words can't follow

Art works because each of us feels alone, and art is the way back to a friendlier place. Nothing is much friendlier than sharing a deeply held truth about yourself with others, even if it’s only you and the artist. Thoughtful people look for and sometimes find themselves in art. Maybe they find the art they would have made if they’d just given up their career and devoted themselves to art for decades, or maybe they feel connection, an empathy for a piece – they don’t know why. Now if someone else, maybe a total stranger, seems to like the same piece, chances are better than average they’ll have other things in common – a fondness for ethnic food, a tendency to drive too fast, a preference for city life, even though they may not speak. Whatever it is they’re responding to can’t be talked about directly. That’s because words can’t follow everywhere pictures can go – it's the reason we have art around.

Also see "The More Things Change, The More Art Remains True."  Published in Business Lexington, December 24, 2010:  http://www.bizlex.com/Articles-c-2010-12-20-96436.113117-The-more-things-change-the-more-art-remains-true.html