The majority of people in a self-absorbed, me-ism society, social media driven culture won’t recognize great paintings, collectable artists and the priceless gifts that they bring to life.

What is the essence of a truly great painting? First before answering that one must consider are you talking about something that has been established, published and been honored because the history books, society or culture has told you these things? Or, are you talking about, a work of art, a painting or art paintings, that you have encountered, you have been engaged by and you have been overwhelmed with, to the point you want to posses it?

Artists, from every walk of life, from every culture and time period including today have found within themselves a force so compelling that it makes expression come from every part of their being. This expression is only satisfied by its execution and more often than not the satisfaction of the execution falls far short of the actual vision. When the combination of vision, execution, and accomplishment come together the work itself, the painting or paintings are the pinnacle of achievement. In its purest form it is without influence or criticism or judgment, and only experienced by the artist.

From this point on society, culture, critics, and peers will endeavor to evaluate their judgment and criticisms to tear away and pollute the purity of the expression. Herein, lies one’s own personal engagement to set aside the influences of others and experience all the expression has to offer directly within one’s heart, soul, and being.

Consider the artist Monet who said, after being told how great his paintings were, “one works a lifetime and considers only a very few to be even called great”.

If these works are rare how can one recognize them? Finding great paintings are not like taking a taste test, but in fact some of what someone must do is in the tasting. Society, culture, our environment and our upbringing influences our tastes, our desires our wants and our needs. Setting all those things aside and tasting only what the taste buds delivers takes effort. Discerning the way one’s individual palette delivers something pleasing is an individual personal experience and when done in truth has no outside influence. A person needs to seek out and experience art paintings. They need to learn to look and see and hear with their heart’s eyes. They need to discern what it is that they like and don’t like and they need to be prepared that in the midst of all these personal efforts to find out they will encounter an experience like no other. It will be at this exact moment that the engagement will meet the execution and the hearts emotion will be captured.

But, why should we even bother with paintings? While my own personal opinion is that some paintings should be bothered with as society and culture makes additions to the décor of their living and working environment based on color matches. You don’t place a painting on a wall to match the furniture or a pillow. You put a painting on a wall to influence and encounter you within that living environment. Great paintings can have color that enhance an environment, but great paintings can and should influence your health, push you to a positive daily emotional state, remind you of great memories and experiences, and speak volumes to your inner being. More than the humanities, society, culture, paintings, great paintings, engage you, travel your mind to wonderful places of peace and rest and bring you to your knees. They overwhelm you with the great generosity and loving kindness of the Creator. They simply make all parts of your life better because they give you life day after day after day.

Once these realizations happen and you truly will not understand it, great art paintings take on a new relationship beyond money. They become priceless; priceless to their possessor and priceless in their contribution to the well being of their viewer owner. Great paintings must be looked at deeply and connected with as often as possible. As “Antiques Roadshow” has shown us, broadcast after broadcast, you never know what you are actually possessing, what its worldly value is, and how it may be a true investment return. What you do know once you have this realization is that whatever investment you made to acquire a great painting will far outweigh and any monetary return.

Find great paintings or may they find you!

Douglas Auld
Copyright MMX Douglas Auld, all rights reserved

About the Author:
Douglas Auld
Artist, Painter, Poet and Writer
http://art-paintings.us
http://www.paint-tings.com
http://findmypaintings.blogspot.com/