The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
-Pablo Picasso
I wholly believe Pablo was on to something there. Art gives us the opportunity to take pause, reflect, and immerse ourselves in experiences beyond our routine. Art floods our senses, and stretches our minds in ways we cannot imagine.
I fancy myself a photographer, and the photos I produce are unique snippets of time and light that you can see and, if I've done my job right, feel, giving you an experience you may never have without the photo.
Art is a sensual experience evoking an emotional response. When we truly appreciate art I believe we find that we truly appreciate ourselves and our ability to create and be amazed by what we create.
Think about your favorite musical piece. Why is it your favorite? What emotions do you experience when you hear that tune? How about a favorite painting, or maybe there's a poem that touches you deeply. Maybe it's synchronized swimming that stirs your soul. It really doesn't matter what does it for you as long as it does it for you.
If it's music, paintings, or poetry that you enjoy then I've got some apps you may enjoy as well. ( Sorry, no synchronized swimming apps.) So, without further ado, lets get to it.
Poems By Heart [38.1 MB, runs on all iOS devices capable of running iOS 4.3 or later, Maker: Penguin Group USA.]
I'm a whiz at creating limericks. It's true. It's one of my super powers. I can create anapestic pearls on almost any subject with breathtaking speed. That is, however, the extent of my poetic talents. Try as I might, I have yet to produce a poem that elicits emotions other than humor, and perhaps pity. ( Latter more for my lack of talent than the content of the poem). That doesn't stop me from appreciating those who can write poetry.
Wouldn't it be great if you could recall and even recite your favorite poem anytime? Like anything worth doing, reciting poetry takes practice, and, of course, there's an app for that.
Poems By Heart is a fun little app that turns memorizing poems into a game. The app comes with four worthwhile odes from famous poets. You can hear the poem read to you or choose the learning feature which quizzes you on parts of the poem.
While this is a free app with free content, if you want more you'll have to buy it through in-app purchase. But if all you want to do is impress your friends or that potential significant other the four free poems should do nicely.
MoMA [5 MB, runs on all iOS devices capable of running iOS 7.0 or later, Maker: Museum of Modern Art.]
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is a veritable feast for the eyes. So many wonderful pieces by master artists, one could spend days ingesting such works from Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Jasper Johns, and Salvador Dali. Unfortunately not everyone can make it to that banquet. Lucky for us there the MoMA app.
This app is absolutely free. Nothing more to buy, and what it gives you makes it seem woefully undervalued.
Find exhibits, examples of collections, even recorded descriptions and backgrounds on selected works. You can examine featured works up close or just flip through entire collections.
If you do make it to MoMA the app can serve as a guide, just tap in the code under a art piece you are near and hear info about the piece.
If you're heading to MoMA or just wish you could, grab this app.
Jimi Hendrix: The Complete Experience [144 MB, runs on all iOS devices capable of running iOS 5.0 or later, Maker: Sony BMG Music Entertainment]
When Jimmi Hendrix was around I didn't much appreciate his music. He was year ahead of anything I could get into at the time. Oddly, now that I'm (a lot) older I find that I can not only get into what he was doing, but I can also appreciate the mad guitar skills the man had. It is by no mere accident that Hendrix shared stages and recording booths with other Rock legends. The man was a true master.
If you'd like to know more about the life and times of Jimi Hendrix then download Jimi Hendrix: The Complete Experience.
In it you'll find a detail biography of the boy from Seattle who became a major music influence. There are photos galore, each with captions, videos of some of his concerts, even interviews. As you browse, selected Hendricks tunes play, the title of each are displayed. Should you want to buy the tune playing a simple tap lets you.
You'll also find a complete discography. In fact, there's so much in this app that you'll have to set aside 137MB to hold it, but it's well worth it.
And that's a wrap for this week.
Be sure to grab this week's Free App of the Week, Assasins Creed: Pirates and this week's Free Single of the Week from Phox called KingFisher