Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
10 October 2019
Art (3)
“Intelligence in life”
Just as the creative painting is an optical illusion, so too are learning, teaching and practice an optical illusion. Both forms of art, creative and imitative, are optical illusions.
What happens in both instances is that the body moves in a sophisticated manner, which appears as creative or practised: similarly with all other forms of known art.
They are nothing but an optical illusion manifested by reflected light. Such is the intelligence in life to manifest art that appears convincingly real. Art, therefore, is basically a movement!
If such is the case, then even walking, running and any activity have to be art. And it is indeed so, though they are commonly perceived that they are no longer believed to be art.
When man began to walk and came to know that he could walk or did walk, it would have been art to man. Simple acts, when they happened to man and came to be known by him for the first time, would all have been art.
When such forms of art became common and familiar to all, they lost their ‘art’ status and became everyday acts. As life sophisticated itself, it brought about sophisticated movements that happened to only a few men. These movements became ‘art’, as they did not express themselves to each and every man, as did walking, etc.
If that which is praised as art happens to each and every man, then ‘art’ will not be art at all. Art would not exist! Art is merely sophisticated movement happening to a select few and imitated by many!
Whether it is creative or imitated, it is nevertheless a singular, uncontrollable and spontaneous movement that appears as art! What is literature? And how can it be art?
Literature is nothing but written words but, like the painter, can man write or does writing happen to man? Just as with the paintbrush and the canvas, the pen, paper and man’s fingers are a single unit and credit cannot be afforded to any one of them as being responsible for writing!
Writing, on the other hand, is nothing but miniature painting of forms of different shapes, arranged very close to each other that manifest an optical illusion of words!
The enlightened admire and appreciate how everyone moves every moment in life.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar.
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2019
Editor’s Note:
Iris, the mythological goddess of the rainbow, declares herself by the light she may reflect from time to time in the sky. The optical illusion of her seven colours draws the admiration of those who may watch her all-too-brief appearance. Not to mention the perfection of her arc, drawn and coloured by no hand of man. Creative art in all its forms of expression revealed here is a mystery understood by the wise and accessible to the few. Yet it is believed to be accessible to and practised by the majority. The movement itself, however, characterises what is recognised by those who have come to understand life.
Julian Capper.UK