In the first act of Luigi Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author” we are presented with a troupe of actors and their producer along with six seemingly mysterious family members who all seem to have different opinions about how their life got to where it is. As I dove deeper and deeper into the text, I could not help but form a resemblance to the producer’s point of view. After hearing the family’s request, the producer quickly shoots them down and demands they leave. Yet after hearing only the tip of the iceberg that is their story he quickly becomes interested in their troubled tale.
As I read this story unfold, I could not help but reflect back on our previous class discussions and notice a similarity in attitude to many people’s, including mine, sort of negative feeling towards humanities. I have never been a huge art fanatic nor have I ever placed a substantial importance on the fine arts of this world. But something I never seemed to question was is my first unguided impression truly how I felt? After viewing some of the pieces of art we have discussed in class, I can say that I appreciate it more than I did in the past. First impressions, such as the one the producer in “Six Characters in Search of an Author” can lead a person astray. Without truly making a hard-willed attempt to try to understand the unknown, the beauty of the piece will never be revealed. Had the producer simply turned the 6 family members away, their story would never be told.
While I may never be a true “fan” of art, already in the short two weeks of class my overall attitude or opinion has changed. My first, and consequentially last up to now, impression has been that it’s a waste of time to try and discover the true meaning of a painting because chances are we will never find the true meaning. But now I see the importance of critically analyzing artwork because not only can it give us meaning and understanding to the creator’s life, it provides us with insight on our own life.
