SINGLEHOOD - A FUTURE FOR MEN!

Does getting married make a man happier, healthier, and more integrated into society? Let’s look at the relevant question bothering the ‘modern man.’

Motivation of men

Men are motivated by 3Fs: freedom, fame and fortune, and men who prefer to stay single are ruled by the first of these three Fs; freedom. It doesn’t in any way mean that for single men the other two, fame and fortune, are not important. Actually, they are very important, but the only difference is that single men lean mostly towards ‘self’ freedom. A single man would rather stay single than have a woman strap him down, because he loves his freedom and his independence more than any other thing. One thing which is vital for society to understand is that for a man to be single ‘isn’t selfish,’ it is just giving priority to his needs. 

What studies talk about?

The studies that support the claim that married men are doing better are biased because they want to make the married man look better and portray the single man’s life as worse. What these studies fail to highlight is that, sometimes it is the lifelong single, rather than the currently married, which are doing best. In other studies, it is the single that is the healthiest. Then there are studies which highlight previous single getting married, and staying married – they end up no happier than they were when they were single. In other words – getting married is no sure way to happiness and health. 

Stigma attached to single man

Unfortunately, single man’s life continues to be stigmatized, with single man stereotyped as less secure and more self centered than married man. Society normally labels single men as, ‘they will die sooner, alone and sad.’ There is also a notion that among society which assume single men to be unsociable, unattractive, or immature. These thinking are way of the mark because in reality many single men are charismatic and responsible.

Widespread singlehood

The number one reason why the modern men prefer to remain single is that – these men have difficulty flirting or are unable to impress the opposite sex, because most men are not even taught how to attract, date and maintain relationships with others. On top of that we live in a society that tends to have an expectation that ‘if you are an awesome enough person, things should fall into place.’ Nothing is more wrong and farther from the truth; either in life or for that matter in case of love. In the time gone by marriage were strictly arranged, which in a respect left men with little choice about who would be their wives, it also meant that their looks were irrelevant and they did not need to know how to attract women, all that was needed of them was to have the know-how of earning money to run the house. Sometimes single men’s work takes first priority, and they happily distribute much of their time to it; this leaves no time for a relationship. A man remain single because he is detailed oriented and tend to look at every little detail of a person through his perspective, and may analyze everything, thus if something makes him feel suspicious about someone, he won’t give the other person a chance anymore, that is why intelligent single men always weighs the pros and cons of why they should fall in love with another person, especially if they can be just fine by themselves. One more reason is that many single men don’t like any drama in their lives; most women love to create drama, so single men who love to be more productive, think of having a relationship as a hindrance in their life and in their success. Another reason is the fear of marriage; single men see marriage as a risk: emotional, financial and psychological.       

Singlehood is a good 

The rise in number of single men has left some in panic, but wait that is not the whole story; actually the percentage of single men is more than married men who are known for encouraging, helping and socializing with friends and neighbors. They are also more likely to visit, support, advice and stay in touch with their siblings and parents. Married men often put their spouse and kids at the centre of their lives; this behavior is perfectly fine and is also expected of them. On the other hand, single men are expanding the traditional boundaries of family. They are keeping their families, and are also putting their friends, ex-partners and mentors in their circle of family. Some men may even have committed romantic relationship, but chose to live in a place of their own. These individuals might move into their own apartment, where their friends and family are also living. They may buy a duplex with a close friend or explore co-housing communities or pocket neighborhood; which are communities of small houses clustered around shared space such as courtyard or garden. Single men are free to do what they want without having to consider a spouse’s desire; they enjoy more autonomy of their own life. Another benefit is that single men are not locked into family responsibility and obligation; they consequently can be more mobile and flexible in the climb up the career ladder. Single men tend to participate in more civic group and public events, enroll in more art and music and other self improvement classes. Single men are constantly on the lookout of finding and creating new variety of different life spaces. These examples should be a call for rejoicing, rather than doom and gloom.

Usher a new beginning

As the potential for living a full and meaningful single life for man becomes more widely known, then living single will become more of a genuine choice. And when living single is a real choice then the modern man will chose life that suits him, rather than the one that is prescribed by society.

AN ART CRITIQUE ENDEAVOR

To appreciate art, one needs to learn art critique; which is a sequential approach for looking at and talking about art. Gaurav Goswami explains all the processes that one needs to follow in order to understand art better.

It can be a lot of fun

Art criticism is not difficult; in fact it makes the study of art less mysterious and more logical. By art critique one means, the process of exercising a serious and objective examination on a work of art and making systematic judgement of it. This knowledge will give one confidence and courage to speak their mind. And as one starts to get proficient in the language of art, one will be able to delve deeper into the layers of meaning of each art piece.  

The right words

Every profession has its set of specific words that are exclusive to them; art also has its share of words. The line, tone, texture, movement and shape are just a few words in which art can be critiqued. However, the above mentioned words can be better described with the help of other words. The words used to describe line are: flowing, delicate, simple, bold, thick, and thin. When it comes to tone the words that better describe it are: subtle, contrasting, muted and dramatic. Texture is better described with words like: rough, fine, smooth, coarse, uneven. Words that describe movement are: swirling, flowing and dramatic. Art comes in various shapes, some words describing them are: organic, curvaceous, geometric, angular and elongated.

Building the ground work

When beginning a critique it is helpful to spend the first few minutes in silence contemplation of the piece i.e. simply absorb it visually. Look long enough to let the image sink into one’s consciousness, allowing the mind to sense which qualities attract and which distracts. A way to go about it is to purposely abstract the image in the mind. This is done by reducing any recognizable subject matter in shapes, lines, and filed of colour or tonal value; this is called the reduction process. After this initial inspection and before any critical determinations are made, it is often necessary to ask the artist some questions like, what they wanted the image to communicate to the viewer? Is the piece concerned only with the illusion it creates or it has a deeper meaning behind it?  Was the final product arrived at randomly, intuitively or through very deliberate choices? This question and answer session helps the critics to compare their first impressions with that of the artist. It is helpful to limit one’s thinking to the paradigm presented by the concerned piece of art. One’s arbitrary, random or impulsive assumptions are difficult to draw conclusions from; on the other hand, logical reasoning provides a structure which one can use to determine specific mystery behind the visual beauty. 

Evaluation criteria      

Art critique starts by reviewing the colour. The use of colour and the way how they are used, communicates messages and feelings to the critic. Tonal range refers to the contrast of value or the range from light to dark contained in the piece of art. For example, an artwork containing dark purple and pale yellow colour has a wide tonal range, while one containing only primary red or green colour has a narrow tonal range. The form of the piece of art gives the subject matter of a 2 D artwork the appearance of existing in 3 D space. Generally, the deeper an artist understands of the law of optical reality the more convincing the illusion. Having said that, it is helpful to know whether the artist intends these illusions to be accurate or they defy the optical laws of reality. The contents of an art work are composed in a certain arrangement, forming spatial relationships that lead the critic’s eyes around the piece or to a particular space within it. And the artist derives this effect by the composition of the piece of the art. Style in art refers to the intended distortion of optical reality in order to convey a particular meaning or express a particular feeling. When this is developed with a theory and implemented with skill, then stylization happens. Stylization adds layer of symbolism and also provide entertainment for the eyes. Cubism is a classic example of stylization. A painting consists of not only visual illusion, but a physical surface also. The characteristic of brush work and the physical qualities of the medium used contribute to the final look of the art work.      

Final thoughts

The best critiques are the result of an unfolding dialogue between the artist and the art critic. Art criticism not only has an important role in developing the work of artist, but also in helping viewer/critic to perceive and interpret works of art better. Finally a few pointers to remember while critiquing an art work: describe what one sees? Analyze how the work is organized?  Interpret what message does the art work communicate? And judge what does one think of the work?