Ball of Wax

Art is everywhere in life. In the article The Whole Ball of Wax by Jerry Saltz, he describes the relevance of art in everyday life. He uses the ball of wax to emphasize the importance of art; “art is not optional; it is necessary. It is part of the whole ball of wax.” Art is used in so many different ways and forms, many that most people would not think of as art. The way everything is laid out in front of a person’s eye is put together thoughtfully and caringly. Even as I am typing on this computer, every single letter was strategically placed on the keyboard to make it easier to type. The way the letters are laid out on the keyboard is art. The thoughts the person had while putting these letters down on the keyboard is a form of art. Even the letters themselves are art. Each letter is different and represents something different; each letter is its own and is unique.

Every piece of art is unique in its own way. Every alphabetical letter is its own representation of something so different from another. It has its own meaning, sound, shape, and design. As Saltz says, “art creates new thought structures.” Every time a person looks at a letter, the way they say the letter could be different than the person saying the same letter next to them. People have different accents and pronounce things differently. A person with a British accent is going to pronounce the letter “A” differently than a person who speaks with an Australian accent. The letters represent the same thing, and both people use the letters for the same words, however interpret the letters vocally different. One piece of art could have one thousand different interpretations, and everything can be interpreted as art.

Saltz describes a piece of art called Girl With a Pearl Earring and View of Delft. Many people think of these paintings as beautiful, however it is more than just that. The painter, Antionio Cassese, says that “these paintings were ‘invented to heal pain’; ‘they radiate a centeredness, a peacefulness, a serenity, and are a psychic balm.’" The purpose of these paintings were to sooth the viewers and make them feel calm and at peace. Every individual piece of art has its own meaning. The people who created every piece of art had a purpose. When looking at art, we need to look deep into it and think about every aspect of thought and purpose that was put into that piece of art. Art is deep and art is everywhere.