Art is the impulse to replicate the mystery of woman – the beauty of the female principle. For man it is the yearning for original freedom and creative fulfilment; and for woman the yearning for original love as union with the principle of man, her beloved. As the ideal reduces from its pristine unity into manifestation in the world, art is the impulse to give significance to the indefinable quality of life. True art communicates and retains its character through virtue of its originality. Therefore the finest expression of art is that which translates original idea, as precisely as can be created, into a replication of itself in form.
The creative impulse of an artist is to communicate love. Love is the finest communication which, in its purest expression, obliterates the distance between subject and object. There is no space or need for personal interpretation or subjective evaluation. Supreme art or creativity edifies the consciousness, enabling the individual to have direct experience in the moment. Thus, in the presence of great art, there is a distinct slowing down of erroneous thoughts or mental aberration; the senses are keenly focused and alert. Through retention of its character, the work of art communicates its originality and timelessness to the viewer who is receptive to the inspiration of the artist. Examples of this could be a Rembrandt painting, a Mozart concerto or even a roughly drawn sketch. The creative impulse is always to replicate (in diminishing gradients from the pure idea) the ideal; and to produce the finest version through the skill and creativity of the artist.
In our modern culture art is created primarily to cause a reaction, as much to repulse as to be admired. As long as a creative work can reach an audience and gain some kind of critical awareness, then it is deemed worthy of being called ‘art’ in the public domain. But is it really art or has the virtue of the creative spirit been superseded by a phoney art fixated on the pain and sterility of the world? Art, indeed, must reflect the times so it’s no real surprise that, in this deeply material age, modern art has mostly abstracted itself from nature and images of the blessed earth. Romance and love, the inspiration behind all art, has been replaced by self-interest and greed. The art world is controlled by a group of pseudo intellectuals who preen the feathers of celebrity artists to generate the financial interest from museums, investors and collectors. It’s no longer the quality of the art but how much it is worth. Real art is priceless, since it is impossible to quantify.
The truth is that man and woman are born to create. Art, in whatever form it takes, endeavours to communicate a facet of the creative spirit. The creative spirit is the spontaneous action of life responding to the needs of the moment, with no personal intent to sully the creative expression. This eradicates the desire for anything except the all-encompassing moment when mind and spirit are emblazoned with the passion of life. Art is then transcended of all effort, trying and technique; and beauty alone remains. With gratitude to the incomparable source of all art, beauty disappears and there is nothing except the ‘knowledge without knowing’ of the sublime artistry of life.
Lance Kelly 2012