Some thoughts about art:
The following was rewritten from “Perfected Beings, Pure Realms” an exhibition which was held at the Tibetan Museum in New York City, 2005.
“Beauty is the promise of Happiness” — Stendhal, 1783-1842
“Without acknowledging a concept of beauty, apart from perfection of compassion, Himalayan art enlists the power of beauty to release us from our limited selves, if only for a moment. Truth, good and beauty are one. The grace afforded by a work of art is an opportunity for faith, and faith is a state of separation from ego that allows for a flowering of compassion. These works of art are soothing to the eye and reassuring to the troubled spirit. To the faithful, they are Buddha himself.”
A factor in my own personal work and, I see now in my life, is a need for intimacy. To know people, myself, and the world in an intimate way is crucial for my life and art to have meaning. I am not interested in stripping vulnerability or emotions from my art and I am uncomfortable with over intellectualizing art to the detriment of the feeling self. The realization of form is much more than its intellectual identity. If these are romantic ideals, I can easily live with them because for me it suggests aspirations beyond myself that encompass standards not easily accessible or attainable.
After a recent trip to New York I thought about art work that had affected me on my visit there. What came to mind was the painting “Rembrandt Contemplating the Head of Aristotle” at the Metropolitan Museum. True, I had seen it many times before but this time I was aware that my response was quite different than the other times I had seen it. For the first time, I realized what moved me so deeply about this painting was that Rembrandt illuminated the breadth, depth, and substance of the human spirit, sincerely, humbly and yet, divinely.
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