CIVILISATION IS READ THROUGH ART AND LETTERS
I HAVE NO PROBLEM IN ADMITTING THAT ART IS A MICROSCOPE OF OUR WORLD, A TEMPORARY IMAGE OR ICON OF OUR PRESENT WORLD. THE TEMPORARY THAT MIGHT BE 100 YEARS OR TWO, THAT MIGHT BE 500 YEARS OR A THOUSAND OR EVEN OLDER IN YEARS.
THE KNOWN CIVILISATION, OUR KNOWN FOR SURE ONE STRETCHES BACK TO ABOUT 1000 BC. WE KNOW VERY WELL ABOUT THE TROJAN WAR, THE PERSIAN EMPIRE, THE PERSIAN WARS, THE GREEK CLASSICAL PERIOD, THE ROMAN CLASSISISM AND THEREAFTER. DURING ALL THAT PERIOD WE HAD TREMENDOUS ACHIEVEMENTS THAT INSPIRE US UNTIL TODAY, SHINE BRIGHTLY AND GUIDE THE WORLD UNTIL TODAY, AT LEAST IN THE WESTERN WORLD. HAVING SAID THAT, THE EAST WITH CHINA , JAPAN AND INDIA HAVING THEIR OWN ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS WHICH I AM SURE ARE AS IMPORTANT AND AS INFLUENTIAL AS THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE EGYPTIANS, THE GREEKS, THE ROMANS AND THEN OTHER EUROPEAN NATIONS TO A LESSER DEGREE.
THE ISSUE I AM TOUCHING HERE IS BETTER EXPRESSED IN IMAGES THAT IN WORDS AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WRITER IS SO POOR A WRITER AS MYSELF. THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF CLASSICAL GREECE AND THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF THAT PERIOD AND THAT WORLD.
THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD EXPRESSED IN A STATUE DEVOTED TO ABSOLUTE BEAUTY OF THAT WORLD. ORDERLY, SYMMETRICAL, BEAUTIFUL AND MEANINGFUL TO THEM AND THEIR SOCIETIES OF THEN.
THE WORLD SINCE THEN AND IN VARIOUS STAGES DISMEMBERED SUCH BEAUTY EITHER MALICIOUSLY OR NATURALLY. TIME HAS DONE THAT BUT WE ARE LEFT WITH PLENTY TO ADMIRE, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS LIKE AND HOW IT WAS IN THOSE TIMES PASSED.
OUR MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART WORLD!!!
OF COURSE WE HAVE NO PARTHENONS IN OUR DAYS NOR PYRAMIDS OF THE STATURE OF THE REAL PYRAMIDS OF FOUR-FIVE THOUSAND YEARS AGO. WE HAVE OTHER STRUCTURES THAT INDICATE AND SHOW HOW TODAY’S SOCIETIES DEVELOP, CONSTRUCT AND MOVE FORWARD INTO THE NEW MILLENNIUM.
THAT IS FINE FOR ALL OF US AS WE LIVE IN IT AND HAVE BEEN CONDITIONED GRADUALLY TO ACCEPT IT. BUT, EXAMINING WHAT OUR MODERN ART AND CONTEMPORARY ART IS ALL ABOUT ONE HAS TO STOP AND WONDER; WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF ART TO THESE NEW STRUCTURES WE OBSERVE AND DO THEY DESCRIBE US ACCUARTELY AND INDEED TRULY?
WHERE IS OUR WORLD GOING AND INDEED WHAT THIS ART WILL SAY TO THE FUTURE GENERATIONS, IF INDEED THIS PRESENT WORLD SURVIVES A CATASTROPHE, WHICH ON THE BALANCE OF PROBABILITY IS CERTAIN TO OCCUR.
THIS IS CONTEMPORARY ART IN GENERAL:
THIS IS ONE SMALL SAMPLE OF WHAT OUR WORLD SPENDS MILLIONS TO BUY AND LIVE WITH. WHAT DOES IT TELL THE FUTURE VIEWER THAT WE ARE? WHERE IS THE BEAUTY IN IT? OF COURSE THERE IS BEAUTY IN EVERYTHING BUT THE NORM, THE ACCEPTED BEAUTY OF NOW IS SO INDIVIDUALISED AND SO DISTORTED THAT THE GENERAL, HUGE PUBLIC CANNOT SEE IT, AS IT CAN SEE THE BEAUTY IN ART CREATED SOME THREE THOUSAND AND TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO.
HERE IS THE QUESTION I LEAVE YOU ALL WITH;
IS OUR WORLD A CONFUSED WORLD OR A WORLD OF CLARITY AND VISION?? IS THAT VISION FOR THE FEW AND THE MASSES ARE LEFT WONDERING, WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
PETER CONSTANT
