The Girl Who Finds Art Alive

“A few years ago, by a fortunate  coincidence, I stood in an archaeological site still under excavation.” That moment was the spark that lit up Gloria’s passion for her life. That moment sparked Gloria’s lifelong passion.

“It felt different. Other works are just several artefacts; you don’t feel near or far away from them. They are just there.” But in that Turkish tomb, she said, “I felt as if I’ve really walked into history, as if the lore of the past is happening in real time.”

She studies Art History and Archaeology. “Every time I tell my family or friends that I study Art History, they would always express sincere awe.” Through their tone, Gloria added, they thought art is elitist and unreachable.

“I tried to explain, but in vain.” Art education is not emphasized in Chinese schools. From an early age, Art classes are often replaced by  ‘main subjects’, implicitly telling students it is unimportant, that it doesn’t belong to them, and that the students couldn’t understand.

Princeton Art Museum, where I met Gloria

Perhaps they are partially right. Sometimes, “I would discover many of my classmates are fluent in Greek or Latin, while I could barely read academic English,” Gloria recollected. And she was there, sitting in the classroom, worrying whether she could get a job with this degree or not. It seems “elitist.” The journey was difficult, but her passion was never dampened by the series of thorns along the way.

“That tomb expedition solidified my determination.”

Some tiny moments prove her choice right. Once, she was studying the old capital of the Assyrian Empire. “It was a wow moment,” she said, “The capital’s layout followed exactly the same '回' pattern as Beijing’s Forbidden City.” But the two empires were decades and kilometers apart. The coincidence struck her in awe for the history of humanity. “Perhaps this is the way we are as human beings. No matter what gender, what race, which ethnicity, we share a common consciousness.” And the traces of human civilization, like wheels of cars, roll forward cyclically.

But she added, “After studying Art History, I have lost a kind of emotional resonance.” Systematically studying the history of art trained Gloria to approach art like a scholar. Stepping into museums, “I would immediately start analyzing the works’ context, artist background, symbolism, trying to find meaning behind the work.”

However, the modern curation of art museums encouraged neither emotion nor analysis. Every museum showcases artefacts as if there’s no time left, as if to show off how much they possess. Cursory glances are encouraged, while the sinking of feelings is discouraged, catering towards the modernity of efficiency and “as much as possible.”

“I feel almost too rational,” Gloria admitted, “and tired. I tried to find the resonance back, but futilely.”  The reality seems to create an invincible wall for the spiritual magic of art to thrive.

“Everything’s complex nowadays, and art also became distorted, aloof from simplicity.” While in the distant past, art was an expression of emotion; it was a record of life; it could be anything and everything. Art was simple. It was both meaningful and meaningless.

“Have you figured out the meaning behind the discovery of the Assyrian Empire?” I finally asked. She thought for a bit and said, “Sometimes, we are too persistent in seeking meaning in everything, but in reality, most things out in the world just exist as they are.”

And we should accept, too.