The Power of Art

Last Wednesday, our Ministers' Meeting enjoyed a wonderful day out together, visiting Compton Verney in Warwickshire. It is mainly an art gallery, set in gorgeous grounds. The first painting we saw was a large one, An Eruption of Vesuvius by Moonlight by Pierre-Jacques Volaire (see below, apologies for slightly wonky image).

It stopped me in my tracks - such a wonderfully dramatic image. The photo above doesn't do justice to it, but the vivid contrast between the fire and energy of the volcano and the peaceful moon rising in the bay beyond it was... awesome. The explanation next to it reads, "The eruptions of Vesuvius were among the greatest spectacles of the eighteenth century and fired the imagination of artists throughout Europe... an inscription on the back records that it was painted sur le lieu (on the spot). Given the size of the painting, this is probably not true, but it conveys the important role that artists played in recording such sights before the invention of the camera."

There are several figures in the foreground, which strikes me as somewhat reckless... but each to their own, I guess.

My point in sharing this is to highlight the difference between art and photographs, which struck me at the time when I read the accompanying blurb. The art work may be almost photographic in its vivid reality, but the artist was free to compose his painting in the most skilful way in order to heighten the drama. Because what takes the breath away is the contrast between the yellows, reds, oranges and browns of the volcano and the greys, blues and whites of the peaceful, moonlit landscape. And they are balanced, juxtaposed, perfectly.

Sometimes, of course, a skilled photographer can capture such drama, contrast and balance - all of us can bring such photos to mind. My DH takes the magazine, Amateur Photographer, and there are sometimes astonishing images published in it, which achieve this magical effect. 

Whatever the medium, the power of art comes from the connection between the hand and eye of the artist and the eye and heart of the viewer. When this connection is made, it can make us (the viewers) see the world in a new way.