🪟 20 - Artistic purity
Frame & Axiom #20 (Part 5): On a deep honesty.
Table of contents
PART 1: Where All Begins
PART 2: The Moving Being
PART 3: The Court of Reality
PART 4: The Canvas of Reality
PART 5: The Realm of Others
Artistic purity
Dear Reader,
I made the claim previously, that the heart of the matter lay not in the outward but in the inward. This is the case with all matters — for everything is firstly a consequence of how it is seen. The effective framing of the self relative to others is equally a consequence of the inward, of good framing, as opposed to the outward, of vicissitudes. The free man tends to fault whatever lies external to him, but that it is to overstep true origins, for all things ultimately lie within his own portion of infinity. In his ignorance he renders himself powerless, as an idle ship bound to its own ropes, rocking on shallow waters. The mature soul, on the other hand, has his order right — he acts out from within. And what is a telltale sign of such a soul? I wrote: ‘a deep honesty’, made forefront. I wish to use this opportunity to explore the telltale signs of the two archetypes in this regard.
🪟 20 - Artistic purity
Competence in the social game, which I shall shorten to social competence, begins with the quality of framing, which determines clarity or unevenness. Should clarity be (more or less) in sight, what pursuit follows it? Now, I want to rewind the metaphor of mirrors to a recurrent theme: art. Reality lays itself out as a canvas. That which inhibits our endeavour, the idiosyncrasies of output, arises from bad framing — wherein over the self as a great unknown, anxiety rears its ugly head and induces paralysis. The troubled one finds his framing tied to his immediate field of appearance, enticing him to excessively prudent or performative tendencies. He becomes overly concerned with revealing himself to others, for he sees his personhood laid bare, and finds it lacking.
But it is when he anchors his attention away from the self as an immediate field of appearance to the self as a piece of art, that he finds solace in appearance and meaning in idiosyncrasy. Works of art are a consequence of a deep honesty — of willing onto nature’s canvas the whispers and agony of the soul. And what is the worth of a piece of art? I have stated it before, and I shall reiterate here: the great artist does not care about the worth of his art, only the purity of his art as an emanation of himself. Where purpose does not immediately reveal itself, as is the case with both art and the self in relation to others, “worth” is abstracted into irrelevance and made unworthy of concern.
Now towards a deep honesty, there is a test I like to employ. If I was the only person to exist, how would I conduct myself? How would I enact my capacities upon the open canvas of reality, as a loose stroke rising to a crescendo of colours? That is a guide for my expression. The free man fixes a concerned spotlight on himself, in order to peer at himself and complete himself… and for good reason! But why should he be caught up in his appearance, dwelled on mere surfaces, till his ability to produce is diminished? The judge to fear is not other self-absorbed fellows, but the unyielding court of reality. A just framing in this regard is to see the self not as a performer gazed intensely upon by an audience, but as an artist toiling in his loft, concerned with beauty above all — practically considerate, but ultimately oblivious towards the assessment of the other. Through openings an audience will gather of their own accord, anyway, gripped by the profoundness of his saintly preoccupations.
Certainly, the assessment of others are to be taken into account. The wisdom of Solomon comes to mind: “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. But effectiveness as to the deep passions must be invoked in isolation. Commendation and rebuke offer a guiding compass toward justness, but from there it loses relevance. As it is for a painter compelled to his inner animations in spite of the uncertainty of his kindred, the fervour of the soul tugs in at manner naive to the other, and as long as the pursuit proves just, one would profit to heed its calling. The free man is a man of theatrics, but the mature soul peers inwardly, conscious of the forces that give it shape, toiling still in pursuit of what he must — not for the sake of worldly applause, but to muster and savour the tastes of the soul. In doing so, he actualises himself and reaps the profits of meaning, for he has come into contact with that in him which is most deeply human.
To express idiosyncratically, with no fear of judgement, is the consequence of framing the self effectively relative to others. One is able to express a full-bodied honesty that flows through every fibre of being, in a manner that others will be obliged to commend enviously: “how authentic is he!” It is the same irony with happiness, for authenticity cannot be pursued. It must ensue. When artistic purity is given primacy, one will stumble gracefully upon these laudable gifts. So, let us portray ourselves accordingly — as artists predisposed to honesty, in the service of beauty! There we will have our souls emancipated. Has something of those lines not been said before?
… That is it. “The truth will set you free”.
Till next time,
Euwyn
Side note: This is the framing I apply to my writings. I write because I must. I do believe in all sincerity that my ruminations may offer help to someone traversing a similar path, but how it pans out is a marginal concern. Even if I happen to be spouting nonsense, my endeavour is fulfilled in its honesty. The same goes for expression and conduct as a whole.