Considering that the majority of fundamental ideas that support our modern society are based on centuries-old beliefs, should true knowledge stand the test of time? If a form of knowledge is new, does it have less validity than an older form? When discussing the use of modern technology, individuals who are not accustomed to it tend to dismiss its validity on the basis that it has not stood the test of time. Similarly, one could argue with the claim that information online is less valuable than information via art simply because the Internet has not been around as long as art. To counter this, I looked at articles that considered that art does not influence real life and is unnecessary. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay An article by David Sable examined how reliable art is as a means of communication. Sable spoke of European monarchs who were painted to look like celebrities or even gods. In this way, these works of art do not communicate real life; Researchers who are interested in ancient art today to learn more about the past must consider that some pieces may alter or exaggerate the truth. I have heard individuals in my life assert that the only reason for this alteration was the fact that art, at that time, was simply drawing, sketching, and sculpting. While this is true to a certain extent, I see it as allowing the artist to show the viewer their own perception of real life. I related this to my personal beliefs about the connection between art and current events growing up. As a child, I always admired celebrities and would buy any magazine featuring a celebrity I followed. Each photograph seemed effortlessly perfect and it tarnished the way I viewed my own photographs, but I soon realized that each photo had gone through several artistic stages. The models would be made up by makeup artists and stylists, photographed by professionals, and then photoshopped to look flawless. Previously, I viewed photography as a purely real reflection of life, rather than an artistic process of alteration and exaggeration. After thinking about this, I realized that standing the test of time can have different effects, often depending on the difference between when the art was published and today. Works of art popularized today are often older works of art. Iconic pieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Monet and many others were created at a time when the visual arts were still developing. Previously, this information had been communicated from generation to generation through oral sources – stories, songs and poems such as The Iliad, a long poem by Homer. We can therefore affirm that over the centuries, the arts have preserved our past while announcing our future; being a capsule of information, artistic works capture moments and experiences from the past. What connects works of art to the future is the idea that artists are ahead of their time. In cases like Van Gogh, we can see that artists often become famous after their death, indicating that the world simply wasn't ready for the works of art at the time they were created. Similarly, contemporary artists like Damien Hirst – who receives a love-or-hate response from his viewers – can be seen as ahead of.