A More Structured Form of Art

whitney.porter's picture

Last night I was taking the Q-train back to Manhattan from Brooklyn, and I noticed an interesting display of artwork outside of the subway car. As the train sped past the wall in front of me, I noticed tiny light filled slits in the wall. I looked closer and noticed that through each of these openings I could see pieces of images. Each portion of the image combined with the one following it to create the illusion of movement in the pictures. One of the pictures I remember was a childlike rocket ship that took of for space as we passed by. I wondered as I saw these, how many people completely miss this display. As each passenger is looking down at their Blackberry, the book they are reading, or their iPod, the time and thought the artist put into this entertaining sight goes unnoticed. It's amazing how art really surrounds us in the city. Even something this discreet deserves recognition, in my opinion, because I can't imagine how much thought and planning goes into making something like this work. Unless each slight motion of the object is drawn correctly and placed in the right spot, the desired effect would not show up. I think this type of art is an excellent example of how art is not only a form of expression, but also a complicated process that requires much thought and planning. I think sometimes belittle what it takes to create artwork. Certain modern artists who have painted nothing but I line or a block on a white canvas come to mind when considering how difficult art is to create, and also how subjective art is. This display, however, helps give credit to a more structured art form that appeals to those people who are more left-brained.