manifestation of some mysterious idea, beauty,
God; not, as the aesthetician-physiologists say,
a form of play in which man releases a surplus
of stored-up energy; not the manifestation of
emotions through external signs; not the
production of pleasing objects; not, above all
pleasure; but is a means of human communion,
necessary for life and for the movement
towards the good of the individual man and of
mankind, uniting them in the same feelings.
The whole of human life is filled with works
of art of various kinds, from lullabies, jokes,
mimicry, home decoration, clothing, utensils,
to church services and solemn processions."
LEO TOLSTOY
(from What Is Art?)
1 comment:
manifestation of some mysterious idea, beauty,
God, a form of play in which man releases a surplus of stored-up energy, the manifestation of
emotions through external signs, the production of pleasing objects, above all pleasure, a means of human communion, necessary for life and for the movement
towards the good of the individual man and of
mankind, uniting them in the same feelings
I think art can be all of the above. And I wouldn't create for long if I had to limit myself to Tolstoy's or any other explanation that try to describe art itself with the limited tool of language. Not that I don't appreciate the written word. : ) Art I think explains itself to the viewer as well as the creator - starting from the very first moment, the very first inspiration, even just the thinking about, the following process of creating, the talking about afterward, the forgetting about it, the remembering and rediscovery, the late understanding, until.. ..
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