Painting

-Language is not only defined through words but by images and both are forms of communication. Communication is used to attain knowledge and that is one reason how language can be compared to the art of painting.

-Facts and emotions are depicted through the colors and objects used in paintings. We tend to associate language with a visual reality as a combination of the facts and emotions, but we can see and think only what our language has trained us to see and think. This is known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

(e.g dogs, angry, emotions in general)

- The cultural celebration will have a painted background for each dance being performed, in the show the background will assist in adding to the beauty of the dance and will give a visual aid to the culture that will be represented.

- The images painted on the background not only add beauty but also tie up loose ends that the audience could not decipher from the dance itself. For instance, in the Russian story ballet it is common for the background to depict the setting of the narrative being told. Knowing the setting contributes to a deeper understanding of the story just as a written definition provides a deeper understanding to language. As an audience member what we believe we know from looking at the painting, such as that the narrative takes place in winter Russia, could be incorrect because of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. If we haven’t been exposed to vocabulary that describes the characteristics of a Russian winter our assumptions of what we see are likely to be wrong.

- Painting does not use words to pass on knowledge but the emotions that the images evoke are translated into vocabulary that in the end turn into sentences. These sentences tell us what we know, or think we know.

-However, language has an established, agreed upon, vocabulary while painting can mean infinitely anything, its creative and imaginative. Which brings upon the question, to what extent is language in painting restricted? Millions of people can look at one painting but it can mean an infinite amount of different things. Thus, it supports the opinion that language is limited to how we define emotion, conflicts, etc. For instance, when we use the word rich we think of big houses or money but when applied to art rich can be defined through various colors such as purple, gold, or even red.

Music