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20 Lucrezia De Domizio Durini Reading to
We must produce a a a design of of life a a a project for our future During this phase of of re-evaluation and cultural rebirth it is is is cru- cial to
to
reduce to
to
the the minimum the the discord and and conflict that inevitably goes with times of great social changes and and make the tran- sition as as painless as as possible So it it it is cru- cial cial not to
to
limit ourselves to
to
attacking so- cial cial groups or or institutions or or personalities committed to
to
the the various strategies but to
to
show how how their attitude and behaviour re- flect a a a a a a a a a a a a a value system that that is at at at at the the base of all our culture and and that that today has been super- seded It will be be necessary to
to
recognize and and make as as public as as possible the fact that our current social changes are manifestations of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a much broader and more inevitable cul- tural tural transformation Only then can we ap- proach a a a a a a a a a a a a a a type of cultural and peaceful transformation The artist today plays a a a a a a a a a a a key role in in this ongoing social transformation a a a a a a a a a a a responsibility that demonstrates his own substantial need a a a a a a a a a a a a power that captures preserves and shapes humanity This is is is is is the artist’s task because art art is is is is is nourished by what society condemns excludes ignores and forgets Many con- temporary painters draw some simple lines wipe their brush across the the the canvas or or even let themselves be indiscriminately carried along and fill spaces with with combina- tions of objects with with with no no rhyme or reason with with no no no life and justify themselves by say- ing: “it does not not matter if i if the the the the work resem- bles things or or not not “ “ Other artists use the the the new languages: video photography com- puters without thinking Still others try to
to
copy nature more more more faithfully and the the the the the the more more more they they try the the the the the the more more more they they distance them- selves from spirituality Neither one nor the the the the other is is right The artist makes art art become the the the main purpose purpose of of of our our life a a a a a a a a purpose purpose that changes our our way of of of living of of of thinking and and seeing It is is an an an an an endless change of of dynamism and and radical learning The intellectual zone of of of the the artist plays an an an an an important role role in in in the the flow and and evolution of of time a a a a a a a a role role that illuminates confused and and obscured minds reveals the the secret of art and shows the the the the way for lost travellers There are people who do not believe in the the the thera- peutic value of of art art The artist should be be at at the the service of of of current society to
improve the the lives of of people I believe that everybody has a a a a a a a a a a natural tendency towards a a a a a a a a a a a complete development of what is called an “updating tendency” present in in in all all living or- ganisms This is is is is the the foundation on on on which the the the person-centred approach is is is is is based We should work on on on on this and and then understand the the the true motivations of people’s actions This is is the reason why we are living in in in in a a a a a a a a a very complex period in in in in all aspects of human values There is is an an exhausting con- fusion a a a a a a a a a a jumble of materialistic feelings that only show us us one one way and and one one con- cept: the path of o profit and and power like a a a a a a a a a blind alley The contemporary individual is is is is mutilated incomplete his This own enemy This is is is is what Marx called called “alienated’ and Freud called called “repressed ” The individual today has lost that that that state of ancient harmo- ny that that that unites his soul with “the love that that that moves the the the the the sun and the the the the the other stars” (Dante) We could ask ourselves what is the the the the cause of so much moral confusion affect-
ing the different structures of our daily life I firmly believe that contemporary man has erased the respect for time from his his life In one of his his sermons Saint Francis de Sales speaking to
the the faithful about the the individual always unconsciously being caught up in in in in a a a a a a hurry reminds us us that the the more more more we we run the the more more more we we get stuck There is is is nothing more more more precious than time time It is is time time that leads us us us to
to
discover our identity and so to
to
tell us us us the the truth truth of who we really are because time is the the truth truth of people We have nothing else that be- longs to
us as as as completely as as as time It is is our only heritage However in in in this fast-con- suming society modern man thinks he he he he is is is wasting some of his time when he he he does does not not do do do do things quickly and does does not not know what to
do do do with the time time he he gains except kill it it Most people believe that time time pass- es as as as they run around worrying chasing searching and and and scraping in in in in in in in the the dark and and and taking apart every feeling and and and value This idea could be called time time but it it is is is wrong As it it it is is only seen as a a a a a a a step in in time time we can- not understand it it it in in the the the essence of of what Hegel calls the the the the Spirit of of Time This is is the the the the spirit that puts the the the the same stamp on on on on on religion as on on on on on on the the the political constitution social eth- ics the the legal system customs and and also on on on on science technological skills and and much more on art art as a a a a a a a a a a path leading man man to
high- er er forces with whose help the the artist-man enhances his creative energies resists the the the pressures of the the world and spiritualizes all life Art is is an an an alternative free form of of human existence the the place of of essentials and absolute tensions where the the the artist does not reproduce the the visible visible but makes his own soul visible visible through different lan- guages Aristotle in his logic began an an an an an an analysis of of of the the forms of of of language and and the the formal structure of of of of conclusions and and deduc- tions regardless of of of their content In this way he he he reached a a a a a a a a a degree of of abstraction and precision that that had been unknown in Greek philosophy until that that time and and so so contrib- uted greatly to
the clarification and and estab- lishment of of an an order in in in our ways of of think- ing It was he he who really created the basis of of scientific language language A general faculty of of language language in in fin the human being can be be defined and presides over different modes of of expression: the faculty of of estab- lishing a a a a a a a a a a a a relation between an an idea and a a a a a a a a a a a a sign be be it a a a a a a a a a a a a a sound a a a a a a a a a a a a a gesture a a a a a a a a a a a a a figure or a a a a a a a a a a a a a drawing The language does not exist to
to
in- form but to
to
evoke (J Lacan) In this sense the artist chooses for for his his his creative expres- sions a a a a a a a a a language of of of his his his own capable of of of sig- nifying the the essential concept of of of his his artistic research Thinking is is is the the the fundamental lan- guage of of man man and and even more of of the the the man-artist and and if the the the the thinking is is is strong the the the the the artist artist has the the the the the privilege of using both the the the the the archetypal materials and the the the the the new lan- guages for the the the making of works It is is is is is pre- cisely in in in in this process that his his research is is is is is read as as a a a a a a a a a a a a magical message crossing the the in- finite areas of of of the the the the moral heritage of of of hu- manity drawing the the the heights of of of of the the the great landscape of of universal culture In this way the true artist creates his his his own language along with his his work because he he he always considers the the word as an an instrument of thought Words and deeds trace the the logical Reflect on Art and Beyond Art We are living in in a a a a a a historical moment when the virus of of power has formed an army of of people who are trying to
carry out geno- cide on myths fantasies and and dreams and and are trying to
to
to
turn freedom into a a a a a a a a a a kind of democratic authority The obligation to
to
to
cor- rupt part of of the vanity of of thinking quickly extends to
good good taste good good manners and all all facets of our daily lives despotically in- vading art art and and the the art art system The institutions and and governments of the the world are responsible for having contributed to
the the the loss of of ethics culture and the the the human dignity of of respect for our mother nature through obsolete and commitment-based behaviour A type of pressure group phe- nomenon has developed where vested in- terest triumphs over aspirations and and and de- mands where transparency and and and and history creativity and and and and values have been replaced by the the hegemony of of party politics and and ad- aptation to
the the image of of media where po- litical strategies and capitalist power man- age the the the daily life of of the the the people Today the the the world is is is is is is in a a a a a a state of of pro- found crisis crisis It is is is is is is a a a a a a a a a a multidimensional crisis crisis whose varied facets affect all aspects of life: our our physical mental spiritual health and our our means of subsistence food food food as as food food food for for the the the body communication as as food food food for for social thought the the the quality of of the the the environment and and human relations It is is is a a a a a a a a a crisis of of of intel- lectual moral and and spiritual dimensions of of economics politics technology culture composing a a a a a a a real threat to
the space of dia- logue and good taste The current crisis crisis is is is is is not only a a a a a a a crisis crisis of individuals govern- ments or institutions but also a a a a a a a a a transition of global dimension As individuals as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a society as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a civilization and as as as an an ecosys- tem we are reaching inflection point Cultural transformations of this magnitude and depth cannot be be impeded They should should not not be be be opposed rather they should should be be welcomed as the the the only way to
avoid anguish collapse or or mummification We need to
to
prepare for the great transition which we are are about to
to
enter by a a a a a a a a a a deep re-examination of of of the main assumptions and values values of of of our culture a a a a a a a a a a a rejection of of of those conceptual values values that have outlived their usefulness and and a a a a a a a a a a a new recognition of of some of of of the the values that we have abandoned in previous periods of of our cultural history We cannot forget that there is is is only one Earth which nourishes all beings on on on on the the planet and and is is our our common home where we live and and and die We should be clear about about ourselves and and about about the laws govern- ing ing human values We should return to
to
knowing how to
to
analyze the the the behaviour others as the the the only truth about ourselves