105.Do We Need Art我们需要艺术吗？

105. Do We Need Art?我们需要艺术吗？

【文章赏析】

面对生活中许多迫切需要处理的问题，探索艺术的重要性这样的课题，对一般人来说根本不切实际。但是一个国家即便已经解决了温饱问题，如果没有艺术的滋养，和一个最穷的国家又有什么区别呢。让我们看一看作者的评论，我们到底需不需要艺术？

It is difficult to fathom the importance of the arts when there are many more pressing and immediate concerns to face. But at the same time, should we only concern ourselves with survival and attending to our basic needs, then we are no better off than the poorest of poor countries despite our economic achievements to date.  　　

Life should be varied and interesting, unexpected and changing. In fact, art should be around us, not in museums. It should be reflected in our landscape and our buildings. Paintings and sculptures on the street, in schools and by the bus stops, make a far bigger difference than pouring money into a museum whose doors shut and close based on the artificial restrictions of time called a clock.

Art is innovation at its most basic level. Art is conception and inspiration. Most importantly, art is about discovery, not mistakes. In a world where we concentrate on what is right and wrong, what is correct and incorrect, the world of art is a place where judgment is suspended and great discoveries are made because of it.  　　

Art makes it possible to grasp the impossible, for lack of language, lack of knowledge or lack of technology.  　　

Consider further that art connects us to one another where language and law is unable to do so.  　　Of course the arts in and of itself is not crucial to our survival as a nation. Again, if survival is all we are after, art is far from necessary. Furthermore, art being universal, we can always borrow from others what we cannot create ourselves.  　　

But does it make sense to focus only on providing basic services？Economic cycles as they are, there will always be needs to be met and there will always be an excuse to exclude the arts.  　　  　　面对生活许多迫切需要处理的问题,探索艺术的重要性这样的课题,对一般人来说根本不切实际。但是,从另一个角度来看,如果我们只关心生存和基本需要,那么即使我们在经济上已经取得辉煌的成就,比起世界上最穷的国家,我们事实上可能好不了多少。  　　

生命应该充满变化和惊喜。艺术应该溶入我们的生活里,不应该只是博物馆里的陈列品。艺术应该反映在我们的自然景观和建筑物。人行道上、学校里和巴士车站旁的绘画和雕塑作品,所能发挥的感染力,远胜于一所耗费大量金钱完成却定时关闭的博物馆。

艺术是最基本的创意活动,是概念的构思和灵感的体现。最重要的是艺术和对错无关,目的在于发掘和探索我们生活的世界。我们向来关心什么是对什么是错,什么是正确什么是不正确。在艺术的领域里,我们不作出任何判断,却往往有重大的体会。  　　

艺术可以帮助我们领会因语言、知识和技术障碍,使我们不可能理解的事物。  　　

艺术也可以把我们联系在一起,这是语言和法律所无法做到的。  　　

当然,艺术本身不是国家生存的关键。但就像我们先前提及,如果我们只关心生存,艺术便可有可无。  　　

因为艺术普遍存在世界各地,我们自己不能创作的,也可以向他人借用。  　　

但是,只是为艺术提供基本的协助是不是明智的做法？经济周期意味着总会有比艺术更迫切的需要,也总会有借口把艺术排除在外。