Thursday, December 3, 2009

Amanda DeSalme-Honesty


"This cursed and affected lying word, 'art!' Art, like everything holy, is only art when it does not know that it is. In my youth, the commission, the 'scrittura' of an opera was an affair in which not much was said about art. But today the tightrope walkers no longer want to be tightrope walkers" (VDL, 272). -Franz Werfel

This concept of art not being art unless it doesn't know it is art is very interesting. I looked up "art" on dictionary.com, which describes it as "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." In this sense, art would have to not know that it is beautiful to be beautiful. as an artist myself (of music), I know sometimes I strive for beauty. Just for the sake of it. so does that mean it isn't really art because my goal is one of beauty? The quote also likens art to everything that is holy, meaning anything holy would have to be unaware of its holiness to be truly holy. This makes a little more sense to me in a way, because there are plenty of things that I find spirituality in that probably doesn't think it is spiritual. For example, I find positive things in people to be inspiring and touching in a way that brings me closer to the "wholly other," while they probably don't realize that they are having that effect on me. I guess for art, it is hard to know if it realizes what it is if it is an object. So does that mean it relies on intentions of the creator of art? If I intend to create something beautiful, is it less beautiful because I want it to be beautiful? Perhaps the truest beauty is one of pure honesty. To not be striving for beauty or ugliness or anything but to simply... express. honestly. honesty is certainly a trait to be admired, and one that should probably be used more in the arts. Now that I think of it, honesty has got to be it. When I think of different actors in productions I've seen, the ones who touched me the most were not trying to be over-the-top, but simply expressing as honestly as they could what their character might be thinking or feeling. Honesty can make for the most touching experiences, which are beautiful without realizing that they are.

No comments:

Post a Comment