Painting the Reflection:

Why Art is Necessary

Tyler McKenna Milburn

Bluegrass Community and Technical College

ENG 101: Writing 1

Professor Leif Erickson

November 4th, 2021

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Painting The Reflection: Why Art is Necessary

Tyler McKenna Milburn

Professor Leif Erickson

English 101: Writing 1

4 November 2021

Painting the Reflection:

Why Art is Necessary

The topic of art can take one to remembrance of cave paintings made of dried clay in

prehistoric eras, stone-carved goddesses of the Mesopotamian civilization all the way to modern

day massive galleries filled with centuries of artworks of every nature, medium, and subject

manner. Art can even be the simple crayon drawing of a house by a young student, stuck to the

refrigerator at their home. Although nebulous, the creation of a material to express an emotion,

thought or idea is the cornerstone of what it means to be an artist or a maker of artwork.

However large or small, the need to articulate our internal being onto an external form is

necessary to be able to function as a human being. Art is an intentional, reflective and expressive

means of communication requiring labor and time consumption to produce a result to be enjoyed

by the self and others. Throughout history art has provided a meeting place for expression and a

visceral capsule of the past. Art provides a way for cultures to experience each other and a tool to

connect the underprivileged with an opportunity to be heard. In contemporary America, the

question of the value of the arts in public education is an ongoing argument but the reality of

experience and research is conclusive when it comes to the importance of art in the life of every

student: art is necessary because it allows depth of expression to improve quality of life, is a

mouthpiece for the human condition, and facilitates cultural preservation.

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In the American classroom, the methods of learning how to creatively express emotion,

how to explore different artistic mediums, and how to appreciate the finished art piece have been

less important than the content of subjects such as Mathematics, Science, and Language Arts. In

2001, George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, a law that required public

schools to perform yearly standardized testing in order to receive federal funding. Because art

and creativity are abstract concepts, they are not as quantifiable as what can be measured with

standardized testing so the increase in the desire to improve literacy and numeracy – concrete

and quantifiable skills - in the youth of America meant the slow dissolve of art education which

includes aesthetics, art criticism, art history and production. Most of the funds cut from the arts

programs went toward test preparation, core content classes, consumable supplies, and

remediation for low-performing students. (Robert). The logic of these decisions seemed

irrefutable at the time – most career choices for students required such measurable skills and the

ever-increasing emphasis on technology only strengthened the argument against arts education in

the public schools. Replacing art classes with keyboarding and programming classes became the

norm and the “powers that be” seemed satisfied that this new educational focus would better

prepare students for the future. But they were wrong about that.

Studies have shown that students with a history of heavy engagement in the arts show

better academic results than those with little. Those art wielding teenagers demonstrate higher

grade point averages as well as a higher level of college enrollment. With the means to develop

and process difficult emotions through an artistic outlet, young adults become prepared for

navigating the world with a more successful performance ability, which can translate into more

effective management and leadership skills in the workplace as well as stronger and more

intuitive inter-relational communication skills. Specifically, the research suggests that pupils who
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were able to maintain arts in their curriculums in primary and secondary school had an increase

in civic engagement, more interest in current events, and higher participations in extracurricular

activities. (Catterall). Creative energy, expressive communication and the critical thinking skills

required for both the contemplation of art and the artistic process itself are crucial life skills for

people for all their lives.

The value of arts education consists of more than just the concrete and quantifiable; a

major component of the creative concept, the aesthetic benefit and the significance of a muse are

grounded in some of history’s confounding questions about the human condition. Across the

expanse of time, philosophers, poets, scientists and theologians have fretted over fundamental

and existential questions of the inherent meaning of life itself, often concluding that the self-

discovery of humanity through hardship and challenge, personal success, reflection and

emotional connection with others are cornerstones of the pursuit of a life of purpose. These

factors are notably present in the conception, infancy, development, completion and legacy of a

work of art. Psychologists have used empirical research to confirm that when individuals are met

with the obstacles of being alive and choose to embrace something larger than the self, they lead

more satisfying lives, have more engagement in activities and make a bigger contribution using

their personal talents. (Seligman, Peterson, Csíkszentmihályi).

In addition to providing a landscape in which to the consider the most universal concepts

in the human experience, the artistic pursuit generates an intimate self-awareness which can

strengthen both the mind and spirit, bringing flexibility and stability. In 1943, Abraham Maslow

proposed a physical representation of a human being’s needs and motivations in the journal

Psychological Review. Here, he charted a pyramid shaped hierarchy of needs, describing each

tier for its catering of mankind’s physiological and emotional motivations in order to achieve a
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fleshed out, fulfilling life. The hierarchy accounts for biology, safety, a sense of belonging, self-

esteem, curiosity and aesthetic needs. After those things are achieved, a coveted final tier sits at

the top of the pyramid: self-actualization. Self-actualization is described as the realization of a

person’s fullest potential, completion of lifelong goals, or the acquisition of success. Art has run

parallel to the hierarchy’s pyramid as a conduit, often used as a coping mechanism for the

tribulations of dealing with existence on Earth. Living begets struggle and struggle tends to beget

success, and many of the population in history have utilized art as a salve for treatment after

weathering harsh conditions in their lifetimes. Maslow defines self-actualization as a desire to

become more and more of what one idiosyncratically “is” and the artistic experience provides a

most efficient and effective opportunity to accomplish such awareness.

Although Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been criticized based on merit, studies on 386

adult subjects provided the information that the satisfaction of each need on the higher tier was

predicted by the satisfaction of the need immediately below it. (Taormina and Gao). One can

examine art as a concept and surmise a similar notion: art provides tangible results of someone’s

perspective and allows it to be shared universally with others to foster a fellowship of the human

condition. If the hierarchy of needs requires that each step must be completed before moving on

to the next, like climbing the rungs of a ladder to reach the top, then the achievement of self-

actualization would be impossible without first satisfying the needs below, such as food, shelter,

intimate relationships and mutual respect for oneself and feelings of accomplishment. The power

that art as a verb contains is immeasurably important to a person’s ability to process the constant

physiological and psychological changes occurring in their life. Introspection and physical action

are both essential to the creation of an art piece and often the artist will use their struggle as a

subject of their work. Frida Kahlo is a world-renowned visual artist who was bed bound for
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much of her life but maintained a healthy place in society through her electrifying self-portraits,

depicting her physical form in many fantastical conditions. To soften the harsh reality of her

disability, she depicted herself as a tree rooted to the Earth, a deer stuffed with arrows on the run,

or her idealized self in full formal garb, sitting in front of herself on a hospital bed, hunched in

pain with open wounds down her back. (Kahlo). By using her own image as a metaphor for her

conditions, Frida gained widespread notoriety and success during and much after her lifetime.

Although her daily struggles were imaginably unyielding, she wielded art to amplify herself to

soaring heights, suggesting that her self-actualization was only achieved through the toil of

unmet needs.

Of course, Kahlo is but one example supporting the supposition that art can be created

before, during, after and because of a need going unmet for an amount of time. There are

biological conditions that our brains use in order to solve the most basic problems like food,

water and shelter, but the insecurity those can bring are often the fodder for much of the world’s

common artistic expressions. War, famine and heartbreak are favorites among visual artists,

musicians and the like for their commonality. We as a race are no stranger to pain as a concept,

and pain takes many forms in each of our lives from the insignificant to the insurmountable. By

visualizing the hierarchy of needs, utilizing art as a coping skill, creating a work and sharing with

others, mankind arrives at a meeting place of expression that is necessary for society to function.

Of all the obvious benefits of artistic pursuit, perhaps none is more significant than its

role as the catalyst for historical and cultural preservation. Much religious and political art of the

earlier centuries of history were destroyed by their successors or those who embraced

iconoclasm: the rejection of religious symbol and imagery as heretical. Often these iconoclasts-

literally meaning “icon smasher”- were following the decrees of the monotheistic nature that
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seems to cycle throughout history in the Eastern Roman Empire, Egypt and Europe during

religious persecutions of those against the status quo. This consistent cultural warfare on artwork

caused much death and destruction through time, turning original artworks meant to express

devotion into acts of rebellion that could cost a person’s life. Many would agree that in those

terms, the creation of political, religious and propaganda art can be problematic for society, but

the systematic destruction of existing art in the name of cultural cleansing has been and

continues to be a devastating loss.

The worldwide installation of museums, theaters, temples and other physical structures

have served as a major historical heartbeat in human civilization. Since before the written word,

hieroglyphs and pictorial communication helped to stream together thoughts and ideas for groups

of people to discuss philosophical ideas like religion, significant discoveries made at the time of

the piece and community pride through depictions of themselves and loved ones. Art provided a

currency for early bipedal man that has continued to be a time-honored tradition going on

700,000 years. (Adhikari). It is arguable that without these overlapping ideals of what is an

acceptable muse and depiction of what is held sacred to mankind throughout history, we

wouldn’t have the hindsight to maintain acceptable sects of church and state. By allowing society

to learn from its mistakes, we can laud all icons after much fuss over centuries. The second and

final iconoclast period ended in 843 when icon veneration was restored after the death of

emperor Theophilus, celebrated as the Feast of Orthodoxy in the Orthodox Church.

(Encyclopedia Britannica). If one can abstract the timeline of humanity, it stands to reason that

we are achieving self-actualization through our delegation of artworks to reflect on how far we

have come as a civilization. Heritage is the storyteller of diversity, trial and success in the

forward motion of mankind toward leaving something better than it was found. By uncovering
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artifacts, displaying them in an accessible and informational manner and fostering discussion and

communion on the topics, communities of all walks of life can actively participate in history.

(“How the Arts and Culture”).

There can be no doubt that the role of artistic pursuit and expression has been a

foundational one in the entire course of human history. Not only has research demonstrated this

fact, but the most superficial exploration of the evolution of artistic expression from cave

paintings to digital objet d’art makes this abundantly clear. The act of “making art” in whatever

form is the act of “painting the reflection” of human experience. To paint the reflection is to take

the analysis of being a human being and adding some personal flair; a creative spark to enrich

and embolden, an expressive fire to provide warmth and comfort. Art’s value in education,

history and in introspection of the human condition is absolute and inarguable and the

diminishing emphasis on art’s significance portends ad future lacking in the crucial components

of beauty, kinship and self-awareness. When humankind no longer possesses the means to see its

own reflection in art, it will cease to be human in a tangible way. We still have time to allay such

a future, but we must be vigilant in demanding that our educational institutions maintain and

strengthen the inclusion of arts education not only as a core curriculum, but as a life skill,

because that is what it is.

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Works Cited

“How the Arts and Cultural Sector Strengthen Cultural Values and Preserve Heritage and

History.” Americans for the Arts, American Planning Association, 11 Mar. 2011,

https://www.planning.org/publications/document/9147998/.

“Iconoclastic Controversy.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 20 July

1998, https://www.britannica.com/event/Iconoclastic-Controversy.

Adhikari, Saugat, et al. “Top 10 Oldest Pieces of Art Ever Discovered.” Ancient History Lists, 11

Nov. 2021, https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/pre-history/top-10-oldest-art-ever-

discovered/.

Catterall, James, et al. National Endowment of the Arts, Washington, DC, VA, 2012, pp. 12–18,

The Arts and Achievement in at-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper and Row, 2009.

Kahlo, Frida. My Grandparents, My Parents, and I (Family Tree). 1936, Museum of Modern Art

(MoMA), New York City, NY.

Kahlo, Frida. La Venadita (Little Deer). 1946, Houston, Texas.

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Kahlo, Frida. Arbol de la Esperanza (Tree of Hope). 1946, Museum of Contemporary Art (MCO),

Chicago, IL.

Peterson, Christopher, and Martin E.P. Seligman. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook

and Classification. Oxford University Press, 2004.

Robert, Sabol. National Art Education Association, Alexandria, VA, 2010, pp. 2–2, NCLB: A

Study of Its Impact on Art Education Programs.

Seligman, Martin. Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential

for Deep Fulfillment. Mulpure, 2006.

Taormina, Robert J., and Jennifer H. Gao. "Maslow and the Motivation Hierarchy: Measuring

Satisfaction of the Needs." American Journal of Psychology, vol. 126, no. 2, summer 2013, pp.

155+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A337814761/AONE?

u=vers03499&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=a2bd39a1. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.