Is Isolation a boon for creativity and a bane for sanity?

Is Isolation a boon for creativity and a bane for sanity?

Isolation, in its various forms and corollaries, has almost turned into a topic discussed as frequently as the weather to a Londoner. On one of my rainy self-isolation days, as I sit on outhouse rocker with a brewing cuppa, I could not help but spare a thought about Van Gogh. Did he rejoice or regret is isolation of 53 weeks in the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole? Although his art flourished, he slipped away to loneliness before shooting himself. Perhaps, the secret potion is in striking the right balance; Be lonely, but not alone. “If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company”.

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How Cezanne, undoubtedly, fathered Picasso, Matisse and Braque

Cubism, the art form that laid the foundation to modern art, with its deconstructed blocks and lack of pattern has always been a less understood form of art. Whenever I have talked about cubism to people, I have realized their confusion, bordering into apathy, for the art form. Its, however, perhaps so easy to understand if we see it as a “point of departure” from an otherwise realistic painting. And following Paul Cezanne’s works also helps us understand how the fractured forms of cubism flows smoothly from conventional ideas of realism. No wonder Picasso and Braque called him “the father of us all”.

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A new way to look at Leonardo

Leonardo da Vinci, whose Vitruvian Man, the drawing of the man in the circle in the square, is a symbol of absolute beauty but also precise science teaches us not to think in silos or disciplines, We often categorize ourselves as people who love science or humanities, however, one of the secrets of Leonardo’s genius was that he made no distinction between art and science.

Leonardo loved math projects—like how to square the circle—but he also loved music. He designed more than a dozen new musical instruments, and that involved knowing how sound waves work.

Leonardo teaches us the value of both being focused on things that fascinate us but also, at times, being distracted and deciding to pursue some shiny new idea that you happen to stumble upon. Balancing intense focus with being interested in a whole lot of different things is something that we have to do in the Internet age. 

Auctioned in 1980, the Leicester codex was bought by the American magnate Armand Hammer and at his death, purchased by Bill Gates for $30M.

Courtesy: Gatesnotes