The Nature of Art and Creativity

Creativity is the ability to put one’s imagination to use, in most instances resulting in the creation of an original piece. It is often used in the production of artistic work. People who innovate are considered creative in the sense that they produce original ideas. These ideas can be abstract or practical. Abstract ideas can take the form of art while useful ideas can result
in industrial processes that make work easier. Painters, sculptors, thinkers, scientists and even sports personalities all exhibit aspects of creativity. Creativity is second nature to mankind. Without creativity, mankind would not have been able to survive for this long. Man has had to be creative when handling disasters or manufacturing electronic gadgets. The discovery of electricity, the paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso are all expressions of creativity.
In the words of Roger Cardinal, an art critic of French extraction, an untrained artist is a raw artist, an artist that is widely uninformed in the discipline of art. An untrained artist is thus a person who practices art out of a desire to express oneself without having recourse to the rules established by the profession. Untrained artists are also known as outsider artists.  They tend to develop art almost spontaneously, without recourse to the conventions and style of the industry. They are to be distinguished from trained artists by the fact that trained artists have knowledge of art history and strive to make their work while respecting the rules of the game.
In the Birth of Venus by renowned artist Botticelli, we are introduced to magical work. Sandro Botticelli manages to portray Venus naked by the sea shore, an act that indicates the birth of Venus. The purity and majesty of the force of life (Love) are captured by the blowing wind and the maiden in the name of Ora give the painting an angelic feel. The use of violets in the piece of art to signify modesty and love help add to the beauty and majesty of the Birth of Venus.  The vastness of the meadow, trapped in the violets, give a heavenly feel to the Birth of Venus, and the generous merging of Greek and Roman culture in the painting together with aspects of Christianity give it a universal appeal. The richness of the picture remains etched in memory, moments after being disconnected from the eye.
In a Waterfall on a Lofty Cliff, Chinese painter Zhang Daqian captures several emotional states. The artist uses an abstracted landscape that threatens to swallow the entire painting. Daqian can employ a variety of styles in the painting, including the Chinese style of xieyei, traces of which can be seen in Waterfall on a Lofty Cliff. The Abstract Expressionist style he adopts tends to give a dour impression of the painting, which in my opinion takes away from the beauty, although adds to the mystery. The shade of gray in the background, combined with the use of bright colors to counter the abstractness is commendable because it employs free strokes of the brush.
Zhang Daqian gives life to his painting through this skillful use of broken-ink style of painting. Whether it is a painting or a book of fiction, creativity is the common thread that defines the work of an artist. A creative author must be able to understand the moods, tastes and preferences of his or her audience and craft a product that will capture the imagination of the audience.