Search for Meaning Definition:
The urge to understand life and to develop a sense of its greatest purpose is central to much of the world's art. Meaning may be found in the peaceful momentary contemplation of beauty, expressed in the desire to extend a compassionate hand to another, or passed on through generations in beliefs and myths that explain life's mysteries.
Related Concepts:
Myths: Myths are traditional stories that explain natural phenomena, the world's creation or life's difficulties and purposes. They are shared to assist generations in understanding and coping with life and are conveyed through oral or storytelling or pictures. Sacred and ordinary human characters in myths may teach profound life lessons.
Beliefs: Beliefs are ideas held to be true by an individual or society. They may change over time. Art communicates about and questions various personal, social, political or religious beliefs.
Serenity, Peace and Purpose: Serenity and peace are feelings that can inspire arts creation and be conveyed through art. The search for inner peace, serenity in and acceptance of a situation and a sense of one's purpose in life can be expressed through art.
Empathy and Compassion: Caring about others is a universal commonality that can be meaningful to an individual as well as to society. Empathy and compassion may be the message in artwork as well as the results of appreciating cross-cultural commonalities through art.
Spirituality and Religion: Spirituality and religion are dimensions of life, or thoughts that relate to the supernatural. Exploration of life's meaning in all cultures involves looking beyond the facts of the physical world to a deeper, more profound sense of truth.
Search for Meaning