the control of form over matter (Schiller)
not to chronicle the times or the landscape (Botero)
to express what cannot be verbalized (speak the unspeakable)
to provide visual metaphors
to express the artist's feelings at the moment
to help integrate the viewers with modern/daily/contemporary living
to bring about enjoyment of life
to disturb
to entertain
to enlighten
to teach
to sober and quiet the mind
to stimulate the mind
to provide a focus for thinking
to provide a reflection on the medium itself
to provide an opportunity for self-alteration
to get us to suspend our prejudices
to get us to see more clearly
to introduce us to the life we are living
to present a new perspective
to depict the inner world of the artist
to draw us nearer to the world we live in
to present a personal expression of reality
to increase our awareness & appreciation of reality
to elevate reality
to transform reality (Malraux)
to carry culture forward
to remind us of what is important
to challenge conventional thought
to take a radical position
to slaughter sacred cows
to influence our actions/responses to the environment
to humanize
to do something for people
to attempt freedom
