It's the same with visual arts, you have some really cool

"It's the same with visual arts, you have some really cool, wonderful striking images that make you think and then again you have wonderful striking images that just take you away from the existing world for a second. And I like the latter a bit more." These words from Ville Valo speak to the power of art and the impact it has on the soul. Valo touches on the dual nature of visual arts—on one hand, we have images that provoke thought and reflection, urging us to analyze and question; on the other, we have images that serve as a gateway to another realm, momentarily freeing us from the mundane and lifting us into something beyond our ordinary experiences. This escape from the existing world, even if brief, is what Valo seems to cherish more deeply. The world of art, in this sense, offers both intellectual engagement and a transcendent experience.

The ancients, particularly the Greeks, understood the transformative power of art, though in their time, art was deeply intertwined with the pursuit of truth and beauty. Plato famously spoke of art in his Republic, discussing how artists create imitations of the world, and how these images can either reflect reality or distort it. For Plato, art was a mirror—a representation of the ideas and forms that exist in the higher realm of truth. But even Plato acknowledged the allure of art's ability to transport the viewer. While he cautioned against its potential to deceive, he also understood that art’s power lies in its ability to make one feel, even if momentarily, as though they were entering a different world, one that can both uplift and transform the mind and spirit.

The Romans, too, revered art as a vehicle for conveying not only beauty but also emotion and inspiration. Roman statues, like the Venus de Milo, were not merely decorative, but were meant to evoke the sense of divinity and transcendence. Through their art, the Romans sought to capture the sublime—those fleeting moments where the viewer might feel as though they had glimpsed the divine. The Romans, like Valo, understood that art could provide more than just intellectual stimulation—it could offer an escape, a portal to something greater than the limitations of everyday life. Art, in this way, served both to reflect the world and to transport the soul to new, unexplored realms.

The modern world continues to grapple with this dual nature of art. Consider the influence of the Renaissance, when artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo used their works to challenge the boundaries between humanity and the divine. Their art was not simply meant to represent the world, but to elevate the viewer's understanding of the human condition and the cosmos. Mona Lisa, for instance, does more than simply present an image of a woman; it transports the viewer to a place of mystery, wonder, and contemplation. In her smile, we glimpse not only the beauty of the subject but a universal truth—the complexity and elusiveness of life itself. Like Valo, many artists of this period sought not just to provoke thought, but to lift the soul beyond the confines of the earthly realm.

In music, too, we find a parallel to this dual experience. The compositions of Beethoven, for example, are not merely intellectual exercises in harmony, but spiritual journeys. His 9th Symphony, with its jubilant Ode to Joy, takes the listener to a place beyond reason and into a realm of pure emotion and unity. There are moments in music, much like in visual art, where the sound itself becomes an escape, lifting the listener to heights of ecstasy, where time seems to stand still. This is the magic of art—it allows us to experience life in its fullest form, whether through the lens of intellectual exploration or through the pure transcendence that it offers.

The lesson here is that art—whether visual, musical, or otherwise—holds the power to shape our perceptions and elevate our experiences. There are times when art challenges us to think, to wrestle with difficult ideas, and to confront the complexities of the world. But there are also times when it offers us an escape, allowing us to momentarily transcend the ordinary and enter a world where the soul can breathe freely, unburdened by the constraints of daily life. Ville Valo’s words remind us of the importance of both experiences in the realm of art: the provoking and the uplifting, the thoughtful and the transporting.

In practical terms, we should seek to create space in our lives for both forms of art. We should challenge ourselves to explore the intellectual depth of art, to engage with works that force us to think deeply and critically. But we should also make time for art that allows us to escape, to be carried away by beauty and emotion, to experience the transcendent qualities of the human spirit. Whether it is through reading, painting, listening to music, or engaging in performance, art holds the key to both personal growth and spiritual liberation. As Valo suggests, the most profound art is not always the one that leaves us with answers, but the one that takes us beyond the world we know and into realms of inspiration and wonder.