City of dreams or shattered dreams??

New York a.k.a ‘the big apple’. When you think of NY city you envisage tall skyscrapers, whizzing subways, zigzagging yellow cabs, bustling people on the streets, tourists from all over the world, a financial hub etc. In short a city of dreams… hopes… inspiration…resilience and power for millions across the globe. Yet, there are thousands of them whose dreams remain just those… dreams!

Last weekend when I was in NYC with cousins who were visiting us from India, I came across this painter and photographer who was selling his artwork on the street near the Empire state building. My husband & I were really impressed and awed by his work, very beautiful and intricate details in all of his paintings which I’m sure would have been very time-consuming not forgetting the amount of effort he would have put into it. In spite of all this, it was sad and heartbreaking to see such immense talent and art going futile by selling it away at the price of peanuts.. literally! Nearly everyone passed the paintings without so much as a glance! Leave aside appreciating or buying the art work. Most certainly he didn’t dream of selling his work on some street which costs about the same as the peanuts you get there on the very same street! Has the love and appreciation for art diminished so largely in this city which boasts of so many art museums? Ironically, if the same painting of this street artist bared the name of ‘Van Gogh’, ‘Monet’ or ‘Picasso’ then probably the worth and respect for that very painting will see a tremendous growth in both the aspects and you might find that same painting hanging in the corridors of the Met art museum!
Well, as an amateur artist myself, all I can hope is that people can learn to realize and appreciate the true value of art, or else budding artists like me will never have the courage and self-confidence to venture out and show/exhibit their work to the world, ever!