Today, I took a few hours to do something I don’t normally do when I’m abroad and working; I went sight seeing. But what I saw truly inspired me: The Prado Museum. I have always had an affinity for sacred art and going to the Prado continued to open my eyes to the joys that such art brings to so many people. As in opera or classical music, I feel that art, whether on canvas, sculptures, progressive art…all of it has the ability to elicit immense emotion from a viewer and hence, respect what contribution the artist himself made to society. Going to the museum just continued to affirm why I feel so blessed to be able to make gorgeous music on a pretty constant basis because people can be touched in such a distinctive way by so little or so much. And it further makes me continually say that all art is an inherent part of civil society, it should be cherished and respected, and mandated that children as young as possible become exposed to it, for art itself can always expand the imaginations of kids who hold the keys to our American and world destiny.

A piece that really struck me was a painting by Roger van der Weyden, titled the “Descent from the Cross”. To me, the artist was able to elicit such detail to so many small aspects of the painting that I found remarkable. For one, as it was produced in 1435, the sense of depression on all of the faces of the people in the painting as Jesus’ body was placed on the ground after dying on the cross struck me at the core. People face tragedy every day and for a painting of it’s time, the tragedy and plight of the individuals in the painting was palpable.

I found for the period itself, that the artist used the space in the painting very interestingly too. As a very condense area where if I recall correctly, there were 8 people, including Saint John and Nicodemus, van der Weyden made one feel as if the world was enclosing on the fallen Jesus. In other pieces depicting Jesus on the cross or off the cross, often more air and space didn’t give the same impact.

Mary, being held by Saint John, after fainting was the most striking of all. After studying the piece, I noticed that Mary and Jesus’ bodies were painted at the same parallel angle at about 45 degrees whereas the remaining 6 or so people were upward and straight. The two fallen people, Mary and Jesus was oddly symmetrical and being a Catholic, this hit me because it again serves to show that Mary and Jesus are one…both are divine, and one is the other’s blood.

There were many other pieces that I was able to see and I really appreciate the time I spent there. But I have to say that going to crown jewel museums like the Prado instills in me a joy because what musicians, dancers, actors, and the like do on a daily basis…the presentation of moving and visual art in varied ways, keeps society moving forward. It keeps it moving because the viewers, listeners, and spectators crave to be a part of every type of art as it brings out the same emotion that impacts us performers. We’re fortunate as artists to have the chance to be a part of something special; something that mattered at one time and still matters today and the more we as a society can do to help kids have access to this magnificent art, wonderful music, and dancing, the greater the chance that those kids will someday have the impetus to have a rounder, more passionate view of humanity. It is our obligation now to instill in kids the ideas, the sheer joy, and the desire to be a part of it. In this new generation of hyper video games, millions of tv channels, and even economic stagnation, there is a sense that society is reaching a point of no return and art as we know it won’t be the same even in a short while. But maintain that in art, in music, and in live theater, the key to a lasting artistic imprint on society is in our children, and it is up to us now to give them the tools and the drive to be a part of it for good.