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thought on art |
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Art, unlike science, is not measured by its progress
Its
evolution reminds one of concentric circles on the surface of water that
has been disturbed by a rock. Similarly, arts of cultures and civilizations
stand independently, but at the same time they are unified
by their common striving for order and harmony; a tendency that can be
observed not only in art but in all organic life. Art is the physical
manifestation of the sensual perceptions of the world as interpreted and
organized by these various groups of peoples. This is why, when compared with one
another, the ancient and contemporary, the Western and the Eastern, the
primitive and the modern, in spite of their many differences, each still
has its own inherent qualities to which the terms better and worse do
not apply.
To climb to the top of a mountain one must start his ascent from
its fooot. To reach the top of another mountain one must first descend.
Like a river that has rapids and stagnant pools, the history of art of
every culture at has rapids and stagnant pools, the history of art of
every culture and civilization
consists of periods of renaissance alternated with periods of decline.
For instance the first half of the twentieth century was marked by an
unprecedented upsurge in the evolution of art. Then followed a period of
absorption and transformation of the previous achievements on the one
hand, and their total neglect and denial on the other. it is sad, but
this latter current dominates in the art world today. The goal of
making money prevails over the goal of making art. The importance of an
art object is reduced to a minimum with the emphasis given to the
spectator's perception.
Therefore an art object plays the role of a
stimulus which takes its final form in the specta There is also a
tendency in contemporary art toward the merging of various heterogeneous
elements of styles of the past with no attempt at correlation between
these elements or submiithese elements or submiandards of art to the
level of comprehension of the man on the street. "Painting is a thing of
intelligence" Picasso once said, meaning that its understanding requires
some knowledge and ability to understand. The only art is that which
serves itself; the ssion of them to the wholeness of the composition.
Such a work becomes a tangle of contradictions, where disorder serves no
purpose except to shock the viewer. Thus many so called artists paint
eclectic works in which they are guided not by any degree of
purposefulness, but rather merely by chance. Synthesis, not eclecticism,
should be the goal of a thinking artist whose every detail should exist
and function in harmonious union with the whole.
There is also the tendency toward lowering the sttttrest is only
a surrogate. A work of art contains its own intrinsic qualities which
possess certain meaning and purpose.
Art functons as a mirror where the conscience of each generation
is reflected in a concrete form. At present, we look at some of the
reions as a mirror where the conscience of each generation is reflected
in a concrete form. At the present we look at some of the refll ections
with fear and repulsion, like Pasiphae at her hideous fruit of love.
However, in opposition to the artistically weak and morbid creations,
the principles of the other current are based on the inner structure of
an art work and the cohesion of its elements that function as a whole.
In this case, a work of art carries a perceptually self evident
expression which a spectator does not convert into expressive and
harmonious images in his mind, thus completing it; but is instead an
independent entity.
The goal of evolution is improvement. Only the finest can
survive this battle; an eternal battle which takes place among the
representatives of each generation. The rest settle, after a time, to
the bottom like det and sink into oblivion.
Like all living thientatives of each generation. The rest settle, after
a time, to the bottom like detritus, and sink into oblivion.
Like all living thing s, an artist has a purpose. One of the
meanings of his life consists of the development of his talent like a
seed's purpose is to become a flower. To find his purpose in life an
artist must uncover his potential. To make his life meaningful, he must
fulfill that potential.
The objective of a true artist is the development of a specific
artistic system. He is similar to a criminal, who does not obey the old
rules, but breaks them, creating hh hl, who does not -obey the old
rules, but breaks them, creating his own and revealing his ego. A
creator is duty bound to rethink everything with honesty, talent and
ambition, creating images which correspond to his conception of reality.
When an artist paints, he does not imitate reality, but creates
a new one, based on its own laws and its own principles.
Also, the aim of art is not to represent the inward significance of
things, but to represent the inward significance of the artist through
the inward significance of the objects he paints.
In the course of his work an artist relies on his intuition,
knowledge and skill. With the aid of these he expresses his own
conception of the ultimate reality, bringing it to perceptual level.
Philosophy is the foundation on which the building of art is erected.
Thus a work of art is a representation of a philosophy in a concrete
form.
As snow is the crystallization of water, an art work is the
crystallization of the artist's feeling; a feeling that is captured in a
cage of colors and lines, in the case of painting, or by other means in
other art mediums. The radiance that emanates from a work of art takes
as its source that caged feeling. Like the rays of light or waves of
sound which we perceive with the help of our eyes and ears, we sense
this radiance through our minds and souls. It vibrates, moving and
touching our senses, giving us intellectual pleasure. A true work of art
is a creation of a mind for a mind. It is a harmony of symbols, which is
itself a symbol.
After its completion, an art work becomes free of itits creator.
It does not depend on the spectator's perception. It lives its own
independent life according to its own laws, laws upon which its unity is
built. In short, a work of art is an entity by itself that relies on its
own qualities.
Alexander Chubar
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art
Alexander Chubar
