Page 6 - La Biennale di Venezia issue of World of Art Magazine

It remains an attempt, as in fact a permanent liberation In my contribution to this catalog, I describe some examples
is impossible, at least not from the elementary modes of for a creative liberation from the constraints of external
being. But the artist has created a work. While performing modalities (cf. pages 134 – 163 ).
this activity, he or she may have consciously recorded
overcoming the space-time confinement in his work. And Placed in front of my motif – a landscape or still life – I
enjoyed it, at least I did. have a kind of silent conversation with it. Recording this
dialog constitutes my work. I am quite at ease when looking
Not every work of art created in this way must be for beautiful motifs. While painting in the countryside, I
successful. I appreciate the immanent value (not the market often wear headphones listening to classical music from
value!) of works of art according to the criteria defined by a portable CD player. After about 20 to 30 minutes, I am
Kurt Leonhard [1]. These criteria are – quoted briefly: finished. No re-working. The spontaneous impression
received on site has been captured. If the work is a
(1.) “Originality: A work of art is produced out of a unique successful one according to the artist’s view, it will also
personality – what is really original is also new.” please a sensitive viewer. He or she may trace its lines,
(2.) “Coherence of the entity as a combination of different coloring, spontaneity, marksmanship, or design power, and
parts, free from coincidences, unwelcome associations, they may perhaps enrich the viewer.
unresolved relics, impulses canceling each other out,
superimposing effects, wrongly applied intelligence, […] There are art philosophers and critics who claim that a
reasoning ambition that wants to utilize everything the artist creative work only becomes a work of art through its verbal
knows, trying to unite mutually excluding effects in the interpretation. I think they are wrong! The oldest works
same work.” of art in the Western world are those linear engravings of
(3.) “Allegorical power or abundance of relations: Release vulvas in the abris of Castelmerle (Dordogne) dating back
from determinable objective or conceptual meanings […] approximately 30,000 years [2]. They were, supposedly,
The work of art released from unambiguous representation created as pre-verbal signs at the time being. These
is capable of constituting a representative action, […] a engravings are artifacts of early humankind! They take
medium which conveys new insight and knowledge to the effect by themselves, non-verbally, they do not need any
viewer.” verbose interpretation, nor does any other work of art. My
(4.) “Transformative power: To artists, the works they create hypothesis is that (presumably young) men used these
are merely a means to create themselves. […] The viewer, drawings to “liberate” themselves from ritual constraints or
too, has changed after the work has left its impact on him or taboos set up by their horde.
her.”
(5.) “Marksmanship: It combines the four above criteria, Conclusion: Artists‘ works of color, shape, sound, word,
[…] It is the craftsmanship and knowledge from which the dance, and acting initially enrich their creators themselves,
term ‘art’ can be derived. […] It is the wisdom of the means and then those perceiving them. They lead us out of the
allowing the artist to achieve a desired effect through the narrow conditions of everyday life and take us to idealized
coherent design of an original concept.” virtual world, thus making life more valuable. All these artists
To me as an artist, marksmanship means hitting the target are necessary and not “good-for-nothings”.
at a sufficient expense, at best by way of a chest hit. But the
Bibliography:
target must not be crushed. [1] Leonhard, Kurt (1961. Die Heilige Fläche und Objokus. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag.
[2] Ruspoli, Mario (1986). Die Höhlenmalerei von Lascaux. Paris: Larousse-Bordas.

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