Sometimes a single piece of art can say more than a thousand words. Not everyone understands or agrees with the message that art provides to share. Because people see art in different ways, it sometimes causes confusion, disagreements, or strong reactions. Art plays an important role in our society by helping people share ideas, learn about others, and understand the world around them. In Biography of X by Catherine Lacey, C.M Lucca suffered a loss of her wife X. C.M Lucca was trying to understand and write about the mysteries of X’s life.  As she searches for the truth, she discovers all the secrets behind all her different personalities. Along the way X used art to shape her identity to make it harder for others to read her, yet it was a way to cope with her emotions. Art is an important vestibule,  and even though art is disapproved of by many people, it creates confusion and conflict, art is still a powerful source supporting individuals to express and connect emotions, understand different cultures, and visible creativity of human nature that lets humans see the reality of our society.

Art gives people a way to reveal their feelings, thoughts and personal experiences when words aren’t enough. David Zwirner is a modern-day art dealer in New York, expresses his thoughts on why art is so important and how it contributes to our society. Zwirner states, “The experience and appreciation — the need — for culture feels like it’s hard-wired into my existence” (Zwirner, 1). The phrase “hard-wired”, resembles how Zwirner wanted to tell his audience that art isn’t only something to look at or for people to like, but something that is a big part of people’s lives. The words show that the need for art and culture comes straight to people. Which proves that art plays an important role within our society and in people's lives because it helps them explore and express who they really are , and understand their feelings.Furthermore, presenting the idea art can be the words you use whenever you aren’t physically and mentally able to speak. Zwirner emphasizes, “When you stand before a work of art and, suddenly, the work is speaking back to you” (Zwirner 2).  The author used personification of the art speaking to you to resemble how art can’t speak physically but it can speak mentally towards you. Art can be a way to express your emotions when nobody really understands you as a human. Also, In Biography of X by Catherine Lacey, she writes about C.M Lucca who has experienced a tragedy of her wife X passing away. X was a significant woman who used  art to resemble who she is. The author conveys the message of art and how it helps people express themselves through X stating, ““I’m not at all acting in these portraits,” X told one journalist. “ I think because I’m an artist, my image will always come before me. I am an artist, I am a representation” (Lacey, 273).  The author uses X’s art and self-portraits to express her identity and personal experiences. X’s art work tells stories that many people can interpret in different ways, yet to her it tells her story and how she lived through it. Instead of explaining she communicates through her art work. Besides sharing ideas and experiences, art helps people connect with others from different backgrounds. 

Art helps people learn about different cultures and understand how others live, think, and express themselves. Throughout the world there are trillions of different cultures and all have different stories, and Robert Lange who wrote an article Why Is Art Important? Who verbalizes why cultures are so important and how it makes everyone different. Lange claims, “Each culture has its own specific kind of art” (Lange, 1). Lange explains how each culture has its own beliefs and experiences. Different colors, symbols , and styles, is what makes it very unique from other cultures. By looking at art, and different cultures, people can learn about other cultures and how their society works and understand their way of life. Art also helps keep cultural traditions  alive and it allows people to share their ideas and identity. According to that, Lange also argues, "It's a way not only to preserve our customs and traditions” (Lange, 3). Lange emphasizes that through art, painting, music, dance, and other forms of art, people can pass down their beliefs and values, and stories of their generation in different forms. This allows traditions to continue in our society even through the changes because it's what brings us together as a community. Art helps people remember what past generations did and where they come from and it keeps cultural history from being forgotten. It's the ancestor and cultural blood that runs through all to keep us connected. Lange lastly indicates, “Art can unite the community” (Lange, 2). Art can unite people, through emotions, ideas, traditions. It makes it so people can connect even if they have a different background. Community art projects or even cultural events can help people build a stronger relationship and connect on a deeper level. Art creates a sense of belonging  and motivates people to get out of their comfort and connect through meaningful things.  Even though art can bring people together, some people believe it can also cause confusion and disagreements. 

Some people think art causes confusion because everyone sees and understands art differently. Art can be disturbing when others don’t have the same perspective and it leads to confusion because two people don’t have the same thoughts. Reading art from our knowledge looks different to everyone which could create conflict. While that may be true, art is still a powerful source of inspiration and in our society, different opinions make a substantial difference. They allow people to share ideas, learn from each other, and understand different points of view.  “Is there such a thing as Bad Art?” By Reed Enger, who has a different perspective. He believes many people can disagree about what a work of art means. Enger calls it, “Bullshit publicity stunt, and you’re guilty of ignoring the subtleties of its commentary” (Enger, 2). Enger uses diction and tone when he voices ‘Bullshit”,  to expose his expression and emotions about how he feels about art. He makes it clear that art can make people have disagreements, because many people have different opinions. Many artists create things due to what they think and how they view it connected to their personal life, yet it can look different for everyone else because people can look at it and connect to it in different ways leading to arguments on what the art really represents. He makes it known to, “Praise the work and you’re a sycophantic simp brainwashed by a corrupt industry” (Enger,2). When one person praises art work, another person might criticize it because they see it differently. It can lead to conflict because people have different opinions, interpretations. Basically, proves the idea that not everyone views art the same which could cause confusion and disagreements within the society. Although art can sometimes lead to different opinions and disagreements, it also plays an important role in showing what is happening in our society.

Art reflects the realities of society by bringing attention to important issues, experiences, and diverse perspectives. Nancy Reyer who wrote an article, Art In Society; Impact of Art In Culture & Community, spoke about how art in our society makes us see differently and view it from a different perspective. Reyner states art, “Serves as a mirror to societal values, challenges norms and inspires change” (Reyner, 1). Art reflects on what is happening in our society. Art can be questionable for certain people and be unfair due to the ideas. Yet, it can make people see new things within the world and see its actual meaning through color. In addition it, “Challenges the status quo, giving voice to marginalized groups  and sparking conversations about critical issues” (Reyner, 2). Art brings more people awareness of social issues. It can educate them about what really is happening in our society today, it can bring unknown information to bigger groups and create conversation making them feel connected and aware of their surroundings. Along with Lacey the book states, “ Well, it’s the point of view of an object, the object’s subjective point of view, he said” ( Lacey, 31). Lacey is proving how art can represent different perspectives and help people see the world in new ways. There’s tons of different points of views and none will all be the same, but it gives us a visual representation of how things can look different for everyone.  Through emotions, culture, and real life experiences, art will forever continue to shape how people understand themselves and the world around them.  

Art is more than just something people create or look at. It allows people to be open-minded and share feelings, learn about different cultures, and understand important issues in our society. Some people think art causes confusion because everyone sees it differently, but these different perspectives can help people learn from one another. My topic matters because art is a part of my everyday life and affects the way I think of people and connect with others. Anyone who wants to learn more about art can visit places like museums, events, explore different places because in reality we are the art and everything around us in our society.