art everywhere

This weekend I visited the Fort Worth Modern art museum. I don't know much about art beyond an introductory art history course, but I have always loved viewing it. I find it to be a wonderful catalyst for relaxation and thought. The architecture of The Modern alone provokes many questions. The majority of the interior rooms are traditional rectangular rooms with white or gray walls, but around the border of the building are rooms with walls made of glass, allowing sunlight in and a view of the outdoors. Walking from an inclosed room to one with only a single solid wall is quite a contrast, and it made me very aware of the extent to which my surroundings affect the way I see a piece of art - or anything else for that matter.  If there had been flowers blooming and leaves on the trees outside, I probably would have seen more hope and life in the artwork in these rooms; if it had been storming, more gloom or wrath. 

This phenomena also made me wonder why we tend to separate art from our surroundings and our daily lives? Most people would agree that art is a good thing - we derive pleasure from its beauty and it allows us to reflect on the state of our present world, learn about the way the world used to be, and contemplate the way that others see the world. It seems to me that not only do we separate these objects by placing them in special buildings, but that on a daily basis we also overlook the things they represent.  This is what I intend this blog to be about: recognizing the art that exists all around us, the sublime in the ordinary, the beauty in the everyday.  I don't think that these things are hidden from us, but rather that we need only take a minute every now and then to recognize them.  This is my attempt to be mindful of beauty in my own life.  I hope it will help you to do the same.