Page 26 - The MoMA/ Guggenheim issue of World of Art magazine (2003)

TOPiC
Andrea Pagnes

the fall of faust

©photo of Andrea Pagnes by Piero Viti

The Fall of Faust is the fall of the artist, the fall of object of knowledge itself and the reason why knowledge exists. he
the man who wants to create something or who has the defers to the infinity of knowledge, accepting that he has access to
presumption to create something. The artist’s fall happens, only a small part of it and that the subject of knowledge is the object
if he is objective and honest, because he understands of knowledge itself.
that the creation of ‘something’ will inevitably lead to the ‘tragic nature’ is consciousness. faust, the artist, becomes
following axiom: ‘conscious’ of the only way of procuring some knowledge. he
understands the limitations, his limit as a human being - a being
arT faust, the artist, faces his own creation and finds it is not that has the presumption of knowing and creating. he can only
as perfect as his pure idea - the idea that he wanted to translate in ‘know’ that his life is limited and that he has to accept it as such.
a tangible way, and he is not satisfied. he asks himself: “what is art? his position is tragic. his only real knowledge is his consciousness of
what does it mean?” that tragedy.
arT = VuLGariTY he finds that what he has created is KnoWLedGe the tragedy of the knowledge of tragedy.
‘vulgar’ – that to create is an act of presumption and he concludes The diVersiTY oF The arTisT’s PosiTion
that his creation, whether beautiful or not, has only been produced the presumption to create ‘ex nihilo nihil’ (nothing is created from
to declare himself to the world. nothing) is an act of will, of non-conformity - but ‘ex nihilo nihil’ is
The arTisT’s reaLiZaTion he experiences revulsion impossible; it does not exist.
of knowledge because of the pretension of knowing. in the end, if art is just an act of will (and undoubtedly it is
TraGic naTure because knowledge is so vast and an act of will) faust’s (the artist’s) final question to himself is the
far-reaching he realizes that, as a human being, he will never be following: “art qua voluntary act? hence vulgarity.”
capable of embracing knowledge in its absolute complexity. he has every volunteer act is vulgar. nobody can escape this
to accept that his nature is limited and therefore tragic and that he statement. we can just pretend to be blind to it. faust’s
does not have the means to understand what knowledge is. he can consequential answer to his final question brings him to the initial
only comprehend that ultimately he, as subject of knowledge, is the identity:

24 WORLD of ART