The Tragic Road to Great Art
Art and suffering more often than not are the same side of the spectrum. It is, though, a matter of credence and a lot of us believe that great art comes from enduring pain. However, I am in no way implying that only by suffering one could make great art, but I do believe that suffering brings out the greatness in one’s art. It’s almost as if one pays the price in the form of suffering to be a great artist like how Eklavya cut off his right thumb as an offering to his guru Dronacharya.
More than a century ago, a man shot himself dead. Today, that man rests among the greatest artists the world has witnessed. Years of his life spent in utter peril resulted into some of the most beautiful and expressive artworks known to man.
Had Vincent Van Gogh not suffered we would not have gotten his masterpieces such as ‘The Starry Night’ which he painted in his asylum room while looking at the sunrise through his window or ‘Wheatfield with Crows’ one of his last paintings through which he tried to show his ill mental health, feelings of emptiness and his nearing end. Maybe, If Vincent had a content life he would still be a good artist but not a great one. His pain pushed him to a level only the greats could reach.
Creativity has always been, for most of us, a way of self-expression and usually we root towards art when we find ourselves in great despair as a way of escapism or a way to tell our stories or to survive.
Charlie Chaplin is no stranger to us, even after 41 years of his death his legacy continues. In an era of sci-fi/action big budget tentpoles, people still love watching Charlie’s black-n-white silent films like ‘The Gold rush’ or ‘The circus’. Knowing who Charlie Chaplin is and his work, is something we are born with, at least I feel like it. I don’t remember a particular day or any specific event that introduced me to Charlie’s black-n-white world of laughter. Charlie Chaplin is one of the most Iconic figure in history of cinema.
Just like any great artist Charlie also had to deal with sufferings. He began working as a child actor at the raw age of 5. His mother’s ill health, alcoholic father’s ignorance towards his fatherly responsibilities and poverty drove him into the world of cinema. His personal life was a sequence of one tragic failure after another and his films often had tragic undertones topped with excellent comedic timing. It’s hard to imagine his career being the same had his childhood been different.
Sylvia Plath who remained in a perpetual state of depression all through her life which ultimately took her life is considered one of the greatest American poets of 20th century. Her haunting and melancholy poems are a reflection of her own tormented life.
Great art or greatness isn’t something you’re born with or that you can buy. It is something that you earn, a reward that you get and there is no state more worth rewarding than suffering. But, suffering is not a conscious choice; nature subjects people to it and some ignite their art with it.
“My painting carries with it the message of pain.” — Frida Kahlo
