I am always a bit surprised when I visit homes or offices with nice things and much thought given to those things and their placement, but where art does not exist or is treated at best as an accessory. I find myself asking, why is this so? How could the presence of art be so much a part of our lives, our history and our culture and then be given so little presence of mind in our embellishment budgets?

The answer could simply be that as expensive as a fine sofa or table might be, it still has function and we tend to think of function first because it grows out of need. A fair point indeed, but without being a historian, I'll bet you early man (and woman) were painting and telling stories on the walls of caves while they were still sitting on cold dirt floors and or even knew what tables were.

You see, art has always had its place, its purpose and function throughout time. And while I'm not suggesting that you bust out the kid's crayons and start telling your family history by sketching on your walls, I am implying, art has had its place in every civilization. Whether it be the Romans or American Indians, the Egyptians or the great kingdoms such as England or France, art was always important and purposeful and never an after thought. I would also go as far as to say, a museum of art is largely how we define our notable cities today.

Ask yourself this, what significant city is without a museum to celebrate art? Art is simply what people think of first when they think of the word museum. Oh yes, there may be a spy museum or even a Elvis museum, all with a purpose, but museums such as the Louvre in Paris or the National Portrait Gallery here in Washington D.C. or the Guggenheim in New York City, are places of true treasure. We are quiet when we are there, careful not to touch, in true awe and inspired. These treasures preside in great buildings as well, towering monuments to civilization and masterpieces in their own right and you know when you are in their presence.

Art truly has a powerful presence. It has the power to captivate audiences and therefore handled correctly, is likely to be the focal point of any room or setting. This of course has great advantages and if you needed but one simple function for art, this could be it, but there are so many more.

Unlike a mirror which can only reflect it's surroundings, art can reflect our emotions, especially if we choose it properly. As an example, art can reflect a part of our lives or some place special we have visited. It can show we are fond of someone through a portrait, maybe even of a pet and it can reflect our passions in rich florals through unbridled color. It can be narrative and tell a story, imply motion, call for deep thought, pain or complete happiness. But, art can even do more than this, it can even reflect power.

Years ago I was employed by a publishing company whose President had in his office a sofa he would sit on for many of his meetings. The staff or visitors would then sit in chairs nicely arranged facing him, with a coffee table between them, you get the picture. The sofa was against a wall and on that wall was a "very" large painting done by a talented Chinese artist. It was of that famous scene we all saw on television of the protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, with a single defiant student standing strong in front of a tank. Every time the tank inched forward with its long, projecting barrel or made a move from side to side, the student would hold his ground. It was a powerful scene that made for a very powerful painting and a very interesting place for it to have been hung wouldn't you think? Purposeful? Yes, and it was one of the most interesting and psychological negotiating tools I've ever seen. I witnessed the power of that painting many times and hey, who says art's not functional?

Art can be far less overpowering though. Its versatility can bring us to a very peaceful state of mind, nice for a family room, but how about a dentist's office? It can create a splash of color thus drawing attention away from an area we would like there to be less focus on. It can create conversation, continuity and contribution. Art is much more likely to reflect the essence of you and it's easy for me to see art coming first to a room with everything else playing a supporting role, but whether art comes first or last, it should never be forgotten.

There is art for all budgets, personalities and places. Choose what you like, not just something that goes with the other things you have chosen. Then do what I do, enjoy it!