Why is that painting worth millions of dollars? Here is why

Ballet performance, Bryant Square, New York

Given my dad is a painter, I’ve often thought about the value of art. How come that painting is worth millions of dollars? Well, during a trip to New York it finally clicked for me.

New York is noisy and crowded place as I’ve discovered, but even here you can discover oases of tranquility in between the tall important buildings. One such oasis is Bryant Square. When I visited, there was a stage with ballet dancers performing.

Music gave the square a sense of calm. All the sounds of the city seemed to be lost within the classical music guiding the dancers through their performance. Some people were enjoying the show, others reading books, studying music, or playing board games like chess.

All these people had something in common — they were in no rush. It was magical.

As I was walking around, I thought about my future, about the people sitting there, and about the art of performing. Many times before I’ve asked myself about the role of art in the world and the answers always seemed rather vague. Art is there to enrich our lives. To express ourselves. But strolling around the park, I saw a fresh, clear angle.

Art exists to put our minds into a beautiful state.

It exists to make us feel wonder, happiness, horror, and all the other emotions. If someone buys a painting for a hundred million dollars, they’re not buying the painting, they’re buying the feeling of seeing the Picasso on their wall and knowing that it belongs to them, and only them.

The value of art is in the feelings it brings to us.