What Is Art? Part 3

"..the earth, and compel men entranced by the sight of distant goals to glance for a moment at the
surrounding vision of form and colour, of sunshine and shadows: to make them pause for a look,
for a sigh, for a smile—such is the aim, difficult and evanescent, and reserved only for a few to achieve.”

"This applies to my goal to make people stop and not just glance at my work but really see it and the
world it conveys." Kay Lorbecki

“ All art appears primarily to the senses, …. All art must make its appear through the senses, if its high desire is to reach the secret spring of responsive emotions.”  Joseph Conrad. Preface to, “The .... of the Narcissus.” This preface was written in 1957.  Back then in order for something to be called “art”  it needed a purity, to it, a notion of originality, the senses it was believed was one way of finding and expressing that purity.  Since then this notion of purity through the senses has transformed, morphed into art can be anything and everything and anyone can be an artist. And I don’t need to understand it because it’s art.

If art is anything and everything then it is nothing.  If art is only related to the senses and it is the individuals personal senses and every individuals sense of art is right – then there is nothing right in art.  And again art is nothing.

Art needs to be sensed, but that is not the only thing that makes art art – the notion of originality hasn’t changed.  The dictionary defines originality as “the ability to think “– note the word think here – “independently and creatively.  The quality of being novel or unusual.  Inventiveness, ingenuity, creativeness, creativity, innovation, novelty, freshness, imaginations, individuality, unconventionality, uniqueness, distinctiveness.” 

This, uniqueness,  includes the senses.  Your senses my senses are one of a kind, unique – so then how do we know a work is a work of art if the concept of art is dependent on originality and the senses.  So when one looks at a work of art – one can sense it is a a horse say, but how is that horse rendered.  If the life of the artist and the horse evident in the work.  If the viewer only sees what is recognizable, then that sense is not unique – the viewer and the artist need to move beyond, discover what is the uniqueness of the form and how the artist uniquely rendered it. 

Does this mean anything uniquely rendered is art?  No because then all unique things could be called art.  It takes more and I do believe that Conrad captured that sense of moreness with his comment, “To arrest, for the space of a breath, …and compel men entranced by the sight of distant goals to glance for a moment at the surrounding vision of form and colour, of sunshine and shadows; to make them pause for a look, for a sigh, for a smile – such is the aim, difficult and evanescent and reserved only for a few to achieve.  But sometimes, by the deserving and the fortunate, even that task is accomplished.  And when it is accomplished – behold! – all the truth of life is there: a moment of vision, a sign, a smile – and the return to an eternal rest.” Joseph Conrad. Preface to, “The .... of the Narcissus,”

So dear friend Kay Lorbecki I come to the same conclusion that you have re the question what is art and I have returned to the quote you like from Conrad “

Just what is it about art that holds you as an artist captive?  What is it that you think art is?

"Soulful Jazz Singer - Moody Sax Player." 11"x15" Acrylic, watercolor on paper. Artwork by Christine Alfery. At The Fishing Cabin Series.

What Is Art? Review of Joseph Conrads Preface. Part 2.

I personally believe that an artist needs to think – to use her mind when she is working and creating. Using ones mind allowing for concepts/ideas to be formed and created is part of the entire process of creating a work of art. Using ones mind also integrates the foundations an artist stands on with these concepts and ideas.

So it should not be surprising when I say I disagree with Joseph Conrads comment in his preface to

“The ....... of the Narcissus,” that “The artist appeals to that part of our being which is not dependent on wisdom; to that in us which is a gift and not an acquisition…” Suggesting that art is a gift is something that many creative people say about themselves, or find that others say about their work, examples include, “oh Christine you are so gifted” or an answer I frequently find myself saying, and I have blogged about, “I have no idea where it comes from, it is just there. It is a gift.“ In truth, for me anyway, it comes from my foundations and my ambitions and drives, it comes from hard work and as a friend Carole Marotti said to me, “you took the blessing and made it flourish.” That is individualism, that is uniqueness which I have always said is what art is all about.

Artwork by Christine Alfery. Watercolor and Acrylic on paper. 11x15.

Art is illuminating the quality, the truth of existence.

A friend of mine, Kay Lorbecki, who frequently sends me comments on my blogs, sent me something that I would like to share.  She recognizes that my constant question in  my blogs is “what is art?”  And those of you in the arts recognize that that question has been asked time and time again, and to date, and to arts credit and to the credit of those involved in the arts, it has not been pinned down to a solid, unmovable concrete answer.  The concept of art, does change with the times. 

My need to maintain the “life” in art is what my blog is all about.  The life in my own work and the life in the work that others who call themselves artists do.  Kay is an artist.  She said she understands art as follows: 

Joseph Conrad interesting as it pertains to “what is art.”  

Written in 1957, the title of the work is offensive, but the thoughts contained within are worth a look.

I am captivated by this line, “To arrest, for the space of a breath, the hands busy about the work of

the earth, and compel men entranced by the sight of distant goals to glance for a moment at the

surrounding vision of form and color, of sunshine and shadows: to make them pause for a look,

for a sigh, for a smile—such is the aim, difficult and evanescent, and reserved only for a few to achieve.”

This  applies to my goal to make people stop and not just glance at my work but really see it and the

world it conveys. 

Kay send me the entire preface and I found the article rich in understanding.  I personally like two sections and I will quote them here with my comments injected into them – by doing this you can see how I read and how I take things apart when I read and think about them – it is complex and yes one not only needs to think when they read this, I told Kay it was thick reading but beautiful, but one also needs to inject oneself into the reading and ask oneself just how is it that I understand that statement.  So here goes:

“Art itself may be defined as a single-minded,” I understand single-minded as the artist herself, “attempt to render the highest kind of justice to the visible universe, by bringing to light the truth, maniforld and one, underlying its every aspect.”  Ok, I have trouble with that sentence because I hold the position that other and my higher power, the truth of an object depends on the beholder, thinking about and looking at an object. 

Here is the part I love, Conrad seems to understand truth as life.  “It is an attempt to find in its forms, in its colors, in its light, in its shadows, in the aspect of matter and in the facts of life what of each is fundamental, what is enduring and essential – their one illuminating and convincing quality – the very truth of their existence.” 

Art is illuminating the quality, the truth of existence.  Wonderful.  Yes, yes, yes.