A spark of sculpture

"Earth without art is just eh" – a popular quote appearing on social media every now and then, as if it is trying to remind us to bring some art into our tedious daily life.

This brings us to the obvious question, "What is art?"

Sculpture is something that makes us look or think differently about ourselves and our surroundings. It is not necessary to sustain our daily life, but without the touch of art and sculpture, life is not as it should be.

In the famous movie 'Dead Poets Society', English literature teacher John Keating (acted by late Robin Williams) said, "Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

And from that emotion, a boatman starts singing in the middle of the sea, a village housewife sews 'Nakshikantha' (hand embroidered quilt) and the people of a remote village paint the mud wall of their house with homemade colours.

But in our busy life, maybe we cannot manage enough time to nurture our own spark. So we see a drama, visit art exhibitions, and listen to music in our busy schedule for a feeling of fresh air, and a fresh mind.

But what is the necessity of a painting or a sculpture or any other art piece in our everyday space? Famous writer, teacher and speaker Abdullah Abu Sayeed once said, "Keeping paintings in a house is a sign of good culture for a nation. Because there is a sense of joy, a feeling of peacefulness and a sense of calmness in paintings. If we see a peaceful painting while entering a house then it doesn't matter how restless our mind is, we will become calm."

Placing sculpture in a home not only helps to uplift our mood but also works as a nice decorative item for our interior space. A painting in home can add a little splash of life in our monotonous monochromatic walls.

It is not a problem if any house doesn't have luxurious furniture or delicate decorative items. A single piece of art with proper lighting can change the whole environment of a room.

On the other hand, a sculpture creates a sense of its own space no matter how big or small that piece is. It adds the presence of another living being whose clock had stopped in a particular moment of time. It creates a sense of intimacy. Shape, texture, colour and material of the sculpture make us curious and draw our attention. We go closer and look curiously, as if the painting is trying to make a statement.

It's not always necessary to have high priced, abstract modern art for decorating the interior. A simple landscape painting, earth or ceramic made animal sculpture or hanging earthen mask can also be used as an art piece if the budget is low.

Placement is always important for an art piece to express itself properly. Paintings or sculpture can be chosen by keeping contrast with interior colour and environment. Proper daylight or artificial light is needed for a clear view. Sometimes special light can be used to create a more dramatic environment.

To seek for beauty, to search for meaning, to thirst for something special is to be a human. From the prehistoric era of caveman, humans had drawn and painted pictures, and made earthen sculptures to express themselves. Keeping art inside the house is like creating a reflection of ourselves. These little choices make us who we are.