The Originals

Just the other day I saw some original artwork. I have seen replications my entire life, and very few originals. My daughter and her husband took me to the Art Institute of Chicago for my 60th birthday. It was a great way to launch my next decade. I finally had laid my eyes on some ORIGINALS: Picasso, Rembrandt and Monet to name a few.

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One of the more interesting things I saw there were people taking selfies of themselves with a famous work of art. I thought it was pretty funny, but deep down I wanted to do it to! If my pride would have allowed it, I would have taken one of me and the self-portrait of  Van Gogh. Then I could  gaze and ponder away at Vincent and myself side by side. Even though I didn't take that picture, I imagined that I was looking at it. And what I saw was amazing.

I saw TWO ORIGINALS side by side, both with a different creator. Van Gogh had created an image of himself, and it is the original and one and only on this planet. And God had created me, and I am the original and one and only on this planet! In my silly musings, I had stumbled upon a wonderful revelation. That all of us are so much more that an original piece of any man made art. If we only viewed each other with as much reverence as famous works of art, what a difference that would make. 

Everyone loves a newborn. I know I do because at some level I am aware that I am observing a brand new creation. An original and one of a kind work of art. And even with my own children, I knew that I did not create them. Why have I forgotton this? Why do I continue to not see that I am witnessing an original creation in all of my encounters? Maybe it is because it is so "commonplace". Because there are so many of us, we seem to take these masterpieces for granted. But we are not copies like so many prints, photos or recordings. And why do we continue to idolize the great artists, and forget about The Creator?

So with that knowledge, what can I think about all the "originals" I observed? Are God's creations the only ones to admire?

I know absolutely nothing about art, so I am sure that my appreciation of what I saw was severely limited. But even with that handicap, I could still experience the emotions that were evoked while gazing. My most intense emotion was the sense of harmony and connection I experienced with some of the paintings, just as I do when I listen to different music genres. My soul seems to resonate with different sound and lyric combinations, and I found this to also be true with the various colors and forms of the art I visually drank in.

It got me to thinking that perhaps it is the hope and pleasure of most writers, painters, and musicians to make a connection with another soul. As a novice writer, that is always my hope.

We are creative creations. And our creativity probably serves many purposes. But I believe the main purpose we are made to create is to connect and resonate...with each other and with our Creator.