Why Art? Poem by Myra Sampson

Why are we so intrigued by art?
What is it that attracts our attention?
Do we visit museums and galleries to look and criticise,
Or to analyse and gain comprehension?
If someone slings paint at a canvas,
Is that art as we've been taught?
Does art require a creative impulse?
Does art require special thought?
The fact that you might not comprehend a painting
Doesn't necessarily mean a thing.
Do you have to make good sense of it?
Do you understand the sounds birds sing?
Should art have a meaning or just be pretty to look at?
Is technique all that is required?
Conveying a message, be it religious, or a portrait,
Even still life or a landscape, must it be inspired?
The artist puts their soul on to a canvas.
They expose their emotions for all to see.
You can't expect to feel the same sentiment
As we experience our own views differently.
Art nowadays is often about the artists.
They set out to astonish, shock, delight and amaze,
By putting their feelings and emotions on to a canvas
For total strangers to stand there and gaze.
What makes us appreciate the work of an artist?
Is it just a response to visual communication?
Is it simply fashionable to like art? Or does it talk to us
Via some kind of inner-self interpretation?
On a flat piece of canvas a painting can convey
The artist's private thoughts and deep reflection.
But it's up to us to judge their efforts
Using our own intellect and perception.