Once again, in a piece of art (whatever it is: painting, novel,
poetry, song, sculpture, drama, dance, etc.), the artist creates a new
world, a strange and real one. However, this new world is not the
only phenomenon created. Necessarily, other things never seen
before emerge:
- New forms of expression
- New elements of human language
- New human attitudes
- New understanding of human dignity
- Generally, it is a new layer of humanity.
At the same time, the artist recreates his own alter ego (one that
understands all of the above listed). Furthermore, he creates a new
audience (the people who will understand all these new things).
To summarize, every artwork creates a new layer of humanity consisting of a new world (less and more real than the physical one), a new author (capable of creating that world), and a new audience (capable of understanding, believing in, accepting, and enjoying all of the novelty) with all their new forms of behavior, thinking, and speaking.
A Work of Art Equals a Message
And so, a piece of art addresses an audience, which, in turn, is
supposed to understand it. This means that the piece of art bears
another duty and, hence, another definition: it is a message to be
heard, understood, and responded to, which means, furthermore, that
true artwork appears when the artist has something to say. Obviously,
this must be something that touches the author personally.
One could point out that art-on-order or art-for-hire does exist. Indeed it does, but this changes nothing. The artist’s talent has the capacity for the understanding and empathy that other people could and should truly feel. Otherwise, the outcome does not amount to real art.
