.
It’s a given that the brain knows things we don’t—connections it has made on its own, regardless of id or ego. These secrets might be minor, but once exposed, they light up corners of our being we long thought were empty.
Beyond the personal insights, such moments can enrich the aesthetic contemplation of a work of art, adding a level of understanding as unique as a finger print—accessible to no one else.
Not long ago, watching an emotional confrontation between two Korean detectives in the brilliant TV series Beyond Evil, I was suddenly carried back to Jean Renoir’s anti-war masterpiece, La Grande Illusion, set during World War I…
More here.
Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.