Art. Big, daunting word. Also the simple and hearty balm that soothes our savage hearts and feeds our souls.

But for all the grandiosity and pomp, arts of every kind can be easy to enjoy and easy to get into. So why not dive into 2026 with some new year’s arts resolutions that are fun, free, or cheap (and endlessly rewarding).

Learn to love the Impressionists for free

It’s hard not to fall in love with the Impressionists. Basically, you just need to stand in front of a great painting and just look at it. Yes, it’s that effortless. And because the Harvard Art Museums is free to everyone every day, you can just pop in a look at Claude Monet’s “Charing Cross Bridge: Fog on the Thames,” marvel at the light, the lack of light, the brightness that somehow shines out of a misty riverfront, and leave. Or you can smile at Mary Cassatt’s “Woman on a Striped Sofa with a Dog.” Or take in John Singer Sargent’s “Lake O’Hara.” For free, you can stroll in, look at a painting for two minutes, stroll out, and head to Pinocchio’s for a slice. Again, it’s that effortless.

Learn to love murals while going from point A to point B

Maybe it’s a trip to the post office. Or to the bar. Or even a jog. Across East Boston, HarborArts has sponsored the creation of 21 massive murals you can take in anytime. Stunning in their artistry and sheer size, these murals are best absorbed on a two-mile walk that weaves through the neighborhood. If you go to harborartsboston.com, you’ll find an awesome self-guided tour that uses Google Earth to take you from piece to piece. One fave, “Tallboy,” is a wonderful reminder of our world’s beauty and fragility.

Get an (unofficial) film degree for $120

Seeing as how the Brattle has been Boston’s unofficial film school since 1953, why not get an unofficial degree – make it a Ph D., we don’t care. Becoming a member of the Brattle costs you $120. With it you get a dozen movie passes, $2 off additional movies, and lots more goodies. That means you can become a film connoisseur with upcoming screenings of David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet,” Humphrey Bogart’s classic “Casablanca,” and a score of foreign films. It also means you can just indulge in lowbrow classics — also on the calendar are “The Princess Bride” and the theater’s annual Bugs Bunny Film Festival.

Dance, dance, personal revolution

Cross “exercise more” and “try something new” off your resolutions list all at once. Let loose your inner Misty Copeland, Fred Astaire, or Elaine from “Seinfeld” (whose dancing is “like a full body dry heave set to music”). You can slip on some ballet shoes with classes from Boston Ballet or José Mateo Ballet Theatre. You can forget the shoes all together at the South End’s School at Urbanity Dance, which offers a range of classes from kids to adults, amateurs to experts. Across the river Cambridge’s Dance Complex goes deep into dance to let you learn everything from Classical Kathak Dance to modern for 55+ to advanced Flamenco.

Local classes can help you learn ballet, modern dance or even flamenco. (Photo Metro Creative Services)