专业英语阅读资料 03.docx

专业英语阅读资料 03.docx

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专业英语阅读资料03

ConcerningtheSpiritualinArt

PART1:

ABOUTGENERALAESTHETIC

KANDINSKY'SINTRODUCTION

Everyworkofartisthechildofitsageand,inmanycases,the

motherofouremotions.Itfollowsthateachperiodofculture

producesanartofitsownwhichcanneverberepeated.Efforts

torevivetheart-principlesofthepastwillatbestproducean

artthatisstill-born.Itisimpossibleforustoliveandfeel,

asdidtheancientGreeks.Inthesamewaythosewhostriveto

followtheGreekmethodsinsculptureachieveonlyasimilarity

ofform,theworkremainingsoullessforalltime.Suchimitation

ismereaping.Externallythemonkeycompletelyresemblesa 

humanbeing;hewillsitholdingabookinfrontofhisnose,and 

turnoverthepageswithathoughtfulaspect,buthisactionshave 

forhimnorealmeaning.

Thereis,however,inartanotherkindofexternalsimilarity

whichisfoundedonafundamentaltruth.Whenthereisa

similarityofinnertendencyinthewholemoralandspiritual

atmosphere,asimilarityofideals,atfirstcloselypursuedbut

laterlosttosight,asimilarityintheinnerfeelingofanyone

periodtothatofanother,thelogicalresultwillbearevival

oftheexternalformswhichservedtoexpressthoseinner

feelingsinanearlierage.Anexampleofthistodayisour

sympathy,ourspiritualrelationship,withthePrimitives.Like

ourselves,theseartistssoughttoexpressintheirworkonly

internaltruths,renouncinginconsequenceallconsiderationof

externalform.

Thisall-importantsparkofinnerlifetodayisatpresentonlya

spark.Ourminds,whichareevennowonlyjustawakeningafter

yearsofmaterialism,areinfectedwiththedespairofunbelief,

oflackofpurposeandideal.Thenightmareofmaterialism,which

hasturnedthelifeoftheuniverseintoanevil,uselessgame,

isnotyetpast;itholdstheawakeningsoulstillinitsgrip.

Onlyafeeblelightglimmerslikeatinystarinavastgulfof

darkness.Thisfeeblelightisbutapresentiment,andthesoul,

whenitseesit,tremblesindoubtwhetherthelightisnota

dream,andthegulfofdarknessreality.Thisdoubt,andthe

stillharshtyrannyofthematerialisticphilosophy,divideour

soulsharplyfromthatofthePrimitives.Oursoulringscracked

whenweseektoplayuponit,asdoesacostlyvase,longburied

intheearth,whichisfoundtohaveaflawwhenitisdugup

oncemore.Forthisreason,thePrimitivephase,throughwhichwe

arenowpassing,withitstemporarysimilarityofform,canonly

beofshortduration.

Thesetwopossibleresemblancesbetweentheartformsoftoday

andthoseofthepastwillbeatoncerecognizedasdiametrically

opposedtooneanother.Thefirst,beingpurelyexternal,hasno

future.Thesecond,beinginternal,containstheseedofthe

futurewithinitself.Aftertheperiodofmaterialisteffort,

whichheldthesoulincheckuntilitwasshakenoffasevil,the

soulisemerging,purgedbytrialsandsufferings.Shapeless

emotionssuchasfear,joy,grief,etc.,whichbelongedtothis

timeofeffort,willnolongergreatlyattracttheartist.Hewill 

endeavortoawakesubtleremotions,asyetunnamed.Living

himselfacomplicatedandcomparativelysubtlelife,hiswork

willgivetothoseobserverscapableoffeelingthemlofty

emotionsbeyondthereachofwords.

Theobserveroftoday,however,isseldomcapableoffeeling 

suchemotions.Heseeksinaworkofartamereimitationof 

naturewhichcanservesomedefinitepurpose（forexamplea 

portraitintheordinarysense）orapresentmentofnature 

accordingtoacertainconvention（"impressionist"painting）,or 

someinnerfeelingexpressedintermsofnaturalform（aswe 

say--apicturewithStimmung）[Footnote:

Stimmungisalmost 

untranslateable.Itisalmost"sentiment"inthebestsense,and 

almost"feeling."ManyofCorot'stwilightlandscapesarefullofa 

beautiful"Stimmung."Kandinskyusesthewordlaterontomean 

the"essentialspirit"ofnature.--M.T.H.S.]Allthosevarietiesof

picture,whentheyarereallyart,fulfiltheirpurposeandfeed

thespirit.Thoughthisappliestothefirstcase,itappliesmore 

stronglytothethird,wherethespectatordoesfeela 

correspondingthrillinhimself.Suchharmonyorevencontrastof

emotioncannotbesuperficialorworthless;indeedtheStimmung

ofapicturecandeepenandpurifythatofthespectator.Such

worksofartatleastpreservethesoulfromcoarseness;they

"keyitup,"sotospeak,toacertainheight,asatuning-key

thestringsofamusicalinstrument.Butpurification,and

extensionindurationandsizeofthissympathyofsoul,remain

one-sided,andthepossibilitiesoftheinfluenceofartarenot

exertedtotheirutmost.

Imagineabuildingdividedintomanyrooms.Thebuildingmaybe

largeorsmall.Everywallofeveryroomiscoveredwithpictures

ofvarioussizes;perhapstheynumbermanythousands.They

representincolourbitsofnature--animalsinsunlightor

shadow,drinking,standinginwater,lyingonthegrass;nearto,

aCrucifixionbyapainterwhodoesnotbelieveinChrist;

flowers;humanfiguressitting,standing,walking;oftentheyare

naked;manynakedwomen,seenforeshortenedfrombehind; 

applesandsilverdishes;portraitofCouncillorSoandSo;sunset; 

ladyinred;flyingduck;portraitofLadyX;flyinggeese;ladyin

white;calvesinshadowfleckedwithbrilliantyellowsunlight;

portraitofPrinceY;ladyingreen.Allthisiscarefullyprintedina 

book--nameofartist--nameofpicture.Peoplewiththesebooksin 

theirhandsgofromwalltowall,turningoverpages,readingthe 

names.Thentheygoaway,neitherrichernorpoorerthanwhen 

theycame,andareabsorbedatonceintheirbusiness,whichhas 

nothingtodowithart.Whydidtheycome?

Ineachpictureisa 

wholelifetimeimprisoned,awholelifetimeoffears,doubts, 

hopes,andjoys.

Whitheristhislifetimetending?

Whatisthemessageofthe

competentartist?

"Tosendlightintothedarknessofmen's

hearts--suchisthedutyoftheartist,"saidSchumann."An

artistisamanwhocandrawandpainteverything,"saidTolstoi.

Ofthesetwodefinitionsoftheartist'sactivitywemustchoose

thesecond,ifwethinkoftheexhibitionjustdescribed.Onone

canvasisahuddleofobjectspaintedwithvaryingdegreesof

skill,virtuosityandvigour,harshlyorsmoothly.Toharmonize

thewholeisthetaskofart.Withcoldeyesandindifferentmind

thespectatorsregardthework.Connoisseursadmirethe"skill"

（asoneadmiresatightropewalker）,enjoythe"qualityof

painting"（asoneenjoysapasty）.Buthungrysoulsgohungry

away.

Thevulgarherdstrollthroughtheroomsandpronouncethe

pictures"nice"or"splendid."Thosewhocouldspeakhavesaid

nothing,thosewhocouldhearhaveheardnothing.Thiscondition

ofartiscalled"artforart'ssake."Thisneglectofinnermeanings, 

whichisthelifeofcolours,thisvainsquanderingofartisticpower 

iscalled"artforart'ssake."

Theartistseeksformaterialrewardforhisdexterity,hispower

ofvisionandexperience.Hispurposebecomesthesatisfaction 

ofvanityandgreed.Inplaceofthesteadyco-operationofartists

isascrambleforgoodthings.Therearecomplaintsofexcessive

competition,ofover-production.Hatred,partisanship,cliques,

jealousy,intriguesarethenaturalconsequencesofthisaimless,

materialistart.

[Footnote:

Thefewsolitaryexceptionsdonotdestroythetruth

ofthissadandominouspicture,andeventheseexceptionsare

chieflybelieversinthedoctrineofartforart'ssake.They

serve,therefore,ahigherideal,butonewhichisultimatelya

uselesswasteoftheirstrength.Externalbeautyisoneelement

ofaspiritualatmosphere.Butbeyondthispositivefact（that

whatisbeautifulisgood）ithastheweaknessofatalentnot

usedtothefull.（Thewordtalentisemployedinthebiblical

sense.）]

Theonlookerturnsawayfromtheartistwhohashigheridealsand

whocannotseehislifepurposeinanartwithoutaims.

Sympathyistheeducationofthespectatorfromthepointofview

oftheartist.Ithasbeensaidabovethatartisthechildof

itsage.Suchanartcanonlycreateanartisticfeelingwhichis

alreadyclearlyfelt.Thisart,whichhasnopowerforthe

future,whichisonlyachildoftheageandcannotbecomea

motherofthefuture,isabarrenart.Sheistransitoryandto

allintentdiesthemomenttheatmospherealterswhichnourished

her.

Theotherart,thatwhichiscapableofeducatingfurther,

springsequallyfromcontemporaryfeeling,butisatthesame

timenotonlyechoandmirrorofit,butalsohasadeepand

powerfulpropheticstrength.

Thespirituallife,towhichartbelongsandofwhichsheisone

ofthemightiestelements,isacomplicatedbutdefiniteand

easilydefinablemovementforwardsandupwards.This 

movementisthemovementofexperience.Itmaytakedifferent 

forms,butitholdsatbottomtothesameinnerthoughtand 

purpose.

Veiledinobscurityarethecausesofthisneedtomoveever

upwardsandforwards,bysweatofthebrow,throughsufferings

andfears.Whenonestagehasbeenaccomplished,andmany 

evilstonesclearedfromtheroad,someunseenandwickedhand

scattersnewobstaclesintheway,sothatthepathoftenseems

blockedandtotallyobliterated.Butthereneverfailstocometo

therescuesomehumanbeing,likeourselvesineverythingexcept

thathehasinhimasecretpowerofvision.

Heseesandpointstheway.Thepowertodothishewould

sometimesfainlayaside,foritisabittercrosstobear.But

hecannotdoso.Scornedandhated,hedragsafterhimoverthe

stonest