Humanly Excellent Art (05.01.2000)
Fine art exists since the beginning of time. Its creation does not begin with that of mankind, for, verily, nature is the origin of all art; the ultimate of all artists. Humans, however, are not blind to it at birth. Since the bestowal of vision, both physical and that of the mind, man is expressing the desire to make corporeal that which it beholds. Evidence of this is found in ancient cave paintings, an attempt to immortalize a moment from the past, depicting one from another life. Undoubtedly there have also been drawings in the sand made by the tough-skinned fingers of the primordial ancestor. This urge to reincarnate the sights beheld by memory remains in the being of the present-day homo-sapiens. And between now and then, those with this trait dominant have been the creators and fashioners of paintings and sculptures sometimes revered as divine. Furthermore, these occupations require such skill, such craft knowledge, and finesse, that any other employment performed with a similar degree of these attributes is often given the status of an art. Indeed, the pursuit of the philosophy can also be deemed as such, as it requires just those graceful actions in the form of thought. The two are in fact much closer to being the same than not, and thus, the idea that they work together in complimentary engagement, is not so far fetched. The proceeding examination, therefore, lays the foundation in inspecting what art is, its function, and where its boundaries lie. Secondly, the endeavor extends into an analysis o how fine art can and does help to further the cause that is philosophy. The final conjecture here is that the fine arts are positively necessary for the attainment of human excellence, existing as a focal practice.
In continuation, before a discussion on the importance of art can be instituted, it is necessary to evaluate the meaning of art for purposes of clarity. Though there are many associations with the word art itself, the inquiry here is intended for the fine arts. Moreover, it is not only the finished product of art that is of importance, but more so, the act, or process of creation that is art. The producing of art will be henceforth referred to as the vocation it presents, and its extensions into all further aspects of the life daily as well as entire. In addition, being a vocation, art is the act that beckons for continuity; it engages the senses as, in painting, the brush is held, through its movement the colors spill out to be seen, the paint emanates a specific scent, and the strokes can be heard moving against the canvas. This is an engaging transaction which incorporates some part of every one of the senses, as well as the sense which is not in university texts on psychology. Art as an occupation is not merely a hobby that is done in times of leisure, but it is a practice that is performed, since times uncounted, and focused on; it is a focal practice.
Therefore, and since, as corroborated by David Strong and Eric Higgs, “the twofold task of philosophy is to engage philosophy with issues that matter and to involve the public in a philosophical conversation about these matters,” and art appear to do just that, art and philosophy are close kin when it comes to their objectives (21). From the sand Mandalas of the Hindu temples, to the black calligraphy of the Zen masters, this kinship has been utilized for the beneficial advancement of both pursuits. Yet in order for art to be functional in this manner—this philosophical cooperation—it must be in its pure form. This means that it must not be tainted by the things in life and philosophy which matter not. For if art is used to make a profit form its fruit, the very focal essence of the practice is lost. As Herrigel states in Zen in the Art of Archery, “there is one scarcely avoidable danger that lies ahead of the pupil on his road to mastery . . . that of behaving as if the artistic existence were a form of life that bore witness to its own validity,” (43). As is further explained, this trap lies in self-gratification in one’s achievement as it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle (Herrigel 44). Likewise, the art must be kept simple in the way of its creative process. This is not to mean that the end result may not be complex and detailed, but rather, that often times in excessive planning, deliberation, and in application of rigid sets of rules upon the creation, the purity and profundity of the art is lost in “bearing witness to its own validity.” The goal, thus, is to have the experience of satori each time the act of painting or sculpting occurs, and letting it do the art. Te Taoist tradition also supports this as, from the Tao Te Ching, “a good artist lets his intuition / lead him wherever it wants,” (Lao Tzu 27). Now, it is still important to know the various techniques associated with the art form in particular. For only if a craft knowledge is attained can the simplicity of the product be, in all actuality, of great intricacy. This can be more easily understood in Lao Tzu’s words, as “the master knows the utensils, / yet keeps to the block: / thus she can use all things,” (28). Correspondingly, “true art seems unsophisticated,” (41), and “true art seems artless,” (45). So if art indeed does attain these attributes—becomes simple, and therefore infinitely elaborate, and is not performed for any reason as may be materially profitable but only for its own sake—then it is, verily, in a pure for and can be the focal practice to further human excellence in the form of philosophy.
Carrying this notion further, it is possible to formulate a consecutive hypothesis. For, having ascertained that art can help in being philosophical, the next task lies in substantiating that, not only is art a good and useful method of attaining human excellence, but that art is actually necessary for society’s attainment of this excellence. In order to determine this statement to be true, the question of how human excellence can be achieved must needs be raised. As is noted in the Apology, “an unexamined life is not worth living,” (Plato XXVIII.41-42). In which case, the life worth living is that of one who examines, and the examiner of life is a philosopher. This is true since, Socrates is a philosopher, and he does examine his own life as well as that of everyone else. The concept which Socrates seems to convey is that the examining of life, or doing philosophy, yields not the caring for material wealth, but for wisdom and truth and improvement of the soul (Plato XVII-XVIII). Consequently, the caring for these things, and then the actual improvement, lead to the achievement of human excellence. The conclusion to draw, therefore, is that human excellence can be attained through the practice of philosophy. This deduction is to be drawn upon in the following text, and need be kept in mind from this time on.
Earlier, however, it has been shown that art is helpful in doing philosophy. This is true, since it has been referred to numerous times as a focal practice. According to Strong and Higgs, “focal things demand patience, endurance, skill and the resoluteness of regular practice—a focal practice,” (22). Strong and Higgs go further to specifically relate the actual practice to those individuals who engage in such. The statement is that “through focal things and practices they affirm the place where they live and the direction of their lives. On such days they have had a centering experience,” (23). Furthermore, as ahs been discussed by David Strong in the Introduction to Philosophy and Religious Thought course, having an experience is necessary to understand abstract philosophical concepts such as paradoxes. In which case, without having had an experience, brought about through a focal practice, some aspects of philosophy would remain incomprehensible. Hence, it can be said that focal practices are indispensable for the pursuit of philosophy.
Ultimately, there are many implicit meanings mad explicit in the former lines of this inquisition, those meanings are now to be drawn together. In the conglomerate that is the final outcome of this deduction, the reasoning behind it is as follows. First, the arts are here shown to exhibit the qualities of a focal practice, and are therefore classified as such. Secondly, a focal practice is exposed to be imperative in the understanding and study that is philosophy. Thirdly, the achievement of human excellence is deemed to occur through the practice of philosophy. Finally, due to the before mentioned, the focal practice of art is essential for the attainment of human excellence through philosophy.
Works Cited
Herrigel, Eugen. Zen in the Art of Archery. Trans. R. F. C. Hull. New York: Vintage. 1981.
Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching. Trans Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper. 1988.
Plato. Euthyphro, Apology, Crito. Trans. F. J. Church. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. 1948.
Strong, David, and Eric Higgs. “Borgmann’s Philosophy of Technology.” Technology and the Good Life? Eds. Eric Higgs, Andrew Light, David Strong. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2000.
Strong, David. Lecture. Introduction to Philosophy and Religious Thought course. Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT. Spring semester, 2000.
