The Little Review, March 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 1)Various
General
The Little Review, March 1915 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Various
Literature, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals
Of course I shall be told there is no such law to establish, because it
does not exist and never will exist. The art critic has been and will
continue to be guided by his conscious experience. And as such
experience varies from age to age, so judgment founded upon it varies
also. But a statement so independent of common sense is plainly
nonsense. The law to which I refer is within the critic just as it is
within the artist. It does not always operate because it is not allowed
to do so. It is hindered by conscious experience. Actually the law is
the artist, and if left to itself it would make an efficient application
of itself to produce the highest creative effect of which fluid motion
is capable. Such is the unconscious method of using the law. The artist
uses it not because he can or will but because he must. His picture
producing is a work that can only be done in one way, not by thought and
reason, not by compulsions and restraints, but through the livingness of
free energies left free to find their own expressions through their own
channels. His starting point, representing the seed of unity, is
sensibility, and feeling if left alone will do everything to unite all
parts of his vision, to bind and cement them together. The result would
remain as an example of organic growth not limited to solid space but
extended to a higher space as far as the emotional impulse in the artist
can be expressed by the limited means at his disposal. The question of
how far the artist can use solid (that is, dead) materials, paint
brushes, and canvas, to reach a transcendental effect (effect of
livingness) is one that I must leave for future consideration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account