THE DEFINITION, FUNCTION AND ORIGIN OF ART







A Study in Thought

sa034



by





Marius Heuff

Chapter 1

Content

In search of a definition of art.
The unity of author and audience.
Creation and re-creation.
The wide scope of art.
The artistic and scientific aspects of a communication.
The beauty of science, and the truthfulness of art.
Boundary-lines with fashionable and deceptive trends in the arts and sciences.
Integrating traditional and personal interpretations.
The motivations behind artistic endeavours.
A number of questions.
A look at the "consumer" of art; the "art-lover".

What is art? The definition of art is so vague, that we have to try to delineate, more precisely, the areas of human activity and endeavour that fall under the definition of art or artistic work. We also have to examine, to what extent the field of art is related to the sciences, and, we should discuss, how art fits into the overall way of life of an individual or a group of people, who are going about their daily business of making a living.

One aspect seems to stand-out, whenever we attempt to define the boundaries of artful expression and artistic activities. It seems to be a form of dialogue; a communication between an author and his audience. (The concept of "author" is taken, here, in the broad sense of being the "originator" of any form of art, and, not just someone who is concerned with writing down words and ideas.) Without, at least, some sort of an appreciative audience, the definition of art becomes, in essence, without foundation, because the act of recognition by the audience is then absent, and, we will see, that every form of art has to be re-created by an attentive and appreciative lover of art.

If we continue this line of thought, we may consider any communication that has some sort of value or meaning, to be a form of art. Even the utterance of a simple sentence, heard and understood by another individual, may then be considered as a form of art, in particular, if the utterance strikes the individual who understands it, as unusually clear, vivid, meaningful and appropriate under the circumstances. Could even the use of a swear-word, then, be considered a form of art, since it may convey, very precisely, a feeling of sudden frustration, pain or anger? There is nothing against including a well-placed curse as a form of art, but neither should we exclude a good joke, a hearty laugh, a song, or any other expression that reflects, genuinely and precisely, the mood of the moment. "Yet", you will say, "if you continue this line of reasoning, the communicaton of factual information may be considered an art as well, in particular, when it is done well, vividly and precisely. But, are you then not entering the territory of the sciences?"

I would have to agree with you, and, we could use this example as an introduction to a discussion of the borderline area between art and science. Certainly, it is quite true, that a factual statement or communication can be clear, well-done, concise, vivid, to the point, etc. We describe, then, in essence, the quality of the communication itself, and, this is, indeed, an artistic evaluation. If we concentrate our attention on the content of ideas and facts, and, if we look at the discussion and argumentation that is needed to reach clarification, precision and mutual agreement, then, we are looking at the scientific aspects of a communication. Especially, in the area of precision of meaning and clarity of presentation, we see, how closely the artistic and scientific features approach each other, and, how vague the boundary lines become. Just because of this close approximation between science and art, we see, that the same language symbols are freely used over the entire range of the arts and sciences.

This close approximation, or, perhaps, even, the actual blurring of the conceptual boundaries between the arts and the sciences is the reason, why we may speak of a "beautiful" scientific presentation. We emphasise and appreciate, then, the clarity and precision that have gone into the form and content of a factual communication or description.

The absence of a clear distinction between science and art explains, also, why we search for a "truth", when expressing ourselves in a work of art. Precision, clarity, and a reliable, factual communication are as important in art as they are in a scientific communication. Unless another individual is able to recognise what the art expression is all about, it is not possible to be stimulated, or "captured", by a communication, whatever the precise nature of this communication may be.

In the vast territory of artistic expressions, the audience is more easily deceived or hoodwinked into an essentially superficial, modish or fashionable appreciation, compared to the fields of science, because the scientific audience is more critical and better educated than the average lover of art, but, indeed, the sciences are also surrounded by a vast area of para-scientific humbug, which appeals, primarily, to those, who are not thoroughly familiar with the sciences, or, who have strong emotional needs to believe certain preconceived notions. Indeed, it is possible to deceive and manipulate emotions with an aura of knowledge, and, this points to the fact, that it has become very difficult in our complex and confusing times to evaluate, accurately and independently, the validity or value of whatever is presented as "scientific evidence".

We may have a chance to come back upon the parallels between the modish or non-genuine forms of art, and the flourishing fields of para-scientific concoctions and notions, which lack the characteristic precision and verifiability of disciplined scientific thought. It is a scientific fact, that many people are fascinated and enthralled by these notions, in spite of the fact, that they are not "proven" or verified. Why? We will adress this question to some extent, but we will not specifically concern ourselves, here, with this problem, because we have done so, elsewhere.

Let us go back to a definition and description of the art-form. We tend to forget, that genuine art has to be exactly that; it has to be a genuine expression by an artist; a true reflection of his feelings, his being and his skills, and it should not be a concoction put-together, somewhat artificially, because the artist thinks, (under the influence of authority and fashionable opinion), that he or she has to express himself in a particular manner.

Certainly the influence of tradition and fashionable opinions will always be felt by every artist, but it is characteristic of true artistry, that these influences become integrated into the personality of the artist. In this way, certain techniques, fashionable ways of doing things, or specific styles, become a foundation for the artistic capabilities with which the artist ranges, with a great deal of freedom, through the entire spectrum of his field, and creates, thereby, with apparent ease and mastery, a reflection of his artistic intentions. These artistic products are considered to be genuine, just because they are free and harmonious, and, the works of art reflect, accurately, the personality of the artist. The circle of artistic endeavour is completed, when another human being experiences a sense of recognition and relevance when in contact with such a work of art.

So far, we have completely ignored any specific features of the art expression, and, we have only sketched, briefly, a fundamental generalisation of all forms of art. Perhaps, we should re-state this principle once more. We may consider any form of human expression that is recognised as genuine, precise, vivid or relevant, to be artistic in nature, regardless, whether it is a sentence, a song, a tool, a drawing, a movement or a sound produced on some sort of instrument.

True art finds its roots and techniques in the traditions of a specific culture, but the motivation of the art-expression has to reveal a common human interest or ability, and, it has to be brought with a high level of skilll, integrity and honesty, reflecting the personality of the artist. This reflection has to be relevant to many other people who work and live under somewhat different circumstances. It can, therefore, not be merely a fashionable copy of something that is "in vogue", in spite of the fact, that a fashionable expression may be accepted by many contemporaries and becomes, then, "commercially attractive".

Let us consider some of the details of producing a work of art by focussing our attention, more closely, on specific aspects of the artistic expression. For example, what do we mean with the statement, that a true, genuine expression of art has to reflect the "personality" of the artist, or, that it has to reflect a genuine need of the artist to "express something"? What is it, that an artist has to say? Does he really "say anything" that is different from another artist who works in another field, or lived at another time? Is not all art concerned with the same human emotions and experiences, over and over again, and, is the appreciation of the art-form not a function of admiration for the form in which this expression has been clothed, rather than an appreciation of the message itself?

Is the appeal of a work of art not, primarily, determined by an appreciation for the skill, hard work, dedication and the search for perfection, rather than a somewhat elusive message? Is art a communication with a "message"? Is it something educational, moral or ethical, or, is it even vaguer than that; such as a notion of beauty or an insight of wisdom? What is beauty and what is wisdom? How are you going to get a grip on these questions, and, are you not running the risk of losing the essence of the art-expression all-together, if you dissect and analyse a work of art or the method of artistic expression?

These are very legitimate questions, and, the numerous, so often less than satisfactory results obtained when trying to describe or verbalise the essence of artistry, are a grim reminder of the fact, that the chances of success at yet another effort are slim, indeed. Rather than looking, continuously, at the art-form itself and running the risk of getting lost while fumbling for words in an attempt to verbalise our own emotional involvement with a work of art, we like to approach the problem of the art-expression from an existential, evolutionary point of view.

Let us see, whether or not it is possible to elucidate the motivations of the artist, as well as the audience, and, let us see, whether or not we can clarify the emotional chemistry that plays a role in the appreciation of art. This may be a more fruitful and objective approach compared to an obsessive concentration on the secrets of beauty and emotional involvement, when communicating with an admired work of art.

The problems we encounter when trying to unravel the reasons for experiencing a sense of beauty, lie in the fact, that this appreciation and recognition of beauty is itself an act of creation. It is an act of creation by us, the audience, as we inter-act with an artistic communication, and, we would lose sight of half our field of vision, if we tried to find the secrets of artistic beauty exclusively in the art-form itself, or, in the personality of the creator of such a work of art.

.......

Chapter 2

Content

The message of art.
The evolution of communications.
The functions of a cultural code.
The partial and somewhat haphazard assimilation of a fragment of the cultural "currency", or pool of notions, guidelines and beliefs.
Untouchable images, resulting from an aura of "sanctity".
The "living pillars" that are needed to sustain the "cultural pool".
Art in the daily business of making a living.
Problems and tensions.
Rigid and chaotic societies.
Renewal and adaptation of the cultural pool.
A broad definition of art is necessary to pin-point its essence.
A blend between traditional and innovative features in the production of art.
A variety of motivations for artistic activities.
Dangers and tensions resulting from ill-conceived innovations.
Innovation as a blind and bland fashionable trend.
The fading of political or official involvement in the evaluation of "fashionable" art.

Before we can approach the question what an artist has to say, and, what he should be able to communicate, we have to look into the reasons, why an individual is able, or inclined, to enter into a communication in the first place. We really have to go back to the basic function and purpose of an act of communication, before we can consider the origin and meaning of art. Certainly, we risk losing some of our focus on the problem of artistic expression when making such an elaborate "detour", but, I believe that the excercise will be worthwhile.

We have traced, before, the somewhat speculative ideas about the development of conscious awareness and the ability to communicate factual information, when we looked at the ability to recall, voluntarily, a mental image with the help of a representative symbol. Such a recall becomes possible, whenever an act of imitation or mimicry is able to evoke a specific memory-trace.

Symbolic representations became, slowly, "stylised", or stream-lined, into gestures, and, later, into arbitrary vocal sounds, until we reached the remarkable and seemingly unique human ability to recall, very rapidly, a series of mental images with a quick and smoothly flowing stream of vocal sounds. These mental images represent, not only, a conscious recall of primary awarenesses, but, also, a whole host of generalisations, abstractions, conceptual relationships and belief structures. The nearly constant recall of such images, ideas and concepts forms the basis for all the mental capabilities of individual human existence, including the ability to cooperate with each other on a large and impersonal scale.

We have traced, in detail, the idea, that the ability to recall a memory-trace or complex mental image, voluntarily, is the result of living in a web of social relationships. There, as youngsters, growing-up in a social environment, we concern ourselves, largely subconsciously, with the task of acquiring a working knowledge of the conceptual and cultural pool we have been born into.

The conceptual pool constitutes the totality of the ideas and beliefs that are current in a particular social environment, and this cultural pool is carried, collectively, by the members who participate in this social organisation. However, each member carries only a fraction of the entire cultural content, especially, when the cultural pool is large and complex, but a core of the cultural pool is shared by nearly everyone and constitutes the portion of the conceptual vocabulary that is used by most people, routinely, nearly every day. Here, communications and understanding are fairly precise and complete.

Yet, as we have discussed before, the often tacit acceptance of the most important, most revered and least questioned symbols of the cultural pool, (those sacredly held beliefs of absolute validity), may still have a remarkable degree of vagueness and imprecision, or, even, internal contradictions, because we realise, now, that the absence of dialogue and argument about the meaning of a concept, tends to leave such a concept less precise. The sacredly held concepts are in a sense "untouchable", and, therefore, they remain undiscussed, because they are surrounded by an aura of sanctity.

The youngster acquires, and works with, a portion of the cultural pool of its social environment. This portion of the cultural pool is initially absorbed, and accepted, almost completely without questioning and without any effort to scrutinise or evaluate the validity of the ideas and concepts that are being assimilated. However, most members develop into somewhat different personalities, with different attitudes, beliefs and positions, because talents and inclinations differ. In addition, the larger social environment people belong to, is not homogeneous, but is made-up of a large number of smaller ethnic, racial, cultural, economic or educational sub-groupings.

It is probably fair to say, that we all participate in our contacts and communications as a "living pillar" of this cultural pool of notions, beliefs, ideas and concepts, and, as a result, we seem to "fuse", culturally, by sharing the same cultural code. We "overlap" in cultural features, while physically, and, to some extent psychologically, we remain a distinct entity; clearly separated from each other.

Perhaps, we may also visualise this pool of notions, beliefs and ideas as a "fluid bond" or, even, as a "currency" that is flowing between us, facilitating the social mechanism of cooperation and the acceptance of hierarchical differences that characterise every social grouping. This function is very similar to the role of a monetary currency, and, we all know, that the economic inter-relationships between people in a socially integrated entity are important factors binding people together and making them opt for a course of compromise and cooperation, rather than confrontation. In short, all mechanisms that foster inter-relationships and inter-dependencies, be they economic, cultural or otherwise, tend to make the members more dependent upon the viability of the social entity as a whole, and, this is one of the most important inhibitors of the attitude of all-out strife and confrontation.

How does a work of art and the activities of the artist fit-in with the concept of a cultural currency? Indeed, the cultural pool of a society is functioning, primarily, as a tool for communications, and, these communications or exchanges of attitudes and information are necessary to conduct the daily business of existence. The requirements of food, shelter, protection and security can not be organised effectively without these contacts, but, the importance of communications becomes also clear, when we look at the function of regulating the aspirations and expectations of the members as they relate to each other.

Each member is continuously guided by communications and contacts with others, and, it is not difficult to see, how the personality is shaped by all these contacts, in particular, during periods of rapid growth. The youngster absorbs from the cultural environment the ideas and concepts that become tools for the expression of his ambitions and drives, but, at the same time, these cultural guidance-structures also delineate the limits of his individualistic inclinations. It is obvious, that every society weaves a complex web of sanctions and rewards, in order to mesh the potentially diverging and conflicting interests of the members of a social entity into a workable level of harmony.

This means, however, that every society, regardless, how successful or well-regulated, still has to cope with the actual or potential problems that stem from the diverging interests and activities of its members. If there is a strong cultural core with very little tolerance for flexibility or deviation from the accepted behavioural path, the cultural core becomes rigid and its beliefs are considered to represent absolute truths. Realities and judgements are sharply drawn, with clear-cut outlines of what is right and wrong.

Yet, as we have argued before, the circumstances never remain exactly the same for any length of time, and, often, they change rather quickly, creating an ill-understood tension between the rigid, ritualistic, inflexible behaviour-patterns of a strong cultural core, and the observations and beliefs of perceptive individuals. An increasing incidence of discrepancies between official beliefs and individual experiences becomes a source of chronic frictions and frequent doubts, especially, if perceptive people are becoming more numerous and are able to persuade an increasing number of people of the need to look differently at the realities of life and social events.

If these perceptive individuals are unable to express themselves and are being muzzled or persecuted, they will begin to appreciate the fact, that the rigidity of official beliefs and ideas constitutes a threat to society, in spite of the official self-confidence and self-righteousness which are so characteristic of rigid beliefs and attitudes.

Slowly, the relevance and viability, as well as the truthfulness and usefulness of the cultural core begin to diminish, and, in this tension between traditional judgements of right and wrong, and the contemporary experience, lies the origin of the impulse to adapt and rejuvenate. This tension between traditional realities and values, on the one hand, and the demands for renewal and adaptation, on the other, froms the basis of all artistic endeavour. In such a broad definition of artistic creativity, we see, that we can include many areas of human endeavour, which are usually not considered to fall under the heading of art. We may, then, include political, technological and scientific innovations and adaptations as being essentially artistic in nature.

I believe, that it is not only useful, but necessary to see the roots of the artistic motivation in such a broad light, because, limiting the fields of artistic endeavour to the more traditional categories will not provide us with satisfying answers in our search for a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of art. We may go one step further, and say, that it is only possible to define art adequately, and distinguish with precision between true art and modish, conventional or commercial efforts, if we make use of such a broad definition of the nature of artistic activities and motivations.

Communications may, therefore, be classified for our particular purpose of discussion into two broad categories. We may regard communications as a continuous flow of traditional and accepted cultural symbols and values, regulating the behaviour of people and the affairs of the community, and, we may see communications as an attempt to question and understand, more precisely, what is meant or what is going-on. Such questions arise only occasionally, here and there, hidden in the quiet confidence of a private conversation. There, these questions can be raised and debated, and, the interpretation and meaning of certain aspects of the generally accepted reality can be cautiously analysed and scrutinised by intelligent and observant people.

Art may be classified in a similar manner. It may be part of the traditional, well-accepted currency, little more than a copy of existing ideas, perhaps, even, designed, specifically, to win favours from, or acceptance by, the establishment, or, it may be a cautious attempt, (born out of the tensions between tradition and contemporary experience), to re-define a particular experience, idea or notion in a slightly more precise and relevant manner.

We are beginning to see a clearer picture emerge of the motivations behind a truly artistic activity. If the motivation is to please the people, or the leadership; if the motivation is to gain acceptance, recognition or fame, the artist will only use the tools of tradition in a clever and persuasive manner, and, by virtue of hard work and finely developed skills, he or she may certainly be able to produce a work of art that appeals to the core of a contemporary society. If, however, the motivation becomes a desire to communicate something new; not really a radically new, shocking discovery, but, a somewhat different and fresh look at a certain aspect of reality, then, we see a motivation that depends on a genuine desire to refine a truth, a concept, an appreciation, or, to refine a way of doing something.

This type of artistic motivation and expression may not find favour so easily, because new or strange aspects are usually somewhat frightening or confusing to a traditional audience. Then, the audience has to make an effort to understand and digest something that is not immediately appealing, because it does not correspond to what it expects or has become accustomed to. Artistic acceptance is, then, more difficult, and, sometimes, the artist is considered a threat to the community, especially, if the innovative ideas challenge the leadership or the sacred institutions of society. Especially, if the artistic innovations challenge the validity of traditional beliefs and attitudes, we see great tensions and strong emotional reactions arise. Yet, if the innovation becomes, eventually, generally accepted as a valid way of looking at reality, such an artistic expression will have long and lasting value, as it becomes part of a slowly evolving and rejuvenating cultural core.

The viability of a modish type of artistic activity or product is threatened by a slowly changing cultural core, since it is based, entirely, on a current core of well-accepted cultural tools and ideas. The adoption of a new idea, a new trend and a fresh outlook, may leave a traditional form of art with the impression of being outdated, less relevant and out-classed. Besides, a mere imitation of a revered but traditional feature of the cultural currency is rarely able to equal in value the original art-form, which became incorporated into the cultural core and served as a model for similar works of art, because it must have had this redeeming quality of having been innovative and relevant at the time it was created, before it became a long-lasting member of the cultural core.

Does this mean, then, that valid art always has to be a desperate search for something new? Not at all, because the search for "something new" may also become a fashionable, even, "traditional" effort to which a whole generation of artistic aspirations may be devoted. If such a development occurs, we see a somewhat blind experimental search for "new ways" of artistic activities, which are, then, not based on a genuine need for change, or a new and relevant way of looking at reality, but, we are then merely seeing a slovenly imitation of a fashionable trend into which a whole generation has been indoctrinated.

Recently, we have gone through such a trend, where the meaning and appreciation of art was strongly influenced by a fashionable trend. The act of trying to be new, shocking or different became a goal in itself. As soon as the profession of being an artist was elevated by official sponsorship and government grants into a status of desired respectability, many artistic works were viewed with the notion, that they must represent something of value, as long as they were "different".

Unfortunately, people often rely upon the judgement of others when trying to form an opinion about art. They have a tendency to rely upon "authoritative critics", rather than upon their own, honest, if somewhat conventional judgements, just as most people have to rely, in our complex and confusing societies, upon the judgement of others, whenever they have to decide what and whom to believe. In stead of reflecting a truly new avenue of meaningful exploration, such a blind, often fiercely competitive search for new forms of art reflects, at best, a fashionable, commercially viable trend of a confused, contemporary society. Indeed, it is nothing more than a temporary fashion; a poorly substantiated acceptance of the romantic notion, that art and artists always have to be "avant-garde".

.......

Chapter 3

Content

The exceptional individual.
Natural evolutionary mechanisms of the cultural code.
A slow, careful re-working of accepted methods and values.
The freedom that comes with mastery.
The ever-present potential to refine and adapt existing techniques.
An astonishing impoverishment.
The ability to recognise value or validity.
Accentuation and caricature.
Rejecting facile notions and attitudes.
A sense of dedication to the ideals of beauty and perfection.
Artistic motivations, discussed in more detail.
Art and consumerism.
Tensions, seen as a foundation for the drive to produce art.
A large variety of tensions.
The beneficial side-effects of a relaxed framework of behavioural guidance-patterns.
Fading relevance, and the desire to question.
The tensions of corruption and injustice.
A rapid increase in tensions, as soon as the social environment begins to decay.

Certainly, it is possible, that, within the chaos of such a blind, non-directed search for novelty, an artist may experience the genuine conviction of having discovered a relevant truth, and, such an artist may, eventually, become visible and gain lasting recognition, after the rest of the trend-setters have disappeared into a merciful oblivion. Unless the motivation for artistic renewal and the exploration of new possibilities of expression are founded upon a genuine experience of discrepancy between traditional interpretations and personal observations, the search for new-ness is meaningless, and, reflects only a fashionable, and, perhaps, already out-moded trend.

This brings us to the other side of the argument, where we see, that it is not only possible, but, very likely, that, a genuinely relevant innovation represents a process of natural evolution within a fragment of the cultural pool. Just as technological developments, or the evolution of new scientific insights, represent a slow, careful and methodical re-working of the available conceptual patterns, so is the development of new and relevant artistic expressions based upon a careful and slow evolution of established cultural traditions and methods.

An artist, who has familiarised himself, thoroughly, with the techniques available in his or her field, is, usually, able to give free reign to his feelings and ideas, and, in the process of dedicating himself continuously to the objectives of excellence and perfection, he may explore the myriad of possible refinements that each and every field always leaves open to the truly observing individual. Rarely is there a need to completely throw-out established patterns of communication, in order to find an adequate way of conveying a newly found relevance. The hasty, ill-considered abolition of the basic tools of expression and communication leads only to a regression in the expressive capabilities of an individual or community, and, in stead of witnessing an exciting new field of relevant artistic activities, we see an astonishing impoverishment of artistic standards.

We have to keep emphasising, that it is necessary for anyone in contact with a work of art, to recognise, at least, some features as true and valid. This recognition gives a feeling of gratitude and a sense of beauty, and, it makes a person happy to have been granted the privilege of enjoying this particular work of art. Certainly, we are not blind for the argument, that such an act of recognition will be enhanced by accentuating certain features in a work of art. Such an accentuation is necessary to overcome our somewhat sluggish powers of recognition, but, this accentuation does not have to become exaggerated into a caricature.

Just as an idea or concept has to be hammered into us during our formative years, before we start to comprehend it and see its relevance, so do we need to be somewhat brutally confronted with a certain feature or experience in a work of art, before we recognise its validity as a reflection of reality. However, anyone, who has become familiar with the techniques of an artistic expression, will not need such a crude method to focus one's attention or to stimulate one's powers of recognition. Anyone, with some knowledge and exposure to the world of art, and the realities upon which a work of art has been based, will be sensitive enough to recognise fine shades of meaning, as long as they have been subtly conveyed with skill, precision and a sense of transience for the qualities of truth and existence.

Anyone, who has become a lover of art, (usually limited to one or, at the most, a few fields), will develop a finely honed sense of appreciation for the care, skill and devotion that have gone into the creation of a work of art, and, any tendency to hoodwink or deceive the art-lover with a facile superficiality, an empty technique, or, any other compromise to beauty and perfection, will be rejected as a fraud and a charade. The lover of art will then be disappointed and dissatisfied, and, he may, even, feel somewhat betrayed in his loyalty and admiration to the artist and his works.

Most intelligent people, including the art-lover, are able to appreciate the efforts and skills of an individual who has shown a tenacious dedication to a particular project, and, the results of such skilled and sustained efforts can be seen in many fields of endeavour, and, not only, in the arts. Most people will be happy to give their love and admiration to the truly genuine work-effort, where one can identify with the hard work and admire the lofty ideas and objectives which motivated the efforts of a dedicated personality.

A radically new technique is, therefore, rarely, if ever, a way to accomplish this slow, evolutionary change of the cultural core, so necessary to resolve the tensions between irrelevant traditionalism and sensitive personal experiences. The skillful mastery of established techniques and the patient search for further opportunities of development are the usual tools of success for the dedicated and honest personality, who has given-in to the drive or desire to create a work of beauty and perfection.

Let us analyse, a little more in detail, the concepts of artistic motivation, since we began by pointing to the tensions that always develop between the traditional core of a cultural pool and the diverging experiences of perceptive individuals, resulting from changing circumstances. The artistic motivation has to be viewed, not only, from the point of the artistic author, or the work of art, but, it requires, just as much, an analysis of the art-lover; the individual, who becomes, for one reason or another, sensitized to the beauty of an artistic expression. What are the reasons for this? What are the mechanisms behind the apprecation of beauty and truth, and, how does the artist relate to the art-lover?

As an interesting sideline to this last question, we would like to discuss, at some length, the role of the performing or "interpretative arts", where we see a fusion in the roles of the artist and the art-lover or art "consumer". We should, probably, refrain from using the term "consumer" in conjunction with the apprecation of art, since consumerism has become tainted with undesirable overtones, and yet, even, in the inter-relationships of people and the arts, we will, indeed, see links with the less desirable and potentially harmful effects of consumerism.

We go back, then, first, to the motivation of the creative artist, which is based on the tensions between individual experiences and the traditions of the cultural pool, and, we will try to explain the reasons, why these tensions can be considered as a foundation for all artistic endeavour. There are always tensions in a social environment. There are tensions as a result of the mechanisms of dominance and rivalry, and, there are tensions arising from the control that is being excercised over the behaviour of the members of a social grouping. Cultural guidelines are primarily designed to control the egocentric orientation each human being is born with as an inalienable trait of our biological heritage.

Cultural controls and guidelines are necessary to make the process of cooperation and social integration possible, and, these controls and guidelines are indispensible to secure a condition of social justice, where nearly everyone in society can experience the fact that it is good to belong to the social environment, regardless of one's position in the social hierarchy. The cultural regulators stimulate and develop a measure of synchronisation in the efforts, desires, aspirations, opinions and beliefs of the members of a social unit.

However, the degree to which the members can identify with an official belief structure, together with its structure of guidelines and regulatory mechanisms, is always less than perfect, especially, in the larger social units. There is usually a reasonably good synchronisation of beliefs and opinions in the small community, where the members are less individualised. In the smaller social units, the members are motivated by immediate existential pressures to adhere to the beliefs and guidelines of the community, because they know from experience, that a failure to do so will lead, quickly, to serious problems.

The more confident, larger society has already gone through a phase of existential security and vigorous growth, with the formation of an explicit, finely differentiated and highly successful structure of beliefs and behavioural guidelines. A large, successful social unit tends, therefore, to become somewhat stifled and irrelevant in its cultural core, whenever the need for a strict adherence to the cultural guidelines becomes less obvious because of a sustained atmosphere of security.

The abundant elan vital or growth-pressure of the younger generations, growing-up at a time of relative ease and affluence, seeks, blindly, for ways to dissipate its energies, and, this force becomes a source of tensions and frictions, if it is not channeled properly. After a period of somewhat stifled cultural rigidity and irrelevance, a society tends to become more disorganised, as it is torn by contradictory tensions. However, such a process may also have some beneficial side-effects.

A slow liberation of the cultural core from its shackles of absolute validity will encourage a process of individualisation in the interpretation and acceptance of many concepts and ideas, giving rise to lively discussions, as well as more precise awarenesses and refined interpretations. However, these trends also provide an opportunity for the seeds of conflict, mutual distrust and alienation to find a fertile breeding ground.

A relaxation of the standards for behavioural conduct leads, quickly, to opportunities of corruption and practices of injustice, which set the processes of social fragmentation into motion. All these developments raise the level of uncertainty and create confusion about the validity of moral and ethical guidelines and the commonly accepted reality perceptions, and, this uncertainty becomes a source of tension and friction between groups and individuals.

Tensions are, therefore, a result of a slackening of the relevance of belief structures, together with opportunities for doubt and debate, as well as diverging interpretations of reality experiences that used to be accepted by everyone in the same way. However, tensions are also created by incipient practices of corruption, dishonesty and exploitation, giving rise to powerful emotions of distrust and resentment, leading eventually to hatred and acts of violence.

Then, there is a third category of tensions, when personal experiences begin to diverge from the commonly accepted reality interpretations, especially, when emotionally and existentially significant experiences require a large degree of commitment to previously somewhat blandly accepted beliefs. For example, the events of personal tragedy, old-age, infirmity or sickness, the loss of relatives and friends, but, also, the experience of exuberance, a strong elan vital, strong personal desires or drives, all these factors may contribute to a feeling of tension or stress between an individual and his social surroundings.

It is clear, then, that there are many sources of tension for each and everyone of us, even, in a relatively homogeneous, healthy and vigorous social environment, but, in a society that is fragmenting, the tensions multiply prodigiously. We have to ask ourselves, how such tensions are dealt with, before we can arrive at an over-view of the motivations that lie behind the efforts of artistic work.

.......

Chapter 4

Content

Various ways in which tensions can be resolved.
Open hostilities, and the difficult compromise between impulse and reason.
The road to wisdom and insight.
The digestion and attenuation of tensions.
Tensions resulting from an exuberant elan vital.
The tensions of a sudden personal stress or tragedy.
Hypocritical attitudes; individually and collectively.
A period of warfare is a poor soil for artistic creativity, but the after-effects are a rich source for artistic inspiration.
The rapid rate of social change resulting from upheaval and warfare.
A search for renewed viability and peace of mind.
Relieving anger and frustration in hard physical work.
Understanding our adversaries.
The wide range of situations of conflict.
Emotional surges and energy-fluxes.
The potentials for a large framework of comprehension.
The consumption of art and all sorts of pleasurable stimuli.

If there are tensions between people, and, in particular, if these tensions deteriorate into open hostilities, there is a natural tendency to resolve them in a fight. The most primitive evolutionary solution of a conflict of interests, is to engage in a violent confrontation. However, such a solution is often costly, and, there is, therefore, a pressing need to refrain from giving-in to acts of open hostility, especially, if one is likely going to lose in the impending confrontation. The tensions remain, however, and, one has to accept being dominated by a stronger party. This situation is felt to be unjust, and, it is tolerated in an attitude of frustration and a suppressed hostility, but, eventually, these tensions may become more acceptable as we adjust to them, and, we may, even, come to the insight, that our feelings of hostility and injustice may have been interpreted too much from our own point of view.

Tensions may also result from the imposition of official laws and guidelines upon a population with different beliefs and traditions, especially, if these people have only recently been subjugated and are still not fully loyal to "the authorities". Such tensions are often digested by a period of intense scrutiny, debate, reflection and re-evaluation of the channels of authority upon which so much of the credibility of social guidelines and institutions depends. This process of adjusting and digesting is predominantly intellectual in nature, but, tensions may still give rise to serious conflict-situations and arouse, then, a variety of strong emotions and impulses.

Similarly, the youthful exuberance of a healthy elan vital may find it difficult to find socially acceptable channels for the flow of its energies, and, many forms of conflict may erupt as a result, in particular, if a sensitive and honest youth starts to perceive, sharply, the level of hypocrisy practiced by the established members of his social environment.

Hypocritical practices and attitudes are a tacit acknowledgement of the fact, that the official beliefs and guidelines are failing, and, this leads to tensions and conflicts, especially, when such failing guidelines and out-dated beliefs are placed under a rather severe and sudden stress, as the result of an accident or tragedy. We see, then, quite clearly, that the professed guidelines do not work, and, the behaviour-patterns of people become confused and chaotic, especially, when these people have failed to make sure that they can truly rely upon the guidelines of their beliefs.

Often, all these factors play a role simultaneously, and, we see, how a deteriorating relevance of the cultural core leads to more openly egocentric attitudes and practices. Hypocrisy increases, as lip-service is being paid to an incomprehensible system of ethical precepts and officially sanctioned belief structures. Authority dwindles, incidences of injustice increase, and frustrating tensions and conflicts break-out more and more frequently. Eventually, the social guidelines disappear to the point, that the social environment collapses into a state of chaos and total confusion.

How do these mechanisms tie-in with the artistic motivation? We have to review the various mechanisms that are available for resolving, or, at least, mitigating the tensions that have arisen in observant and sensitive people, and, we will not consider, here, the obvious and primitive solution of a violent, all-out fight, since this type of activity does not seem to have any connection with the processes of artistic creation. Yet, let us not come to the hasty conclusion, that the act of fighting a war, or, engaging in other types of violent conflict, has no influence on, or relevance for, the creation of a work of art. We are simply saying, that the act of engaging in combat is an all-absorbing, tension-relieving activity, which does not allow any time for, or psychological orientation upon, "artistic activities".

The enormous stress and upheaval associated with the preparation and execution of acts of violent hostility, the intense emotional surges that occur during an armed conflict, as well as the sobering evaluation of its deadly and destructive results, (irrespective of the outcome of the battle), are periods, where a society, or an individual, is subjected to a gigantic rate of change, and, such a period of turmoil is not conducive to the actual work of an artistic creation. Nevertheless, the memories and events of such a time of upheaval may, later, become a powerful inspiration or motivation for all sorts of creative artistic work.

Often, leadership structures are abolished, or created, almost overnight. Traditional beliefs disappear precipitously, leading to periods of confusion and a desperate search for guidance and relevance. The death of friends and relatives, the destruction of so much that we revered or was dear to us, the agonising questions of the reasons behind it all, open-up many channels for a re-writing or re-formulation of social guidelines. The belief structures and the leadership institutions are re-formed, and, cultural patterns are changed dramatically, whenever a society has come under the dominance of a foreign culture.

The humiliating defeat and the mental anguish associated with trying to adjust to a position of subjugation, slavery or serf-dom, the loss of security and privileges, previously unnoticed and taken for granted, are rapid changes in the circumstances of existence, and, these changes constitute a severe stress to individual members, as well as the community as a whole. Many of these tensions can not be relieved anymore by acts of hostility and rebellion, and, this opens-up avenues for essentially artistic outlets.

In victory, a society has also been stressed, and, the incorporation of foreign cultural elements, the enlarged sphere of responsibilities, as well as the sudden changes in many of the social mechanisms and guidelines, create a stress and a need for adjustments. Times of war and upheaval are always stressful, in victory or defeat, and, the need to adapt, quickly, to the changed circumstances, provides many opportunities for a renewed search for the meaning of existence, as well as new avenues for the ever-present vitality of the living human being.

Conflict, war and destruction are, indirectly, important factors for the stimulation of creative activities, but the act of war itself can hardly be called "creative". The tensions resulting from combat or conflict situations become a source of inspiration for creative artistic activities, but, we still have to explain, how, and why, such tensions may lead to works of art.

Before we try to answer this question, we would like to return, first, to the promise to review a variety of mechanisms, whereby an individual could relieve a tension without resorting to armed combat. We can resort to something akin to doing battle by relieving anger and frustration with hard physical work, e.g., by chopping wood, or, any other type of hard labour that will absorb some of the energy mobilised by our anger or wounded sense of justice. This allows us time to reconsider the consequences of any acts of open hostility or rebellion against the powers that have offended us.

Occasionally, such an act of reflection may help us realise, that we are as much to blame for the conflict-situation as our adversaries, and, the act of hostility or injustice against us may not be as malicious or unprovoked as we initially thought. Such a slowly developing level of understanding, often aided by wise and prudent acts of our opponents, may resolve tensions, at least, to some extent. Often, however, we will not come to such a fruitful, objective and dispassionate insight, and, we continue to live with a measure of rancor and resentment against the people who have offended us.

A conflict-situation can range all the way from an experience of brutal oppression by a ruthless enemy, to a situation, where we acknowledge to have been the main source of stress and injustice for someone else. Our relief of tensions may, therefore, range from philosophical or religious acceptance of, and resignation to, an inevitable situation, to varing degrees of compromise with our adversaries, and, this, in turn, may lead, slowly, to some appreciation for their point of view. Or, we may frankly acknowledge to have been the main source of strife and injustice, but, this is a rare occurrence, indeed. All these adaptations and evaluations, including feelings of resignation, regret or repentance, create emotional surges and energy-fluxes that form the foundation and motivation for an artistic expression.

We have considered a variety of intellectual and emotional tensions arising from living in a society, and, we have reviewed, briefly, the conflicts of interest, as well as the many stresses, emotions and adaptations, created by these conflicts and their violent resolutions. How do these mechanisms relate to the act of artistic creativity? We see a variety of mechanisms come into view. We may visualise, for example, how pent-up frustrations and a lingering resentment can be re-channeled and focussed upon a task that has to be accomplished; an object to be made, a tool to be created, and, we may visualise, how pride in a job done well will lend an artistic flavour to such an activity. We may see, how a deep reflection upon the experiences of conflict, resentment and injustice can lead to a re-thinking of the values and beliefs which had been accepted somewhat unthinkingly. An individual may become absorbed in this task, and, one may, occasionally, get a glimpse of a vast understanding that becomes possible with a modified and enlarged framework of coherent thought-structures.

Such an enlarged framework of understanding softens the emotions of hatred and the wounded sense of justice, and, the sense of beauty and happiness return. But, we may also see, how frustrating and undigested experiences of injustice may lead to a re-orientation of individual goal-patterns, and, an individual may seek a measure of satisfaction in doing or making something that is pleasing. We see, indeed, that sensual gratification, "consumerism", the tendency to eat or buy, or, the indulgence in pleasurable experiences of one sort or another, are behavioural transformations that are used to sooth the feelings of injustice, defeat, mal-treatment or oppression.

Even a pre-occupation with making pleasurable sounds or fantasising in a world of fictitious events, has connections with the field of consumerism, as well as the arts, when, occasionally, the beautiful sounds made by a gifted musician or the fascinating stories told by a talented dreamer, become objects of interest, pleasure and beauty for other people, as well as an outlet and escape from unresolved frustrations, tensions and stressful living conditions for the artistic creator.

.......

Chapter 5

Content

The gifted story-teller, recounting history in song and verse, seen as the root of many forms of art.
Sub-specialisations in artistic activities.
The close relationship between art and communication.
Renewal of the popular mandate for an existing cultural core.
Art, changing into a sacred guideline.
Freedom of evaluation; an essential characteristic of true art.
The limitations of violent behaviour as a means to relieve tensions.
Pride in work; an effective attitude to relieve tensions.
The joke, and the functions of ridicule and caricature.
The spur to re-think reality.
Conflicts experienced by young adolescents.
Phase differences between the life-cycles of an individual and his social surroundings.
The well-integrated citizen.
The close relationships between art-creator and art-lover.
Evolutionary change, rather than revolutionary overthrow.
The need for hard work, dedication and a search for perfection.

One of the main pillars in the development of the art-form is the gifted story-teller, or "story-singer", who reflects the experiences and sentiments of his audience with a combination of song and verse. The persuasiveness of an accurate symbolic representation, coupled with the momentum of a sustained rythm and an easily remembered refrain or melody, form a perfect framework for enshrining the history, sentiments, experiences and beliefs of a community. These roots developed, eventually, into distinctive philosophic, religious, literary and religious features that make-up a cultural tradition. Later, there were further specialisations, and, we see, then, how the various artistic forms began to lead an existence on their own, where the emphasis may be on a variety of literary, musical or choreographic forms of art.

In essence, all the natural modes of expression, be they pictorial or gesticular, verbal or vocal in nature, are used to enshrine communal experiences, attitudes and beliefs in an easily remembered and appealing format. A repertoir of symbolic representations re-enforces the beliefs, memories and feelings of togetherness and identity for the members of a community. We see, clearly, how close art is to the mechanisms of communication, and, how it is, really, an extention or refinement of this original process of mental-image recall by mimicry and gesticulation, which made the development of symbolic representation and speech possible in the first place.

Art is, therefore, the basis upon which the cultural core and traditions of a society are founded, but, art is also the instrument through which change is initiated and demanded, whenever a measure of cultural rigidity causes a discrepancy between cultural traditions and contemporary experiences.

If an art-form or expression becomes so acclaimed that it is being enshrined as a major cultural guideline, it is often used as an instrument by clever leaders to re-enforce their authority or popularity. While being influenced and guided, to a large degree, by authoritative leadership, the common people will have to renew, from time to time, the cultural tools of their society, and, they will have to bring a new relevance to these cultural tools and expressions. This is done, largely subconsciously, by evaluating and testing the merits and truthfulness of the various cultural artifacts and products that are "in use". If the popular appreciation of the cultural core starts to diverge markedly from official truths and practices, the society is stifled and in need of significant changes.

After a particular cultural expression has been generally accepted and adopted by the leadership, it tends to acquire such a degree of authority, that it ceases to function as a form of art, and, it may then become a "sacred guideline". One of the fundamental characteristics of proper art is the fact, that the art-product, whatever it may be, is offered to the audience free from any authoritarian pressures. The public is then free to decide, whether or not it likes what it is being offered, and, there is, therefore, a continuous evaluation going-on of this particular form of art, as well as a specific artistic performance. If the art-form is less relevant or not liked, for one reason or another, such an opinion can be voiced without fear.

However, any form of art or expression that has been invested with a large degree of authority, does not allow the people to express their feelings and reactions freely. The artistic expression becomes, then, a sacred ritual, and, we may point-out, that art, made fashionable by traditional, authoritative opinion, also runs the risk of turning into a "ritualistic excercise", losing its spontaneity and its function as a catalyst for an exchange of feelings between artists and audience.

How, then, can tensions be relieved by an activity we may define as "artistic"? We have discussed the fact, that an open confrontation is the most primitive, but, also, most natural way to relieve tensions, but, within a society, such a course of action is often impossible or fraught with grave consequences, because the members of society have been "disarmed" by their leaders, and, they have no choice, but to accept a settlement that is imposed upon them. We have briefly mentioned, how frustrations can be re-channeled and their energy led into acts of hard, physical labour.

These tensions may also bring-about a re-adjustment of attitudes, or, a concentrated effort on a specific task that is being carried-out with pride and devotion. Tensions may also be expressed, or verbalised, in discussions, in telling stories, by "acting-out" a conflict-situation, and, by the mechanisms of ridicule, such as in a farce or parody, etc. Such "acting-out" may slide towards an attitude of open hostility, but the hostility may also remain hidden as an "intrigue", or an act of "subversion" that is presented as a fictitious story.

The joke, the laugh, the scathing remark, etc., are also important mechanisms to relieve tensions. Here, we are, in essence, undermining or minimising the importance of the factors that led to a conflict-situation. We may try to mimise the importance of the goals we were striving for, or, we may ridicule our opponent and his objectives. If we laugh at ourselves, we acknowledge, tacitly, that the reasons for our anger and frustration were not so important after all.

When ridiculing an opponent, our laughter or caricaturisation has a more serious and barbed intention, as we try to undermine the status and respect of the opponent. Laughter, ridicule or caricature may become a sharp, aggressive weapon, provoking, not surprisingly, angry and hostile reactions. Yet, the behavioural acts of laughter, joking, ridicule and caricature may certainly become true forms of art, because they tend to escape the bounds of authority. Throughout history, we see, how these art-forms flourish, ranging from the medieval court-jester, to the contemporary cartoonist or political satirist.

We see, here, another argument in favour of the idea, that art is born-out of the need to relieve some sort of tension. This tension may not always be based upon a conflict-situation between people, because it may be the result of a discrepancy in the interpretation of reality perceptions and other psychological mechanisms between an individual and the cultural core of his social environment. This leads to a desire to re-think the traditional opinions and beliefs of a contemporary society.

Tensions may also arise from adolescent emotions and a strong surge of the elan vital, whenever a teen-ager is trying to find his or her place in society. The growth pressures of an individual, the different phases and rates of growth between an individual and his social surroundings, as well as the rapid mechanisms of maturation and decline, together with the experience of vulnerability, these are all factors that give rise to tensions between an individual and the social surroundings.

If one is well-adjusted to the social environment, the tensions or problems are, usualy, more manageable, and, the communal reality perception will be accepted as an adequate, or, even, unquestioned truth. There is, then, a good congruence between the cultural traditions and the attitudes and beliefs of the individual. Such a person will be a well-integrated and respected citizen, but, often, somewhat ignorant or intolerant of those, who seem to disagree with the beliefs and guidelines of society. A well-integrated individual is a firm believer in the official dogmas of society and will, naturally, be less inclined to appreciate artistic innovations.

During the formative years, fortunate circumstances may have provided a fertile psychological soil for the appreciation of the cultural core as its exists at that particular time. The mold of the existing culture is then reflected, faithfully, in the beliefs and behaviour-patterns of the well-integrated young adult. Established art, as well as established values are accepted as part of the official cultural heritage, but, new ways of looking at this reality, or, a search for new relevance, will be looked upon as a somewhat unnecessary experiment or an unsettling experience.

Growing-up and living with a variety of different tensions may prepare an intelligent and sensitive human being to look for a broader understanding of our existence. The desire to exploit new avenues of meaning may then become an instrument for evolutionary change, or, for a revolutionary challenge. Even art may show this correlation, where evolutionary change and revolutionary overthrow are existing side by side, and, we have already discussed the reciprocal situation, where revolutionary change, or, at least, violent change, becomes a source for artistic innovation.

Let us shift our attention to the similarities and differences we can see, when we compare the role of the artistic creator and the artistic "appreciator" or consumer. These distinctions are far less important than they appear to us in our contemporary interpretations of the meaning of art, where a separate, and, often, somewhat elitist class of artists sets itself aside from the ordinary people. In essence, we see, always, a very close correlation between artistic endeavour and artistic enjoyment.

If we recall our definitions and concepts about the origins of art, we see, that the motivation for creating and enjoying art are the same. Certainly, the creation of relevant art requires a far higher level of skill, concentration and persistence compared to the enjoyment that is brought-about by the contacts with a work of art, but, these differences are not essential, and they reflect, often, differing intensities and capabilities, rather than differing motivations.

If someone looks for new avenues of relevance, he or she may find them in the joy and pride of one's work, and, creating an object of pride is as much an enjoyment for the worker as it is for the individual, who comes along and sees the devotion and dedication that have gone into a piece of work. Similarly, an individual, who is searching for renewed relevance, may find joy and beauty in the work of expressing thoughts and ideas, as a variety of ideas are re-worked and reformulated, clearly and precisely. Joy and beauty may also be experienced, when recognising the validity of an idea that has already been written-down. Re-creating an idea with an enthousiastic and whole-hearted devotion to its understanding, interpretation and propagation, is the essentially artistic activity and creativity of an attentive reader of philosophical essays.

It is clear, that there are no essential differences between these two artistic activities of creating and re-creating, because, in both cases, the individual who finds a truth or a form of beauty, re-formulates or re-creates, with his own personality, the meaning and viability of such an expression. Yet, in the way we have defined these complementary forms of artistic endeavour, we emphasised, in the first instance, the aspect of creation, (if an individual starts to actually re-write or re-formulate concepts and ideas), and, in the second instance, where an individual "finds" a work of art and becomes completely enthralled by it, we emphasise the aspects of appreciation and interpretation.

I believe, that it is important to keep these considerations in mind, because we can understand the essence of art so much better, if we can distantiate ourselves from the somewhat artificial distinction between the artist and the art-lover. It becomes, then, so much easier to grasp the concept of art in a coherent, encompassing form, because the search for new meaning, or a renewed relevance, may come with the creation of a work of art, and, it may come in finding such a work. In both cases, the recognition of truth and beauty is the essential feature of the endeavour one has become engaged in.

The search for new relevance means, as a rule, a "renewed" relevance, or, an adjusted, adapted relevance, because, as we have discussed before, the search for a renewed relevance always takes place within the framework of existing cultural tools. We re-define a sense of relevance by re-arranging an accent in our interpretations, or shifting an emphasis in our belief structures, or, in general, by exploiting possibilities for refinement that were previously under-utilised.

Certainly, we may start using cultural tools that were previously neglected, but, we do not create entirely new cultural tools, because such a tool would have no meaning, and, we would find this out, very quickly, if we tried to communicate with such a new and unknown tool. This is the reason, why the creation of a piece of art is as much an enjoyment for the artistic creator as it is for the art-lover. Certainly, the creative artist needs many hours of hard work, dedication and an attitude of tenacious persistence in order to polish this work of art into a state of perfection, which is so necessary, before it is able to convey the message of beauty and truthfulness.

.......

Chapter 6

Content

The performing arts; a three-layered tier.
The original creator, the performer, and the audience.
The audience as a performer.
Specialists in art.
The accentuation of existential needs and egocentric displays.
Varying needs for different interpretations.
The art-form as a life-less record.
The essential act of artistic re-creation, performed by the art-lover.
A continuing dialogue.
The motivations behind a devotion to beauty and perfection.
A combination of intellectual and emotional recognition-patterns.
The link between art and ethics.
Unavoidable "impurities" in attitudes, reflected by a combination of altruistic and egocentric motivations.
The reality of human nature, and, the futility of any attempt to "exorcise" egocentric tendencies.
The need for control.
The mechanisms of a rewarding experience.

The activities of the performing arts and their practitioners show clearly, that there is an essential bond between the art-creator and the sensitive art-lover. Both are gifted individuals who have found beauty, an ideal, or a goal, in a particular art-form or an existing work of art. By recreating the art-form, the performing artist functions, simultaneously, as an art-creator and an art-lover.

We see, therefore, a three-layered tier; there is the original artistic creation, the re-creating, performing artist, and the attentive, understanding audience. In some instances, the first two layers are overshadowed, e.g., when a popular song is being sung by the people of a small community, who are obviously enjoying their own singing; appreciating and recreating art at the same time. The performing people are, then, completely unconcerned about the original creative artist who composed the song, and, indeed, in many instances, it is not possible to point to one specific author, because the song has undergone many modifications with the passage of time. The original composition or structure becomes, then, obscured by many additions or changes, and, we see, here, an example, where the "living traditions" of a community have formed and shaped a relevant form of art by repeated communal re-creations.

In our contemporary societies, the enormous technical development of, e.g., the musical arts, has created professional existence possibilities for a large variety of performers who have become specialists on a particular instrument, or, who have become specialised in one or other form of singing. The life-long dedication of such people to the study of their profession, their dazzling technical abilities, as well as the glamor associated with recreating an often complex piece of music during a concert, have focussed attention on the art and skill of the musical interpreter.

Occasionally, the emphasis becomes so glaringly focussed on the brilliance and glory of a performer, that the meaning and message of the work of art are forgotten or relegated to the background. We see, then, an example, where art has provided a member of society the possibility to make a living by showing-off his or her prowess in the performance of a skill. Certainly, most performers, including many members of the public, are aware, that the glorification of the performance or the performer is an aberration of the meaning of art, but, in spite of the fact, that we, the public, are aware that the essence of our musical enjoyment lies in participating as listeners in the re-creation of a musical composition, time and again, the sentiments of admiration, affection and "performer worship" are surreptitiously introduced, threatening to overshadow the meaning and intention of the original artistic creation.

Then, there are art-forms, where interpretation or re-creation is not necessary; at least, not to the same extent as the musical interpreter enables us to enjoy a piece of complex music. The visual arts, literature, a philosophical essay, or, a scientific presentation do not require an interpreter, unless the content of the work is exceedingly difficult and specialised. In most art-forms, outside the field of music, a more direct communication between the artistic creator and the audience is possible. Yet, in spite of all the differences between the various forms of art and their professional servants, we may point to the fact, that the work of art is, in essence, nothing more than a record of activities and thoughts of an artist who is trying to communicate. The work of art is only a scaffold. It is a symbolic representation, perhaps, a rather complex one, but, it is nevertheless only a vehicle to give someone else an opportunity to take note and re-create the psychological mechanisms, thoughts and feelings that prompted the author to construct this particular scaffold.

The essence of a work of art lies in the ability to communicate a comon human experience, and, an artist must, therefore, have the technical ability to express himself well, and, he must have something to say that is of interest to others. Yet, only, if there is an attentive, appreciative listener or audience, is the act of communication brought to completion.

Indeed, all awarenesses are, in essence, a form of communication, and, we recall, how human life is a continuing dialogue, where ideas are jumping from one mind to another in order to remain alive and retain their vitality. Similarly, the essence of an artistic communication also depends upon an exchange of information or sentiments between author and audience, sometimes, with the medium of an interpreter, creating a state of intellectual and emotional synchrony between author and audience.

Sometimes, we see, that, indeed, most of the hard work is done by the author, whenever the audience "follows", rather passively, the artistic presentation. This is the case, when people look, primarily, for "entertainment". Even, then, the audience has to be able to recognise the author's intentions, before it is willing to pay attention and follow passively. At other times, we are dealing with a true dialogue between the author and his audience, e.g., when the author is stimulating his audience to think and judge for itself. This is teaching, rather than entertaining, and, as we have seen, sometimes, the audience fulfills the dual role of performer and audience, whenever it participates in an activity such as communal singing.

We should look, once again, at the motivations behind the artistic drive to create, and, we should analyse the various orientations and motivations that play a role, here. Let us begin by attempting to describe and unravel this lofty attitude, when an individual turns to an artistic mode of behaviour, as he or she tries to solve the tensions of his or her relationships with other people, or, if one tries to overcome the stress of disease, accident, infirmity or old-age.

The devotion to the ideals of truth and beauty has a complex background. In part, it represents the recognition, that, coherence of thought and behaviour, including a broad awareness of the common denominators of human existence, are powerful tools to resolve potential and actual sources of conflict and tension. In part, this recognition is more intuitive, whenever an uplifting emotional surge is associated with giving and receiving trust, good-will and love. Then, we understand, subconsciously, the meaning of beauty and perfection, because we have become sensitive to such beneficial and socially oriented attitudes.

It is clear, that we are entering, here, the realm of ethical behaviour, and, we see, once again, that ethical motivations and guidelines can rest on common-sense principles and pragmatic insights, and do not have to rest upon religious beliefs. This point has been elaborated before, and, it is certainly irrealistic to believe, that an attitude of good-will and trust can be maintained, if it is not rewarded at some time in the future. Nevertheless, an honest search for truth, a balanced judgement, an attitude of cooperation and understanding, has a disarming, even, charming effect upon other people, and, these attitudes provide some of the most inspiring examples of human behaviour.

However, we can not remain purely altruistic indefinitely, and, it is always possible to recognise in ourselves, and others, the resurgence of more egocentric drives. Even, if we become more cynical and self-centered as a result of disappointments and negative experiences, we may still retain a devotion to the ideals of truth, beauty and excellence. An egocentric, competitive drive may actually assist the drive for perfection. For example, there is always an element of competitiveness between artists, and, this is a powerful factor in the drive for accomplishment and perfection. The desire to succeed, to master, to be acclaimed for a job well-done, are egocentrically oriented motivations, which are inseparable from the motivations of devotion and loyalty to an artistic ideal.

We should not regret such "impurities" of the artistic ideal, because the purely altruistic motivation is only an abstract concept that could not exist apart from the totality of human behaviour. Regardless, how convinced we become of the idea that an altruistic, understanding attitude is going to solve our social and personal problems, we have a biological heritage to contend with, and, in stead of deploring this heritage with its strongly egocentric orientations, we should acknowledge the existence of egocentric drives as necessary and valid. After all, the meaning of social integration, inter-dependence and trust is based upon a positive balance between competing factors, where, ultimately, the viability and existence possibilities for each individual have to benefit from a conscious contract of essential equality.

Our biological heritage and egocentric instincts should certainly be controled and tempered, but, they should not be denied or neurotically suppressed. After all, they function as a watch-dog, to make sure, that we are not being exploited in the complicated and subtle mechanisms of social inter-dependence.

Why should we deplore the existence of egocentrically oriented motivations in the arts, or, even more clearly, in other searches that are based upon the desire for a state of health, well-being or divine salvation? All human endeavour, including those we consider to be artistic in nature, require a measure of return, encouragement or satisfaction, before they can be viable and meaningful. No human being, no life-form would consistently act or behave in a certain way, unless there is something to be gained from this behaviour.

As we have discussed, before, even, the most altruistic, self-sacrificing behaviour has its rewards and satisfactions, even, if it is only the belief, that such behaviour will find acceptance in the eyes of God. Repenting and self-effacing behaviour is highly rewarding, because it allows the sense of guilt to be purged, and, this leads to the possibility of a fresh shart, with a renewed flow of vital energies. No human behaviour, regardless, how strange or apparently void of egocentric features, is entirely without some satisfactions. Unless we keep this in mind, human behaviour will resist a logical unfolding of its complexities in comprehensible categories of related phenomena and coherent mechanisms of cause and effect relationships.

.......

Chapter 7

Content

A sliding scale of motivations; for art-creator and art-lover alike.
The neurotic personality.
Mechanisms playing a role in the experience of beauty and truth.
The concept of recognition.
Recognising beauty in a natural phenomenon, an object of art, or the inter-action between man and his natural surroundings.
Awareness of the basics; marveling at the fact of being aware.
The emotional ground-tone, or "bias".
The fusion of the image "as is", with the image "as we would like it to be", seen as a foundation for the sensation of happiness.
The benefits of not being obsessed with achieving our goals.
The nostalgic reminiscence.
Emotional filtering, and quickly changing evaluations.
The pleasurable experiences of being on a motor-cycle, a car, a boat, or any other vehicle, seen as a sensitizing process for the development of wisdom and insight.

When we look at the field of artistic motivations, we see a sliding scale, ranging from an attitude of nearly pure devotion to high professional and artistic standards, to openly egocentric and exploitative attitudes. Certainly, egocentric motives always play a role in whatever we do, but an artistic endeavour can never become exclusively a vehicle for satisfying existential needs and concerns, and, for this reason, the range of artistic motivations slides from the sublime, inspiring and lofty, through an atmosphere of dullness and mediocrity, to outright humbug and a unscrupulous exploitation of ignorance, gullibility and emotional needs.

The motivations of the art-lover may also range from a devotion to beauty, perfection and truthfulness, to a sensual, highly egocentric, or, even, addictive dependence upon a continuous gratification of drives and desires. An individual may use a stream of artistic products and stimuli to sooth neurotic, non-integrated emotional scars and sensitivities. One becomes, then, an introvert and non-ethical "consumer" of artistic products and sensual stimuli.

The orientation and interests of an individual may vary, therefore, from an appreciation of beauty, harmony and perfection, to a nearly exclusive accent upon sensual or sexual gratification. This happens, often, when the human body becomes the focus of an artistic work. The accent of the presentation shifts, then, to the stimulation of sexual desires, and becomes thereby pornographic in nature, because the objective of the "work of art" is to satisfy sexual fantasies, and, it has nothing to do with the portrayal of more generalised human concerns or sensitivities.

The egocentric drive dominates, also, if a work of art is used, exclusively, to obtain acclaim or recognition; e.g., whenever a somewhat neurotic and insecure personality uses a work of art to "show-off" or impress as a virtuoso performer. Anyone, who uses an act of artistic creativity for purely personal gain or commercial objectives, will, eventually, be unmasked as an egocentric exploiter of the commonly shared need to look for something that is beautiful, worthwhile, and a true accomplishment.

Art, then, touches upon the ideals of beauty, truth and perfection, but, it merges, also, with the drives of egocentricity, competitiveness and consumerism. We have discussed the range of motivations, and, in general terms, we have looked at the range of artistic activities, but, we should, now, narrow our focus of attention on the reasons, why the experience of beauty and truth occurs in the first place, and, we should review the various forms of "emotional movement" that occur in our personality, when involved in one form of art or another.

The key to an analysis of this focus of concern is the concept of "recognition". We recognise the truthfulness of a personality portrait, or, perhaps, the way a specific human characteristic has been sketched; or, we recognise the accuracy of a dramatic or a comic portrayal, because there is art in comedy as well as in drama. We recognise the beauty of a melody or a harmonic progression, but, the purely musical recognition is somewhat more abstract, because it seems to have less obvious links with everyday life. Music remains, for most people, an integral part of a song, where the muscial content is supported by lyrics, and, often, a strong rythmic beat.

We will come back, later, to a more detailed discussion of the reasons, why it is possible to recognise the validity of more complex harmonic, melodic and rythmic patterns for their own sake, and, why the appreciation of "classical" music can lead to powerful sensations of beauty, at least, for those, who have acquired a measure of familiarity with these abstract and complex forms of "tonal architecture".

Then, there is this wide field of the visual arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, etc., as well as the hybrid form of visual and musical art; the dance. Yet, we may also experience sensations of beauty, when viewing a completely natural phenomenon, such as a panoramic view, the sensation of a fresh breeze in our face, or, the warming rays of the early morning sun, or, we may enjoy a sail in a boat or a glider, a ride in a plane or car. In the latter examples, we combine a natural phenomenon with the pleasures of using a man-made object.

In short, there are many instances, where we may sense a feeling of beauty, contentment or harmony, (whatever one may want to call it), and these sensations share the fundamental awareness, that it is good to exist; that it is good to be in contact with nature; that it is justified to be thankful for being alive and well. We may suddenly become aware of the beauty of simple activities, like walking, taking a deep breath, sitting in the sun or shade, or, we may, even, be moved by a feeling of pleasure, when we play around with a complex technological tool or toy. We will "work" our way back to the inter-actions of man with specifically artistic products, after we have explored the mechanisms or sensations that come-about as a result of our contacts with nature and our technical creations.

On previous occasions, we have described the mechanisms of the "emotional bias", which plays an important role in colouring all our sense impressions. This "colour", or "ground-tone", of our outlook may be an optimistic, confident, or, even, ebullient attitude or feeling, but, the outlook may also be coloured on the "negative side", when we view the world around us with a constant feeling of apprehension, defensiveness, or, even, outfight fear. As a corollary to this concept of the "emotional bias", we have described the possibilities of the emotionally more or less neutral state of the mind, which will be the topic of another discussion.

The sensation of beauty is brought-about, when, at least, temporarily, a fusion takes place between our goals or amibitions on the one hand, and the situation we are in, on the other. Therefore, a moment of relaxation or reflection, after we have reached our goal, may give us a sensation that the situation "as is" and "as we would like it to be", are identical, and, this "fusion" between our achievements and objectives forms the basis for a feeling of happiness.

In general terms, we may feel a sensation of happiness or beauty, whenever we reflect upon the situation "as is" and recognise the ambivalence of our goals and ambitions. This recognition may bring us to the conclusion, that we have a lot to be thankful for. We may be aware of our existence, and, we may feel, for a moment, an immense feeling of awe for the totality of living existence. We may, suddenly, become aware of the myriad of awarenesses we can discern, if we are attentive and sensitive to the many sense impressions we receive from the surroundings; provided, we are not continuously distracted by our goals and long-term objectives.

Against this background of psychological mechanisms, facilitated by a positive and confident emotional bias, we visualise the occasional occurrence of those magnificent emotional fluxes we have described as "happiness", contentment, a sense of well-being, gratitude, or, an experience of beauty.

In such a state of mental preparedness or willingness to feel happy, almost any awareness may evoke the feeling of contentment and beauty, but, it will take place, especially, if we are reminded of a previous experience of happiness or beauty; by recognising a similar awareness in the present. The nostalgic reminiscence will evoke some sort of a fusion between the awareness of "now", and the happiness of "then". This recognition is likely to create a strong sensation of happy memories and an emotional state of deep contentment.

This is a quick overview and a sketchy recall of some of the aspects and mechanisms of the sensation of beauty, which have been discussed, more in detail, elsewhere. We have recalled these mental mechanisms, briefly, to show, why, even naturally ocurring phenomena can suffuse us with feelings of beauty, tranquility, reflection and appreciation for our existence. They take place as a result of our own emotional bias or predilection to appreciate the moment of our existence, together with a fortuitous recall of happy memories.

These sensations are, in essence, similar to the feelings which can be evoked, whenever we are moved by a stimulating, emotionally persuasive work of art which appeals to us because of its truth and beauty. For example, such a state of appreciation for the moment of our existence may let us identify with the characters or events of a play, a movie, a novel, or a short story.

Of course, there are important differences between the feelings evoked by a natural phenomenon, and those, which are deliberately brought to the fore by an artist and his works. In the case of appreciating natural circumstances, we produce the bias in our perceptions by receiving and evaluating a large series of sense impressions through an "emotional filter", and, a moment later, the interpretation may change dramatically, whenever we focus upon a different reality perception, with a different meaning, and, we "drop", then, the filter we were using a moment ago. Our emotional bias may then quickly shift again to a more cautious or defensive attitude. Even the evaluation of an artistic experience may fluctuate, because it requires a subconscious willingness to be persuaded by the artist, and, this willingness or mood determines, to a large extent, to what extent we will be moved by the experience of communicating with a work of art.

Our technological tools, such as a car, a bicycle, a boat, or any other vehicle that may enable us to express ourselves or enlarge the range of our sensations, may also help us to experience a positive mood and a sense of confidence, because these tools tend to enlarge our powers, our mobility, as well as our sphere of experiences. In addition, these tools and instruments may test our skills and absorb a large part of our elan vital, channeling our restless, youthful acitvities in a harmonious, happy and relatively problem-free field of endeavour.

Certainly, we do not want to put these experiences entirely on the same level as an artistic experience, because the orientation is more primitive and egocentric, but, these experiences may provide a background of happiness and contentment, and, they may become the foundation for an enlarged awareness, in spite of the fact, that these technological tools are often used to display our powers of dominance, rather than as an instrument for reflective wisdom.

When we are "showing-off", these tools and instruments may easily become objects of envy, jealousy and conflict. However, a foundation for greater insight and understanding may be laid by the experience of an exciting ride, a fresh breeze, a widening horizon, and the sense of freedom and exuberance that comes with the prudent use of many of these technological inventions. These experiences may help us to reflect upon the vastness of the world, as well as the wide range of human experiences.

The fragility of our existence is also driven home to us in a near-miss or a real accident, and, once again, we have an opportunity to become more aware of the transience of our moments of triumph and exuberance, leading to a deeper insight about the nature of living existence.

.......

Chapter 8

Content

The variable orientation of our drives and motivations.
The individual, who can repair, maintain or build his own devices, tools or articles of recreation.
The importance of pride, and the experience of well-being when carrying-out constructive work.
The roots of artistic behaviour are found in the inter-relationships of people.
The complexity of human relationships requires a full integration of the intellectual, intuitive and emotional faculties.
The problem of man's ability to make an arbitrary choice.
Emotional neutrality; the importance of unraveling emotionally non-neutral attitudes and sub-conscious mechanisms.
The road towards becoming human was found, when our pre-human ancestors invented the essentially artistic techniques of image-recall by symbolic representations.
A matter of identification.
Being moved to tears of sorrow, or tears of laughter.
The beauty of good comedy.

Every experience and emotion may be used to develop a greater degree of understanding and concern for the conditions of human existence, but, more often, our experiences remain entirely in the service of our own existential requirements. Therefore, let us not be under the illusion, that the pursuit of pleasurable tool- or toy-based experiences, (be it by our young people or a majority of partly grown-up affluent adults), will, invariably, lead to a greater awareness and a mellower attitude of social concerns. This is certainly not the case, but, many people will remember the pleasures that were associated with their exploits on a motor-cycle, a boat or a car, and, they may be able to acknowledge, that this mixture of stimulating and pleasurable sensations and emotions helped them, at least, to some extent, with the process of "growing-up".

Let us go back to a more artistic experience of beauty, and, we may recall the admiration we felt for the individual, who could repair, maintain, beautify, or, even, build his own tools and objects of use. We may remember, how some of these people would show a remarkable affection for their technological "art objects". We may have realised, vaguely, that these people, who were capable and determined to build their own vehicles of enjoyment, as well as those, willing and able to make all sorts of improvements, seemed to have a greater appreciation for their possesssions, than we, who bought these possession outright and used them rather roughly, without giving much thought to maintenance and care. Besides, young people, who had to spend their own hard-earned monies when buying their possessions, would take a great deal more care, and pride, in their assets compared to those, who were given such items by well-meaning but somewhat short-sighted parents.

Pride in one's work, as well as the ability to carry-out repairs and improvements, or, to maintain and beautify a piece of property, were the basis for a feeling of happiness, contentment and confidence. It is not difficult to see, how detrimental the objectives of modern affluence have become, when, for the sake of mass-production and mass-consumption, a task was split into meaningless fractions by the techniques of assembly-line production, taking the pride and meaning out of making something. Besides undermining the pride in workmanship, the assembly-line technique imposed the tyranny of a sustained tempo, completing the cycle of dehumanisation in the manufacturing process, in an effort to obtain robot-like efficiency.

This is an aside, however, and, let us go back to this bridge between "naturally occurring" sensations of happiness or beauty, and the apprecation of art in the more traditional sense. Obviously, this bridge exists, beause we do not make a sharp distinction in our sense impressions between inter-actions that have a "human content" and those that do not. The foundation for the existence possibilities for an artist and his work lies, primarily, in the realm of human relationships. As we have mentioned before, the area of human inter-actions is, by far, the most important source of emotions and experiences, because we all are intricately interwoven with the people of our immediate social surroundings. It is in these contacts between human beings, that we are moved to the sharpest contrasts in attitudes; e.g., from the heights of mutual trust, love, dedication and sacrifice, to the depths of despair, humiliation, hatred and fear.

We know, now, the reasons, why inter-human contacts give rise to the more significant emotional experiences, especially, for modern man, because he lives, generally, in an environment where his sense impressions are dominated by other human beings, rather than by the phenomena of nature. We have outlined the reasons, why the complexities of the natural environment yielded easier to the scrutiny of the emotionally neutral observation, compared to the complex world of human reactions and motivations. The main reason was, and still is, the difficulty of coming to grips with the large range of human behaviour-patterns, which is typified by the ability to excercise an "arbitrary choice". This factor of behavioural flexibility does not seem to play a role of significance in the sphere of the natural, non-human environment, as we are finding out, somewhat to our surprise, in our scientific observations and interpretations of the realities around us.

We will not repeat these arguments here, but, we should remind ourselves, that the human being has to rely, in his contacts with other human beings, primarily, on his intuition or sensitivity to emotional reaction-patterns, in spite of the fact, that our emotionally more neutral faculties of intellectual comprehension are playing an increasingly important role in unraveling the complexities of human behaviour-patterns.

We have good reasons to believe, that the first forms of art originated, when, in that distant past, a member of a small community was able to imitate someone else's behaviour; to the general approval and recognition of the audience. By "acting-out" certain happenings in a play or a story, and, by showing the mechanisms of human inter-actions in an act of deliberate mimicry or imitation, such activities facilitated the ability of the members of the community to see themselves as they behaved in relation to each other. We may well argue, that, in essence, the earliest attempts at recalling a memory-trace by mimicry and gestures, were, already a form of art, or story-telling, facilitating the voluntary recall of an event and the recognition of a truth. We may even state with some justification, that our pre-human ancestors only started, seriously, on the road towards becoming fully human, after they had invented art.

A good, persuasive story, novel or play, is still characterised by the presentation of a recognisable event, portraying human relationships, and we all know, that the secret of good art is a measure of conviction and persuasiveness to which we, the audience, have capitulated and surrendered our faculties of criticism and skepticism. The more believable a character has been portrayed, the more the audience can identify with a personality or situation, and, the more likely the audience will be literally "moved" by the artistic presentation.

What, actually, is happening, when a spectator, listener or reader is moved by what he sees or hears? First, one has to become interested in a particular presentation. The spectator or listener has to develop an emotional attachment to the people and events that are being portrayed, liking some characters while despising others, and, in these bonds of likes and dislikes, one becomes easily a will-less "slave" of a clever artistic creator. A deep involvement in the drama of a situation allows the spectator to experience the awareness, that he or she could be part of such a situation or event in real life. We may, then, become aware of the consequences, if we would make the same mistakes or adopt the same attitudes.

To be moved deeply by a series of dramatic events, means, that a member of the audience can experience real sorrow at the loss of a sympathetic, or, even, loved stage-character. One may be moved to tears, and, we all know, that, to be really moved by a convincing, or, even, overwhelming presentation, gives rise to a feeling of beauty and truthfulness.

Let us ask ourselves, again, why it is beautiful to be moved to tears. I think, that it is beautiful to be moved in any direction, be it to the tears of sorrow, or the tears of laughter, because, it means, in essence, that we have been able to identify with the situation and the people involved. We have, then, been exposed to an experience that is usually far more vivid and more sharply drawn than in a situation of real life, and, the reason for such an "artistic accentuation" have also been discussed before. Besides, the artistic presentation of an event lets us see, what may happen, without obvious or conscious moralising, and, we are happy, even grateful, to have received such an insight or lesson, which was shown to us by the portrayal of a situation or an inter-action, rather than by an intellectual analysis or discussion.

Yet, our involvement may also be more light-hearted. We may receive, essentially, the same message, when we identify with the characters of a good comedy. Rather than crying ourselves into an emotion of sympathy and a feeling of insight, we laugh ourselves into a similar insight; by having been moved to accept the absurdity of a situation, attitude or character. At the same time, we recognise, intuitively, that we, or someone we know, may actually behave in such a manner.

A good laugh, be it the serious laugh of laughing at our own failures and peculiarities, or, the more light-hearted, good-natured laugh at a comical situation, a good laugh refreshes and re-vitalises our spirits by showing us, that our problems are not as serious or important as we thought. We feel grateful, and, we experience a sense of beauty, when we realise this to be the case, even, if we have difficulties verbalising the reasons, why we enjoyed a particular comedy. "It was funny", is often all we can say about it.

.......

Chapter 9

Content

What makes art good, or, even, great?
The inevitable subjectivity of artistic judgements.
Established art, and the consensus of the past.
The discrepancies between past relevance and a contemporary need for change.
Great art is clear, precise, powerful and consistent, with subtle shadings of expression and a great mastery of skills.
The presence of all these qualities is no guarantee for success or acceptance.
The "accidents of history".
The flow of events, and their influence upon the judgements of relevance.
Fluctuating evaluations; even, of the "classics".
An accent upon common denominators.
The "sanctification" of art.
Life-less records of human endeavours.
A review of the essential requirements for producing high-quality artistic work.
The role of motivations.
Beauty, the final polish of a relevant idea.
Technical mastery, and the factor of dedication to perfection and truthfulness.
The difficulties in assessing the significance of these factors.
The role of a retrospective over-view.

We have reached a point in this discussion, that we have to consider the quality of art. What constitutes good, or, even, great art? What makes really good art, so often, an object of adoration? What is the secret of high-quality art? Of course, there are a large variety of factors involved, and, hopefully, we will be able to shed some light on these difficult and complex questions, or, rather, the questions are simple enough, but the answers are not.

Let us begin with the observation, that the judgement of art is always a somewhat personal matter, and, often, it is a rather controversial judgement. What one person calls great art, someone else despises, or, vice versa. What is considered to be great art by a consensus of experts today, may fall from grace a generation later. The evaluation of a work of art is based upon a complex web of accepted and traditional values, as well as on a personal endorsement of a particular work. We have to try to unravel all these factors, when trying to answer the question, why some works of art are so powerful and overwhelming, while others, that seem to be very similar, just do not measure-up to the towering master-pieces.

It is obvious, that we, members of a social entity with its own cultural code, have absorbed, be it in varying proportions, a part of this cultural code. This part of the cultural code forms a "core" of traditional opinions and appreciations that are current at the moment of our existence. This personally assimilated core of the cultural code contains the traditional tools and values that have shaped our ability to talk and think, as well as our opinions and judgements about what we like and dislike. The traditional evaluation of a work of art reflects a consensus of opinion, but, this consensus may have become already somewhat out-dated at our particular time of existence. If a piece of art is judged to be valuable or "great", we know, that, at some time in the past, a fairly large number of people have truly identified and appreciated this work and have given it its place in the cultural code of the contemporary community.

Certainly, traditions tend to run somewhat behind the times, and, we may feel a discrepancy between the evaluations of the past and our own appreciations and reactions. As we have indicated before, these discrepancies fuel the forces of rejuvenation and bring-about adaptative changes in the cultural pool. The reason, why the cultural content of a society changes slowly, is just this discrepancy between traditional and contemporary evaluations, and, the cultural pool maintains a measure of relevance by slowly reacting to these discrepancies.

Obviously, an enduring work of art appeals to sentiments that are not tied to fashionable trends, and, we see, indeed, that great art always appeals to a basic core of human experiences and sentiments, and, not to specific or temporary features and characteristics. Secondly, great art is clear. Its meaning is clear, and, its mode of expression is powerful, convincing, consistent and determined, and, yet, it is subtle in the shading of its many details, and, it reveals a great mastery of the technical skills that lie behind the creation of a particular work of art. A great work of art also shows, clearly, to what extent the artist believed in his work, and devoted his time and skills to it.

The great artist possesses a mature mastery and skill in the materials he works with, and, he is, therefore, able to say, exactly, what he wants to say. He has to believe, honestly, in what he is doing, and, he has to show, that he lives a life that is dedicated to beauty, perfection and truth. Any compromise, any attempt to hoodwink the art-lover, any appeal to quick and superficial sentiments, will detract from the status of the work and diminishes its persuasiveness. Eventually, such detracting factors destroy the possibility of it being "truly great art". Yet, the fulfilment of all these qualifications, e.g., great skill and dedication, as well as the patient search for truth, perfection and beauty, still do not guarantee, that the work of art will be appreciated as "great".

There are other factors that determine, whether or not a work of art is recognised and accepted as "great"; whether or not it has sufficient relevance to remain, for a fairly long period of time, in the center of public attention. These factors are essentially beyond the control of the artist, his audience, or the society at large, and, they can be grouped-together under the heading; "accidents of history".

Since the flow of events to which a society is exposed, has a significant influence upon the focus of public attention and concern, the interests of people fluctuate continuously. We see, therefore, that, taste, fashions and foci of attention may change quickly, and, many artistic works fade quickly, especially, when they have been designed to please contemporary popular opinion, or taste. A popular song, or book, may be forgotten tomorrow, and, if the art-form is concerned with topical news-events, such a "dating-process" is even more noticeable. Even the more "classical" works of art, (those works that have remained in the cultural main-stream for a hundred years or more), may fluctuate significantly in the level of attention and appreciation they receive. Because of these fluctuations in interest and concern, many fundamentally sound artistic works will be "re-discovered', time and again, reflecting the obvious fact, that human interests always revolve around the same existential concerns.

Enduring art will have to concern itself with the basic questions and experiences of human existence, and, enduring art will have to be honest and profound, as well as relatively free from a contemporary bias, in spite of the fact, that a work of art, regardless, how great and relevant, will show, always, strong evidence for the time-period in which it originated. In other words, the more true, profound and clear these common denominators of human existence are mirrored in a work of art, the likelier it will be, that a series of subsequent generations will find a measure of relevance in this work of art, in spite of the fact, that the circumstances under which these generations live, may be quite different from those existing at the time the work of art came into being.

In addition to the fact, that subsequent generations have to be able to find a measure of relevance in a work of art, we should not forget, that such "classics" also become invested with a measure of authority. This enhances an attitude of reverence and awe, but a "sanctification" of a work of art obscures, at least, to some extent, its relevance. A well-established work of art becomes always somewhat "institutionalised" or sanctified, and, we see, therefore, that the longevity of such a work is partly determined by the influence it has upon the younger generations, (because traditional values are most readily accepted during the formative years), but, partly, its staying-power is determined by the degree of authority invested in a work of art. The institutionalised culural core that has become the main-stay of the educational content for the younger generations, functions, logically, as the most powerful guidance-structure for a community. However, no work of art could maintain itself solely on the basis of authority, and, it must indeed remain possible for subsequent generations to endorse, personally, the meaning and value of a work of art.

If a work of art becomes a standard of reference, its value and place of prominence are so beyond scrutiny, that it would be futile to question the validity or value of this work, just as it is futile to question the basic rules of common-sense, or the well-established religious commandments. Traditional acceptance, therefore, plays an important role in any artistic evaluation, and, the circumstances that favour such a development, are largely determined by the accidents of history which have shaped the circumstances of a particular community.

Certainly, a work of art that becomes a standard of reference must have exceptional qualities, but, in addition to the qualities of craftsmanship and inspired content, it must also be lucky enough to have penetrated into the cultural establishment. Many equally valuable works will not rise to such a prominent position and are easily forgotten. Once the processes of cultural adaptation are under way, a renewed search in the archives may bring these forgotten works to the fore, once more, and, they may replace the more traditionally accepted works, because they are felt to be fresher and more relevant compared to the established stalwarts which have been in the limelight for such a long time.

Only the living generations determine the significance or relevance of a cultural tool, or a work of art. Actually, the living generations determine the relevance of all reality perceptions and interpretations, of the past as well as the present, because every awareness, idea or item of knowledge has to be re-created by a living idividual. If this is not the case, there will only be records of past human activities, which remain life-less symbols containing merely the possibility or potential for being recognised and treasured as a work of art. Unless such a process of recognition takes place, and, unless an individual or small group has become involved in the re-creation of this past reality, propagating their discoveries with enthousiasm and conviction, such records remain just that; an un-opened book, a non-played record, or an unseen painting, and, these neglected artifacts are only records of past human activities. They constitute a collection of static symbols, gathering dust in a museum, and, they have no influence on their surroundings, unless recognised, loved and studied, admired and criticised.

Perhaps, we have some idea, now, what art is; in particular, what good art has to be. While we recognise, that the eventual judgement of a work of art is outside the control of an artist and its audience, we may try to outline the conditions necessary to form a foundation for good art. As we mentioned, the right conditions do not guarantee success, but, we are sure, that, any artistic attempt that does not adhere, scrupulously, to the ground-rules of honesty, hard work, dedication and a never-ending search for perfection, will certainly never even have a chance to be considered as good or great works of art. It is worthwhile, therefore, to go into a more detailed discussion about these fundamental requirements for the accomplishment of a truly worthwhile, artistic achievement, and, we will try to outline some of the more practical considerations, how to be or become a good artist.

As a summarising concept, we may divide the area of artistic pre-requisites into three broad categories. Foremost is the question of motivation and attitude of the artist. What is the reason, why an aspiring artist wants to create or re-create a work of art, and, what is his attitude towards the task he has set for himself? Secondly, but not less important, is the range of skills the artist has at his disposal, in order to translate an artistic idea or ideal into a work of art. We have outlined, before, how the objective of beauty is the final synthesis of a relevant work of art, born out of a fertile idea, the possibilities of technical mastery, as well as an attitude of dedication to perfection and truthfulness. Finally, but not to be taken as an indication of lesser importance, there is the question of content; the relevance of the artistic idea for other people, who are living, almost certainly, under widely differing circumstances.

Obviously, without a happy combination of all these factors, we could not even begin to expect the emergence of good art, but, the presence of all three factors still does not guarantee that the artistic expression will, indeed, be recognised and accepted as a valuable form of artistry. There are many factors that fall outside the qualities of a work of art, and, they determine, in a somewhat haphazard fashion, the fraction of worthwhile achievements that will remain or become part of the cultural establishment.

Let us analyse, in more detail, the factors that determine the potential for a worthwhile artistic achievement, and, we will concentrate on the practical problems every artist is faced with in the pursuit of his work and ideas. It is safe to assume, that none of the three main factors we have mentioned is ever present to such an extent, that further improvements are not possible or necessary. Actually, it will be very difficult for an artist who is engrossed in his work, to appreciate, estimate, or judge, to what extent these various factors have been fulfilled, and, we are back to the commonly recognised fact, that a generation of attentive outsiders will have to form, collectively, this judgement of beauty and perfection which is the life-blood of artistic longevity.

......

Chapter 10

Content

A mixture of motivations in the drive to produce a work of art.
The problem of achieving an optimum blend between egocentric drives and altruistic attitudes.
The child-prodigy.
The freedom that comes with being a master.
The drive to excel; the desire to become a master over the material we work with.
The search for artistic dominance and security.
The search for an artistic truth.
The reality of making a living.
The trade-off between perfection and reward.
The need for a broad technical base of well-developed skills.
The importance of a slow process of mental maturation and "play-like" technical accomplishments.
Most arts, in particular music, require a level of technical proficiency that remains beyond the reach of an amateur.
The disadvantages of a high level of existential anxiety.
The drawback of having a very comfortable and secure position.
The fashionable trend of being innovative.
The need for competitiveness, a measure of security, and an involved, appreciative and informed audience.

It is clear, that the factor of artistic motivation is a complex one, and, it is probably worthwhile to devote a little more attention to it. We may safely assume, that, anyone, attracted to an artistic endeavour, has recognised some affinity with a particular field of art, and may have experienced a sense of beauty and truth during a period of contact with a work of art. Nevertheless, existential requirements always play a role, especially, when an individual, who has been sensitised to the beauty of artistic activities, tries to make a living with it. The drive to excel in competition with others blends, then, with the desire to master a skill for the sake of serving beauty.

The fact, that artistic motivations mix with egocentric or existential concerns, does not necessarily constitute an objectionable "impurity" of attitudes. It would be irrealistic, as well as somewhat life-less, if we would encounter a motivation, so pure, that we would not recognise any of the ego-drives we are all so richly endowed with. It is more realistic to accept a reasonable measure of egocentricity in recognition of the fact, that every artist is a living human being with commonly shared existential needs. Where the optimum blend lies between the drive to serve beauty and the egocentric display of skills, is difficult to say, but, we can state, with confidence, that a blatant attitude of egocentricity and display does not have much appeal or lasting value for others.

We tolerate in a young musician a large element of self-centered, if skillful display, and, we readily succumb to a feeling of admiration for the dazzling technical abilities of a young virtuoso, but, the hard work and youthful vitality still lack an element of beauty and depth. When the prodigy is getting older and the novelty of technical brilliance starts to wear-off, we expect to hear, and see, more evidence for a truly great artistic talent, and, we like to see a genuine devotion to the beauty of the music, which the artist has chosen to play.

The motivation of an artist may, therefore, reflect, to some extent, the egocentric needs and existential drives of the artist as a human being, and, we may, indeed, be touched, when we recognise the healthy vitality of common egocentric drives. However, we also want to be moved by a sense of devotion, and, a lasting impression of our contacts with an artist takes only place, if we are indeed able to recognise the recreation of beauty and truthfulness during a memorable performance.

Let us look at the hard work and total commitment an artist has to carry-out in order to master the technical difficulties of his craft. On the one hand, the attitude of utter devotion to overcome technical difficulties may reflect an awareness, that a perfect control over the technical problems allows the artist an enormously wide range of expressions, with the freedom to translate artistic ideas into an exceptional performance. This freedom would not exist without such a complete mastery over the technical problems. On the other hand, the effort to become a master is also inspired by the competitive drive; by a search for artistic dominance, or, the fear of being criticised, and, we see, therefore, how strongly the ideal artistic work-ethic is motivated by the dual but converging drives of mastery for the sake of artistic freedom, and, mastery for the sake of artistic dominance, or "security".

As much, if not more energy and time have to be spent in searching for the elusive quality of truthfulness. The truly sincere artist can be recognised by his willingness to use his technical mastery, exclusively, to bring the beauty of a master-piece to the fore. Certainly, there is nothing new about this, and, most people will recognise the practical validity of this statement, but, it may be useful to draw, once again, attention to the contrasting motivations arising from the conflict between an artistic ideal and the reality of having to make a living. Invariably, each and every artist will feel this tension, and, every artist will experience the need to compromise between interests that often compete with each other.

How often will it not be necessary for a concertising musician to play a certain work, because he knows that the public is more likely to respond favourably to it than to a work he would prefer to play, but, which is not as well-known? Often, a performing artist has to make the difficult choice, how much time to spend on a particular work. His artistic ideals may drive him to spend an extra-ordinary amount of time and energy to bring his performance up to a unique standard of excellence, but, frequently, such an investment is not rewarded; neither financially, nor in the degree of recognition it receives. It is, therefore, far more lucrative to learn to play a large number of works at highly satisfactory levels of performance, without spending this large investment of time and energy to reach an exceptional level of perfection.

Certainly, there may also be a somewhat cramped and neurotic element in the attitude of relentless perfectionism. It is not always certain, that a very narrow, obsessive path of hard work will lead to ultimate perfection. If a young aspiring artist tries, too soon, to reach the ideals of artistic perfection, he or she may not have the broad basis of skills, nor the ease of mind, necessary to build a successful and perfect performance. If the basis of skills is too small, perfectionism becomes a frustrating, puzzling and essentially unobtainable goal, while a broad range of skills, allowed to mature under expert guidance, may, eventually, make the level of "routine achievement" much higher. What requires an extra-ordinary effort for the narrowly based musician, becomes an almost instantaneous, play-ful accomplishment for the true professional.

We have been sliding into a rather specific discussion of technical problems for the musical instrumentalist. We hope to tackle this vast area more systematically when we start to discuss the function of technical proficiency, together with the practical problems that arise for every artist, who desires to acquire this elusive artistic attribute of being a "true master".

In most societies, artistic work has become a full-time profession, largely, because of the realisation, that an artistic work, like a complex musical composition, can only be realised, satisfactorily, by a level of technical proficiency that lies beyond the capabilities and range of the gifted amateur. Yet, the development of the artistic worker as a professional emphasises, sometimes to a disastrous degree, the need to make a living, and, there are many examples, where gifted people became so burdened by anxieties, that their artistic talents were buried under existential pressures.

In our modern, affluent societies, we see a strong emphasis on financial expectations, and, it seems, that financial success has become the sole criterium of artistic value. Such an attitude reflects, not only, an appalling ignorance about the essence of artistic work, but, it is, also, a sad commentary on our consumerist orientation and our enslavement to a life-style of thoughtless affluence. By and large, the conditions for creating valuable art have been lost, because people in affluent societies have, often, lost sight of the ability to lead a sober and frugal way of life, and, in an age of frantic consumerism and standardised mediocrity in effort, opinion and taste, the loss of the ability to lead a healthy and basic life-style is not even recognised.

However, a condition of security based on State subsidies and official sponsorship does not lead to true artistic productivity either, because the existential tension between the artistic individual and his social surroundings is then missing. Art can not be sponsored or generated by official institutions, nor, can it be created by commercial demands. Art has to wait, until the conditions favour the emergence of sensitive and skilled individuals, who, with the help of understanding and appreciative members in their immediate social surroundings, are given an opportunity to give form to their artistic ideas and ideals.

When the State sponsors the arts, and, especially, if a trend of innovation becomes fashionable, the criteria of artistic viability shift from acceptance by a living society or community, (which has the ability to put innovative pressures upon the cultural code), to acceptance by the official institutions of this cultural code, which can not function as a vehicle for cultural adaptation, because they reflect, necessarily, the fashionable opinions of a particular social establishment.

Undoubtedly, some genuinely artistic achievements are being accomplished under the protection of official sponsorship, and, these products will, eventually come to the fore, whenever the rest has been discarded as products of a pseudo-artistic, evolutionary search for economic possibilities of existence, created by government grants or the lure of commercial saleability.

What, then, is the atmosphere, which would allow the flowering of good, or, even, great art? On the one hand, it has to be sheltered from too severe a pressure by existential anxieties, resulting from full-time activities, but, on the other hand, a freely competitive atmosphere and a genuinely interested, informed and supportive public are needed to make sure, that the art produced remains honest and relevant. This is not possible, when art is primarily supported by commercial interests or official institutions that rely upon the judgement of a small group of "insiders".

.......

Chapter 11

Content

An analysis of the "social soil" that is needed to produce good art.
Art; a broad definition of exploratory or expressive behaviour-patterns.
The functions of culturally transmitted regulatory mechanisms.
Discrepancies and hypocrisies.
Possibilities for individual differentiation.
The drawbacks when social constraints are too rigid.
Limitations of a decaying society.
The possibilities for a mature society with a relaxed atmosphere, intensive contacts, and a measure of security and well-being.
An atmosphere of invigorating excitement.
The relationships between artistic vigour and economic growth.
Art slips so easily into commercial exploitation.
The marriage of talent, devotion, and a touch of existential anxiety.
The institutionalisation of art; an artificial sanctification of fashionable trends.
Institutionalisation and commercialisation have to be avoided, if art is to remain healthy, viable and genuine.
The need to preserve the records of art, and to study them carefully.
A task that has to be renewed by each generation, and, has to be part of the overall educational program.
Avoiding attempts to "educate" people into a pre-conceived attitude or appreciation; just careful and objective study.
A review of the contrasts between commercialisation and institutionalisation.

It may be worthwhile to formulate a generalised picture of the social "climate", atmosphere and state of social development favouring a flowering of the arts. Art is, here, taken in its broadest definition, meaning, all sorts of relevant explorations, including scientific, philosophical, as well as specifically artistic endeavours. Perhaps, we should review, once again, the psychological mechanisms of an individual, who is moved by an emotion. Like so many of our behaviour-patterns, the great majority of our emotional expressions are guided by, and take place within, a framework of cultural guidelines. These are accepted forms and norms of behaviour that have been formulated and institutionalised by the previous generations of a specific social environment.

Aggression, anger, sorrow and frustrations are all channeled into generally accepted forms of behaviour, and, if we conform, we form a part of the living culture on which our social institutions have been based. Our entire life unfolds within this cultural framework of behavioural guidelines, as we are kept busy fulfilling our obligations to the community. Even our leisure hours are spent within the confines of this cultural framework of norms and guidelines, and, we die and are buried in a manner that reflects the culture we belong to.

On occasion, we begin to feel a certain uneasiness with the framework of constraints and guidelines operating within our social environment, and, we begin to notice discrepancies and hypocrisies, as we realise, ever more clearly, that many of our activities and accepted opinions are poorly thought-out and can be severely criticised, or, at least, intensely scrutinised. Then, our behaviour starts to assume a more personal flavour, and we embark, largely intuitively, upon a renewed search for relevance of our existence.

Ideally, a society should neither be so rigid and demanding, that all such expressions of an individualistic differentiation are severely frowned-upon and rigorously suppressed, nor, should the society be so chaotic and frustrated, that all tensions translate into acts of open hostility. If the culture of a society is very rigid, the awareness of discrepancies will only be dimly perceived and acknowledged, and, if these awarenesses are verbalised, they tend to be associated with a feeling of guilt and confusion, because they are considered to be undesirable and anti-social.

A rigid society is not ripe for innovations, nor, is the awareness of discrepancies sufficiently developed to spur effective and deliberate efforts to innovate or rejuvenate the cultural pool. A society that has decayed to the point of chaos, channels its frustrations and tensions into destructive, all-absorbing activities of conflict and strife, and, these are not conducive to artistic endeavours either; at least, not during the period of maximum polarisation and social turmoil.

We have to look towards the maturing society when looking for a favourable climate for artistic and intellectual exploration. There, an atmosphere of security and achievement prevails, and, this atmosphere has allowed a measure of relaxation of the rigid behavioural guidelines that were prevalent before. Then, rapid changes and intensive contacts are taking place between divergent cultures, and, these contacts provide a spur for reflection, as well as a search for new levels of insight. Then, we see the most fertile soil for a burst of creative, artistic and intellectual evolution.

A sense of wonder, a reflection upon the manifestations of life, and, especially, on the features of our own existence, a refined awareness of all our experiences and the emergence of new ideas and concepts, are, therefore, the preliminary conditions for artistic creativity. In such an environment, some sensitive people may begin to channel some of their surplus elan vital into formulating, or, re-formulating, some of the cultural elements of their society, and, they may begin to experiment with a variety of possibilities of expression in different fields of artistic endeavour, including the beautification of articles of daily use.

The graphic representation of verbal symbols and mental images are explored with vigour, and, ideas are discussed, concepts refined, and questions are being asked which were not asked before. The sacredness and unquestionability of traditionally revered ideas and objects begin to fade, and, many previously sacrosanct topics and ideas become a subject for cautious scrutiny. The whole atmosphere is one of exciting vigour. There are a myriad of new possibilities for exploration, reflecting more the opportunities of an invigorated mind and a revitalised human spirit, rather than a search for economic possibilities or the accumulation of wealth.

Yet, economic innovations may easily spring-up as a result of a renewed intellectual and artistic vigour. This interpretation is the reverse of the more usual opinion, that artistic activities flourish, only, after an economic basis has been secured. Certainly, a measure of economic security must be present, before the mind can relax and turn some of its energies away from immediate existential concerns, but, the spirit of investigation and scrutiny must also guide and influence the planning of adventures, the search for intellectual or artistic expressions, as well as the development of trade and commerce. Art influences and stimulates all aspects of life, and, art may become an object for making a living. Any product, including works of art, may become an object for trade or a business venture, and, there is always the temptation for a successful work of art to be manipulated for financial gain.

The more complex societies have developed extensive inter-dependencies and task-differentiations, and, the attempt to find professional employment in one or other artistic specialisation seems to be a necessary route for the artistically gifted individual. Certainly, the fortuitous combination of great talent and integrity, the appreciation of an informed public, as well as the ability to survive the pressures of artistic competition, has led to many examples of astonishingly beautiful and perfect artistic creations and re-creations.

Once a society begins to institutionalise an attitude of artistic exploration, we see, that a number of existence possibilities or viable positions of employment are being created, and, consequently, a number of activities will flourish, which are not really motivated by a genuine need for an artistic expression, but, they represent, in essence, the search for a financially secure and socially acceptable position. Then, the apparent search for new artistic relevance is, in fact, an adherence to, and utilisation of, traditional and fashionable attitudes and expectations.

Institutionalisation, nor commercialisation, are conducive to great art. By its nature, art can not be institutionalised. The only sensible attitude a society can adopt is to try to recognise, in the present and the past, those artistic endeavours which seem to have relevance, meaning, merit and beauty, and, to make sure that these records are safeguarded. A society should encourage the study, interpretation and critical evaluation of these records as part of an on-going educational program. It is not possible, nor desirable, to search actively for "new" art-forms, because such an attitude will only invite the emergence of artificial experiments. When searching for a technological innovation, we have an almost instantaneous criterium for its usefulness, in spite of the fact, that our apprecations may vary greatly from time to time. There is no reliable, immediate criterium for judgeing the validity or usefulness of an artistic product.

In the commercialisation of art, we see the opposite trend, because the art-product is, then, completely adapted to appeal to the average taste of the public, and, it is not fueled by the motivation to give the public an item of beauty and relevance. In stead, the motivation is to make money and sell the public as many items as possible; items, the people want, and, which have been created with the intention to appeal to immediate needs and a contemporary taste, rather than to educate and stimulate the perception of distant awarenesses.

Art can not be regulated by commercial incentives or public grants, but, it can be scrutinised and preserved, when searching for manifestations of talent and meaningful artifacts throughout the present and the past. This is the reason, why art tends to come to the fore in the least suspected and most unlikely corners of a social environment, and, this is also the reason, why the prediction of future trends is, so often, completely wrong.

The same mechanisms apply to many intellectual explorations. We see that the spark of creativity is often stifled by academic traditions and official institutions, where high levels of anxiety and competitiveness reflect, more often, the natural hierarchical jokeying for a good position, rather than a search for new insights or new fields of expertise. High levels of anxiety tend to paralyse the freedom of thought and the tranquility of reflection, which are so necessary, before an individual can give shape and form to an idea to the best of his abilities.

It is doubtful, that we have exhausted a discussion of the artistic endeavour, or, the subject of motivations and attitudes lying behind the creation of great art. However, I believe, that we have outlined, adequately, those two areas, where misunderstanding and temptation stifle the artistic initiative to a remarkable extent; nl., the commercialisation and the institutionalisation of art. In the commercialisation of art, the public is defrauded, because it is cleverly hoodwinked to like something that is created, specificially, to please in a somewhat superficial manner, appealing to a rather unsophisticated common denominator.

In the institutionalisation of art, an attempt is made to make art a highly respectable but somewhat artificial profession, opening-up channels of existence for artists and artistic activities which are not fueled by an inner need to search for relevant expressions, but, represent concessions to a fashionable social policy or a widely shared public expectation.

.......

Chapter 12

Content

A review of the technical requirements for good artistic work.
Specialisation, and the exploration of new ways of doing things.
The many fields of technological specialisation.
Differences between skill and knowledge.
The need for a conceptual analysis, or "knowledge", to exploit fully the possibilities of a skill.
The instrumentalist and his technical studies.
The coming-together of many specialised skills.
A most flexible and versatile career in music.
The functions and limitations of amateur music-making.
Artistic evaluation and social prominence.
The difficulties with judgeing objectively.
The reasons, why technical skills have to be developed early.
The drawbacks of the adult music-lover, trying to learn to play an instrument at a later age.
First technique; later, the musical expression.

We should leave the field of motivations and attitudes behind us, and focus our attention upon the acquisition of technical skills, needed to translate an artistic idea into a reality of great merit and relevance. Here, we touch upon the crux and mystery of artistic creativity, because it is fair to say, that the aspect of artistic mastery determines the quality and greatness of art. A simple melody, a single harmonic progression or a scene of natural beauty may be transformed into a work of art by the chemistry of an artistic idea, together with imaginative and industrious efforts carried-out with technical competence.

What really constitutes a technical skill? It pays to go back, again, to the mechanisms that show us, why task-differentiations develop, whenever social relationships become increasingly complex and inter-dependent. Skills become more complex and diverse, as individuals are freed from a large number of chores, and are being allowed to specialise and devote most of their time and energies to a particular field of endeavour. As a result, we see, that all fields of enterprise, including the arts, the sciences, the many fields of technology, and, even, the bureaucracies of a government administration, begin to accumulate a vast body of specialised knowledge and specific skills. Anyone, who wants to become fully proficient in a particular branch of expertise, needs, then, a period of schooling and training in order to master a particular complex of knowledge and skills.

It may be worthwhile, here, to outline, briefly, the differences and relationships between skill and knowledge. Knowledge, means, an adequate level of mastery over a conceptual framework, with sufficient detail to allow an individual to grasp a subject and manipulate or discuss it with a certain dexterity, and, yet, in order to discuss a topic easily and fluently, we need "practice" in addition to knowledge, and, this emphasis on practice constitutes, in essence, a skill.

In the concept of a skill, we emphasise the ability to execute a certain movement, but, the ability to execute a complex movement or series of manipulations, rests on a conceptual analysis and grasp over these movements and their underlying events. This allows a complex and composite manoeuvre to be synthesised from a series of simpler and easier movements.

Therefore, we still need an accurate knowledge and conceptual framework of the mechanisms that play a role in mastering an artistic skill, such as playing a musical instrument. True, we rely, to a large extent, upon a "natural feel", or, an intuitive affinity for the tasks of mastering a motoric complexity, but, our ability to overcome a problem, to develop a particular skill more fully, and, to explore the technical possibilities of a certain field more orderly, depends upon an intelligent and refined assessment of the conceptual structure that lies at the root of a skill. Once we have been able to conceptualise the various components of a problem of skill, we can pin-point, with greater precision, why we have problems in overcoming a technical difficulty, and, it becomes clearer, where we can develop our technical skills to a higher level.

Skill and knowledge go hand in hand, and, a careful analysis of certain skills, e.g., the technical problems of re-creating or composing a complex musical composition, will be of great help in our artistic objectives. The artist, in particular, the musical instrumentalist, spends a very large part of his time and efforts acquiring these skills, which are so necessary, if he wants to embark on a professional career. In other fields, the pre-occupation with the technical aspects is, perhaps, somewhat less obvious, but, no artistic, scientific, or technological accomplishment is possible, without a long period of devotion to the acquisition of a broadly based foundation of technical mastery. These are the tools necessary to make or investigate something, to repair an article that has become defective, or, to diagnose and treat an individual who has become ill.

Most professional artists are adequately equipped with technical skills that have been acquired during many years of hard work and devoted study. There is always the temptation to use these technical skills for the sake of display, but, as we have discussed before, all technical mastery should be placed in the service of the artistic creation or re-creation. In the art of serious or classical music, we need people who can write, create or compose music, and, we need people, who are specialised in the performance and interpretation of such compositions. This leads to a complex framework of inter-related skills, ranging from people who concern themselves, primarily, with the art of writing good, interesting, or, even fascinating music, to people, who develop the skills that are needed for the performance of these complex works, ranging from solo-recitals, to chamber ensembles, to large-scale orchestral performances. Schooling, discipline, skill and intelligence have to combine in a fortuitous manner, before a worthwhile composition can be turned into a captivating performance.

The laws of musical harmony are not as easily mastered as verbal skills, because youngsters are, generally, less exposed to the intricate laws of musical harmony, than to the skills of verbal communication. After all, a community has far more practical use for a general familiarity with the skills of verbal communications than writing complex musical harmonies. The skills necessary to create and make music require many years of industrious and intelligent study, and, a society must have the security and insight to let some of its musically gifted youngsters spend a lot of time on such "unproductive" activities.

Many problems arise, when one tries to record musical ideas, because they have to be embellished with a fluid melodic line, rich and innovative harmonic progressions, and, they have to be supported by interesting rythmic variants. As a result, the musical youngster, who is attracted to the musical heritage of his society, and, who shows an affinity for a particular instrument, goes through a long period of training, not only, in the technical difficulties of his chosen instrument, but, in a variety of related subjects as well. Eventually, he becomes familiar with the characteristics of a large number of musical compositions and the techniques of various composers. He learns to use the characteristics of harmonic progressions, melodic lines, rythmic variations and polyphonic techniques in expressing his own musical ideas. This field is so large and absorbing, that a musical career is one of the most demanding, yet most versatile careers a youngster can choose.

Because of the need for a thorough schooling in the art and science of writing music, musical composition remains a field where very few amateurs or non-professionals dare to enter, or, can enter with any hope of success. Certainly, anyone can find an attractive melody, but, even the recording of a single melodic line without any harmonic support requires a measure of musical knowledge. The provision of a harmonic accompaniment for a melodic sentence, or, the art of constructing variations on a theme, or, scoring a musical composition for multiple instruments, are tasks that exceed the capabilities of amateur musicians.

Amateur music-making is a widely practiced hobby, and, it seems to go against the generally accepted attitudes and opinions of a secure and confident society, to raise some questions about the desirability of amateur music making. Certainly, there can be little doubt, that, many people with some training on an instrument and a healthy dose of musicality, enjoy, immensely, the playing of their beloved musical master-pieces, knowing full well, that their interpretative skills do not do justice to the quality of the composition they are playing. Herein lies, indeed, the only serious objection we can have against amateur music-making.

As long as an individual marvels in the privacy of his or her home at the beauty of a musical composition and tries to re-create this beauty with a measure of trepidation, fine, he or she acts in a truly artistic tradition. However, if an individual succumbs to the temptation to score a social success with admiring friends, or, uses a socially prominent position to show-off his or her abilities as an amateur musician, we are dealing, in essence, with a perversion of the artistic ideal.

Unfortunately, artistic concepts and evaluations are still very unsophisticated, and, generally, there is a marked tendency for people to admire a musician, not, because of an objective evaluation of what he or she does, but, on account of the personality who is performing. Therefore, there is a tendency for gifted amateurs, who have reached a socially prominent position on the basis of qualifications outside the field of music, to be acclaimed and admired for their musical talents.

The same mechanisms play a role in the commercialisation of the remarkable accomplishments shown by a young child, or "prodigy". This child is acclaimed and praised, not, because it gives a performance that is judged to be exceptional by objective standards, but, because people are moved to astonished admiration, when such a child is able to display a degree of musical and technical ability that most adults find incomprehensible and totally beyond their reach.

We should discuss, for a moment, the reasons why, e.g., musical talent, and, in particular, the ability to play an instrument well, can be seen at such an early age, while a significant accomplishment in other art-forms, and, certainly, those of the sciences and intellectual discussions, is only possible, after a much longer period of development and maturation. The reasons are, briefly, that the organisation of the motoric skills in musically gifted children can, and should, be developed at a very early age. Not only, is it possible for all motoric skills to develop rather early in the human being, but, they have to be developed early, because these patterns of motoric organisation have to be laid-down as the central nervous system is maturing.

The nimble movements of the fingers, as well as the coordination of all sorts of muscle groups in the arms and hands are acquired relatively easily during childhood, while the mature adult, regardless, how musical, or, how much moved by the beauty of music, will have a much more difficult time acquiring these basic technical skills for playing a musical instrument, because the optimal time-period for acquiring this type of skill, has passed.

As a matter of fact, the highly developed mental imagery of the sensitive adult, or late adolescent, may hinder the normal, play-like acquisition of instrumental skills, since a fierce concentration on the beauty of a loved master-piece generates a significant level of tension and frustration, because of the inability to interpret this piece of music adequately. We see, then, an obsessive fixation on the goal of perfect interpretation, and, as a result, the development of technical skills does not take place smoothly along this broad, natural road of playful acquisition, which is so necessary to build-up a foundation for an easy-flowing and spontaneous interpretation of a musical composition.

Just like a figure-skater has to develop, early, the basic technical abilities of balance and muscle coordination, the future instrumentalist should be guided, during childhood and adolescence, to learn, playfully, the major difficulties associated with playing an instrument. Later, when his musical abilities develop more fully, and, when he starts to acquire a deeper understanding for the meaning of his art, he will possess this broad arsenal of technical and conceptual skills, which allows him to mature into a truly outstanding artistic performer.

Too many amateur music lovers use, or abuse, the music for the purpose of social recognition, and, consequently, they portray an attitude of blase familiarity with the music, while, in essence, they are blind for the beauty of true perfection in music-making. They are blind for the beauty of truly sincere and devoted music-making, where the purpose is not to shine and to be admired, but, to let the music speak to the heart of the listener.

.......

Chapter 13

Content

The need for the professional musician to be realistic and make a living.
A balance between increasing efforts and diminishing returns.
The slick performance, and the lonely, eccentric listener; flashes of recognition.
The world of art, and the world of human activities and emotions.
People will always return to a search for meaning.
The selfish aspects of the love of art.
People must be able to find something of value in a work of art, otherwise, they will lose interest.
No ever-lasting artistic life, not even for an "immortal" work of art.
The concept of "artistic content".
The unit of form, content and historical accidents.
The common denominators of sorrow, loneliness, helplessness, humiliation, suffering and defeat, beauty, understanding, joy, thankfulness, tranquility and reflection.
Artistic inclinations, religious beliefs and political opinions.
A never ceasing sense of wonderment.
Art is an answer to reflective and intuitive questioning.
The ultimate catastrophe.
The artistic devotion to beauty and perfection can be applied to the development of a clear imagery of our own essence, in order to maintain long-term viability with the help of our faculties of conscious awareness.

Very few musicians, even those with an excellent training and the highest artistic ideals, are able to pursue their ambitions of perfection with reckless disregard for financial or existential concerns. The realities of life, the many disappointments, the feelings of under-appreciation when hard work and devotion are scarcely noticed, coupled with the awareness, that there is a diminishing return, when too much time and effort is spent in polishing a performance to an elusive standard of excellence, all these factors tend to wisen the young idealists and turn them into competent, hard-nosed professionals.

Certainly, they are capable of convincing a large number of people that they are outstanding artists, but, there will always be this lonely, somewhat eccentric but unobtrusive individual in the audience, who senses, that he has been given a slick performance. The performance was certainly professional and satisfying, but, he knows, in his heart, that something was missing, and, he knows that it is possible for an accomplished artist to give a performance that is another step closer to perfection.

However, even the eccentric music-lover acknowledges, that an artist has the right to be realistic and consider the financial returns on his time and efforts. Only, occasionally, is it given, to artist and audience alike, to experience the ultimate in artistic achievement, and, the search for perfection, beauty and truthfulness is, therefore, a life-long pursuit, with occasional flashes of recognition, whenever the ideal seems to have been reached.

Art is a strange world, where there is, really, very little room for the irrealistic dreamer of absolute perfection and beauty. Art is, mostly, a world of competent professionals and healthy ego-drives, where the enormous consequences of success and failure provide an aura of "big business" to many aspects of artistic life.

Art is like life; seldom perfect, but always interesting, since all the human emotions of strife, conflict, and competitiveness, but, also, those of love, reflection and devotion, are mirrored. You observe the world of art, and, you observe the world of the human personality, with its many kaleidoscopic variations in mood, atmosphere and perspective. Everything is there; the vanity and egocentricity, the lust for power and the ego-drive, the suffering and humiliation of a serious defeat. Life is reflected in all its aspects in the world of art, where human beings compete, cooperate, or, even love each other in the pursuit of commonly shared ideals.

As always, the common people will, slowly, but surely, return to a search for meaning, truth and sincerity. A clever artist may be able to deceive his contemporary generation into believing, that he is truly a great artist, but, soon, the magnetism of his personal charm and persuasiveness will be gone, and, all that is left, are the cold records of his artistic deeds. Unless these achievements reflect a high level of genuine artistic devotion to the ideals of truth and beauty, these records will soon be forgotten.

Let us not forget, that people are totally selfish in their appreciation of the artistic expression. Unless they feel, that they have been given a real contribution and a genuine effort to be truthful and meaningful, their interests will wander. People may be charmed and fascinated, for a while, by a glittering virtuosity and a dazzling display, but, in the final analysis, people will want to be "moved", and, they will have to find something of value. If not, they will search for something else.

Each generation will judge and evaluate the artistic achievements of its cultural surroundings, and, again and again, a work of art has to prove its worth and staying power, in order to remain part of the cultural currency. Certainly, institutionalisation and inclusion in the cultural establishment may preserve a work of art with the authority of sacred reverence, at least, it may be preserved for a while, but, the distance between people and the work of art is, then, already growing, and, truly personal feelings of meaning and the recognition of individualised relevance are beginning to fade. The work of art is, then, on its way to oblivion, even, if it lingers-on as a historical curiosity.

I think, that these thoughts and considerations reflect what we mean, whenever we talk about this most elusive of all artistic qualities; the essence of being great art. Of course, there is no ever-lasting life, not even for an immortal work of art, but, a work of art may endure many generations of human attention and scrutiny.

We have talked about the factors that play a role in determining artistic relevance and viability. Let us say a final word about artistic "content". What do we mean by this? The combination of the original concept or idea, and, the form in which a work of art has been cast, determine, together, its value, in addition to those uncontrollable and essentially extraneous factors that are summarised as "historical accidents". I believe, that the recognition and the appreciation of a work of art will always be determined by a combination of all the factors we have discussed. Content, form and circumstantial factors determine, together, the relationships between the world of the audience and the world of the artist and his work, at the time this work came into being.

It seems justified to say, that the content of every great artistic work that manages to retain the interests of many peoples in many different generations, has to deal with the invariable, common denominators of human existence, regardless of cultural or historic specifics. The great common denominators of the human being are the feelings of sorrow, loneliness, helplessness, humiliation, suffering and defeat, but, also, those of exuberance, beauty, understanding, joy, thankfulness, tranquility and reflection. Perhaps, other people will enumerate a different set of common denominators, and, I mention them, only, as an example of the type of common sensations and experienes which I believe to be important as motivating factors in the creation of great works of art. The common denominators of artistic motivation reflect this fundamental negative-positive scale along which our emotions and awarenesses always revolve.

As we are born, grow-up, mature, grow old and die within our cultural environment, we pass through our life-cycle far more quickly than the society as a whole. Therefore, each individual will find varying levels of artistic relevance, very much dependent upon the phase of his or her own life-cycle, but, artistic relevance depends, also, upon those experiences, which happen to make-up the content of our particular awarenesses.

For most of us, our artistic taste will be guided by our cultural environment, very much like our religious and political beliefs, and, most of us will be content to follow the prevalent opinions of the day. Yet, here and there, a somewhat lonely eccentric will be looking for something a little different, because he can not quite convince himself, that the established opinions reflect accurately the essence and meaning of life. Here and there, forces will be at work, which begin to modify our perceptions ever so slightly, but, we will always go back to the basic principles of genuine and truthful experiences, as well as a devotion to the ideals of beauty, perfection and hard work. We always search, in essence, for the ability to understand ourselves in a coherent light, whenever we sift through the records of past human endeavours, or the records of natural, historical events.

The fundamental questions will always revolve around the never ending wonderment about our ability to perceive, to be aware and think, to feel and reflect, or, just to be still and look around us. Every generation, every individual, be it ever so slightly, will go through this stage of astonished wonderment about the ability to exist, and, to be consciously aware of this web of feelings, relationships and emotional reactions.

At some time, perhaps fairly frequently, perhaps rarely, but, at some time, we will pause for a moment and sit back and think. We will ask ourselves, who we are. Who is this human being, that can sing, dance, make music, love and be kind. Who is this creature, that can sacrifice his life for the sake of another human being, but, who can also kill his own father and mother or his own child? What is this life, this ability of being aware, move, make things, reflect and enjoy?

In essence, all forms of art are an answer to such a questioning and wondering attitude, where the questions are, often, formulated and answered on an intuitive or subconscious level. All art finds its roots in these basic questions, and, the urge to question originates in the feeling or awareness, that the traditionally formulated answers from our culture are beginning to feel a little stale; that they are a little less relevant and a little less genuine, than we think they should or could be.

As long as there is healthy human life, there will be art, and, we have mentioned the idea, that art was born, when man started to explore the possibilities of symbolic representations with the invention of mimicry, imitation and gesticular dancing. Art will probably be around in man's final hours, when human existence may have lost its viability in a disastrously toxic atmosphere of man-made pollution. Man may well live in a nostalgic past, then, reflecting, sadly, on the story of the species of mankind; how it emerged with unbelievable vitality and dominance, proudly and confidently exploring the possibilities of its existence, and sinking back again, rapidly, into oblivion and extinction, because of a fatal flaw in nature's experiment with intelligent, flexible behaviour.

Perhaps, nature relied too heavily upon the mechanisms of the cultural code to guide the behaviour of its flexible species', and, this reliance may have been the fatal weakness in the evolution of man. Man's extinction may very well be due to self-inflicted wounds, and, we may become the first species on earth with the knowledge that it has brought-about its own demise!

However, this catastrophe has not happened as yet, and, it may never happen. There is still time to correct the serious weaknesses of our biological heritage, as well as the flaws of the cultural code. We may take the course of human destiny away from these powerful but essentially subconscious and essentially uncontroled force-fields. We can do this by taking control over the force-fields of our biological heritage with the help of our conscious and comunal will-power, as we begin to recognise the enormous importance of the deliberate, balanced and thorough communal choice, when managing, consciously, the factors that determine our viability. There is still time to learn, that we can, and, that we have to secure our long-term survival with the help of such wise, collective decisions of behavioural control, which let us live harmoniously in a contract of essential equality.

Art forms an inextricable part of this process of growing self-awareness, and, the focus of our concerns will become ever more sharply defined, as we learn to appreciate, with ever greater clarity, the answers to the questions of our origins and destination. As long as we do not forget the art of marveling at our own existence and appreciating the qualities of beauty and perfection, we will keep the factors alive that are necessary for our survival.

Let us search, continuously, for the qualities of beauty and perfection, as well as a clear understanding of the nature of this marvelous creature of natural evolution; the human being.

.......

Summary

1. In search of a definition of art.
   The unity of author and audience.
   Creation and re-creation.
   The wide scope of art.
   The artistic and scientific aspects of a communication.
   The beauty of science, and the truthfulness of art.
   Boundary-lines with fashionable and deceptive trends in the arts and sciences.
   Integrating traditional and personal interpretations.
   The motivations behind artistic endeavours.
   A number of questions.
   A look at the "consumer" of art; the "art-lover".
   
   
   
2. The message of art.
   The evolution of communications.
   The functions of a cultural code.
   The partial and somewhat haphazard assimilation of a fragment of the cultural "currency", or pool of notions, guidelines and beliefs.
   Untouchable images, resulting from an aura of "sanctity".
   The "living pillars" that are needed to sustain the "cultural pool".
   Art in the daily business of making a living.
   Problems and tensions.
   Rigid and chaotic societies.
   Renewal and adaptation of the cultural pool.
   A broad definition of art is necessary to pin-point its essence.
   A blend between traditional and innovative features in the production of art.
   A variety of motivations for artistic activities.
   Dangers and tensions resulting from ill-conceived innovations.
   Innovation as a blind and bland fashionable trend.
   The fading of political or official involvement in the evaluation of "fashionable" art.
   
   
   
3. The exceptional individual.
   Natural evolutionary mechanisms of the cultural code.
   A slow, careful re-working of accepted methods and values.
   The freedom that comes with mastery.
   The ever-present potential to refine and adapt existing techniques.
   An astonishing impoverishment.
   The ability to recognise value or validity.
   Accentuation and caricature.
   Rejecting facile notions and attitudes.
   A sense of dedication to the ideals of beauty and perfection.
   Artistic motivations, discussed in more detail.
   Art and consumerism.
   Tensions, seen as a foundation for the drive to produce art.
   A large variety of tensions.
   The beneficial side-effects of a relaxed framework of behavioural guidance-patterns.
   Fading relevance, and the desire to question.
   The tensions of corruption and injustice.
   A rapid increase in tensions, as soon as the social environment begins to decay.
   
   
   
4. Various ways in which tensions can be resolved.
   Open hostilities, and the difficult compromise between impulse and reason.
   The road to wisdom and insight.
   The digestion and attenuation of tensions.
   Tensions resulting from an exuberant elan vital.
   The tensions of a sudden personal stress or tragedy.
   Hypocritical attitudes; individually and collectively.
   A period of warfare is a poor soil for artistic creativity, but the after-effects are a rich source for artistic inspiration.
   The rapid rate of social change resulting from upheaval and warfare.
   A search for renewed viability and peace of mind.
   Relieving anger and frustration in hard physical work.
   Understanding our adversaries.
   The wide range of situations of conflict.
   Emotional surges and energy-fluxes.
   The potentials for a large framework of comprehension.
   The consumption of art and all sorts of pleasurable stimuli.
   
   
   
5. The gifted story-teller, recounting history in song and verse, seen as the root of many forms of art.
   Sub-specialisations in artistic activities.
   The close relationship between art and communication.
   Renewal of the popular mandate for an existing cultural core.
   Art, changing into a sacred guideline.
   Freedom of evaluation; an essential characteristic of true art.
   The limitations of violent behaviour as a means to relieve tensions.
   Pride in work; an effective attitude to relieve tensions.
   The joke, and the functions of ridicule and caricature.
   The spur to re-think reality.
   Conflicts experienced by young adolescents.
   Phase differences between the life-cycles of an individual and his social surroundings.
   The well-integrated citizen.
   The close relationships between art-creator and art-lover.
   Evolutionary change, rather than revolutionary overthrow.
   The need for hard work, dedication and a search for perfection.
   
   
   
6. The performing arts; a three-layered tier.
   The original creator, the performer, and the audience.
   The audience as a performer.
   Specialists in art.
   The accentuation of existential needs and egocentric displays.
   Varying needs for different interpretations.
   The art-form as a life-less record.
   The essential act of artistic re-creation, performed by the art-lover.
   A continuing dialogue.
   The motivations behind a devotion to beauty and perfection.
   A combination of intellectual and emotional recognition-patterns.
   The link between art and ethics.
   Unavoidable "impurities" in attitudes, reflected by a combination of altruistic and egocentric motivations.
   The reality of human nature, and, the futility of any attempt to "exorcise" egocentric tendencies.
   The need for control.
   The mechanisms of a rewarding experience.
   
   
   
7. A sliding scale of motivations; for art-creator and art-lover alike.
   The neurotic personality.
   Mechanisms playing a role in the experience of beauty and truth.
   The concept of recognition.
   Recognising beauty in a natural phenomenon, an object of art, or the inter-action between man and his natural surroundings.
   Awareness of the basics; marveling at the fact of being aware.
   The emotional ground-tone, or "bias".
   The fusion of the image "as is", with the image "as we would like it to be", seen as a foundation for the sensation of happiness.
   The benefits of not being obsessed with achieving our goals.
   The nostalgic reminiscence.
   Emotional filtering, and quickly changing evaluations.
   The pleasurable experiences of being on a motor-cycle, a car, a boat, or any other vehicle, seen as a sensitizing process for the development of wisdom and insight.
   
   
   
8. The variable orientation of our drives and motivations.
   The individual, who can repair, maintain or build his own devices, tools or articles of recreation.
   The importance of pride, and the experience of well-being when carrying-out constructive work.
   The roots of artistic behaviour are found in the inter-relationships of people.
   The complexity of human relationships requires a full integration of the intellectual, intuitive and emotional faculties.
   The problem of man's ability to make an arbitrary choice.
   Emotional neutrality; the importance of unraveling emotionally non-neutral attitudes and sub-conscious mechanisms.
   The road towards becoming human was found, when our pre-human ancestors invented the essentially artistic techniques of image-recall by symbolic representations.
   A matter of identification.
   Being moved to tears of sorrow, or tears of laughter.
   The beauty of good comedy.
   
   
   
9. What makes art good, or, even, great?
   The inevitable subjectivity of artistic judgements.
   Established art, and the consensus of the past.
   The discrepancies between past relevance and a contemporary need for change.
   Great art is clear, precise, powerful and consistent, with subtle shadings of expression and a great mastery of skills.
   The presence of all these qualities is no guarantee for success or acceptance.
   The "accidents of history".
   The flow of events, and their influence upon the judgements of relevance.
   Fluctuating evaluations; even, of the "classics".
   An accent upon common denominators.
   The "sanctification" of art.
   Life-less records of human endeavours.
   A review of the essential requirements for producing high-quality artistic work.
   The role of motivations.
   Beauty, the final polish of a relevant idea.
   Technical mastery, and the factor of dedication to perfection and truthfulness.
   The difficulties in assessing the significance of these factors.
   The role of a retrospective over-view.
   
   
   
10. A mixture of motivations in the drive to produce a work of art.
    The problem of achieving an optimum blend between egocentric drives and altruistic attitudes.
    The child-prodigy.
    The freedom that comes with being a master.
    The drive to excel; the desire to become a master over the material we work with.
    The search for artistic dominance and security.
    The search for an artistic truth.
    The reality of making a living.
    The trade-off between perfection and reward.
    The need for a broad technical base of well-developed skills.
    The importance of a slow process of mental maturation and "play-like" technical accomplishments.
    Most arts, in particular music, require a level of technical proficiency that remains beyond the reach of an amateur.
    The disadvantages of a high level of existential anxiety.
    The drawback of having a very comfortable and secure position.
    The fashionable trend of being innovative.
    The need for competitiveness, a measure of security, and an involved, appreciative and informed audience.
    
    
    
11. An analysis of the "social soil" that is needed to produce good art.
    Art; a broad definition of exploratory or expressive behaviour-patterns.
    The functions of culturally transmitted regulatory mechanisms.
    Discrepancies and hypocrisies.
    Possibilities for individual differentiation.
    The drawbacks when social constraints are too rigid.
    Limitations of a decaying society.
    The possibilities for a mature society with a relaxed atmosphere, intensive contacts, and a measure of security and well-being.
    An atmosphere of invigorating excitement.
    The relationships between artistic vigour and economic growth.
    Art slips so easily into commercial exploitation.
    The marriage of talent, devotion, and a touch of existential anxiety.
    The institutionalisation of art; an artificial sanctification of fashionable trends.
    Institutionalisation and commercialisation have to be avoided, if art is to remain healthy, viable and genuine.
    The need to preserve the records of art, and to study them carefully.
    A task that has to be renewed by each generation, and, has to be part of the overall educational program.
    Avoiding attempts to "educate" people into a pre-conceived attitude or appreciation; just careful and objective study.
    A review of the contrasts between commercialisation and institutionalisation.
    
    
    
12. A review of the technical requirements for good artistic work.
    Specialisation, and the exploration of new ways of doing things.
    The many fields of technological specialisation.
    Differences between skill and knowledge.
    The need for a conceptual analysis, or "knowledge", to exploit fully the possibilities of a skill.
    The instrumentalist and his technical studies.
    The coming-together of many specialised skills.
    A most flexible and versatile career in music.
    The functions and limitations of amateur music-making.
    Artistic evaluation and social prominence.
    The difficulties with judgeing objectively.
    The reasons, why technical skills have to be developed early.
    The drawbacks of the adult music-lover, trying to learn to play an instrument at a later age.
    First technique; later, the musical expression.
    
    
    
13. The need for the professional musician to be realistic and make a living.
    A balance between increasing efforts and diminishing returns.
    The slick performance, and the lonely, eccentric listener; flashes of recognition.
    The world of art, and the world of human activities and emotions.
    People will always return to a search for meaning.
    The selfish aspects of the love of art.
    People must be able to find something of value in a work of art, otherwise, they will lose interest.
    No ever-lasting artistic life, not even for an "immortal" work of art.
    The concept of "artistic content".
    The unit of form, content and historical accidents.
    The common denominators of sorrow, loneliness, helplessness, humiliation, suffering and defeat, beauty, understanding, joy, thankfulness, tranquility and reflection.
    Artistic inclinations, religious beliefs and political opinions.
    A never ceasing sense of wonderment.
    Art is an answer to reflective and intuitive questioning.
    The ultimate catastrophe.
    The artistic devotion to beauty and perfection can be applied to the development of a clear imagery of our own essence, in order to maintain long-term viability with the help of our faculties of conscious awareness.

.......