A Review on The Whole Ball of Wax- Jerry Saltz

Comparing the world to a ball of wax is thought provoking for me as it shows that the world can be modeled into anything. Saltz says, "Art is not optional: it is necessary. It is part of the whole ball of wax." People can see art in anything, art is apart of basic human life, it is all around us. I think Saltz hit the nail on the head by saying that we don't just look at art, we look into it, what it means to us, and how it makes us feel.

As Saltz mentioned, Oscar Wilde famously stated, "The moment you think you understand a work of art it's dead for you." While this statement does seem a little dramatic I can totally agree with it. People have very different experiences from one another, where there are points in their life that certain types of work are more relatable to them, in that moment, than in the past or future. Art is very subjective because it has a different meaning to everyone who looks at it. Although, as Saltz stated, art cannot literally change the world, but the way the observer sees the world, thus changing the people of the world.

I have never had that same type of relationship with art that Saltz has. I can definitely appreciate a beautiful painting or sculpture, but, I usually don't think more into depth than that. I am hoping that this class will help me be able to see art from a different view, and be more in touch with how it makes me feel rather than if I like how it looks.