Page 6 - TOP 10 CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS - Volume I
P. 6
THE FALL OF FAUST
The Fall of Faust is the fall of the artist, He can only comprehend that ultimately
the fall of the man who wants to create he, as subject of knowledge, is the object
something or who has the presumption of knowledge itself and the reason why
to create something. The artist’s fall knowledge exists. He defers to the infinity
happens, if he is objective and honest, of knowledge, accepting that he has
because he understands that the creation access to only a small part of it and that
of ‘something’ will inevitably lead to the the subject of knowledge is the object
following axiom: ART Faust, the artist, of knowledge itself. ‘Tragic nature’ is
faces his own creation and finds it is not consciousness. Faust, the artist, becomes
as perfect as his pure idea - the idea that ‘conscious’ of the only way of procuring
he wanted to translate in a tangible way, some knowledge. He understands the
and he is not satisfied. He asks himself: limitations, his limit as a human being - a
“What is art? What does it mean?” ART being that has the presumption of knowing
= VULGARITY He finds that what he has and creating. He can only ‘know’ that his
created is ‘vulgar’ – that to create is an life is limited and that he has to accept
act of presumption and he concludes that it as such. His position is tragic. His only
his creation, whether beautiful or not, has real knowledge is his consciousness of
only been produced to declare himself to that tragedy. KNOWLEDGE The tragedy of
the world. the knowledge of tragedy.
THE ARTIST’S REALIZATION THE DIVERSITY OF THE ARTIST’S POSITION
He experiences revulsion of knowledge The presumption to create ‘ex nihilo nihil’
because of the pretension of knowing. (nothing is created from nothing) is an act
TRAGIC NATURE Because knowledge of will, of non-conformity - but ‘ex nihilo
is so vast and far-reaching he realizes nihil’ is impossible; it does not exist.In
that, as a human being, he will never be the end, if art is just an act of will (and
capable of embracing knowledge in its undoubtedly it is an act of will) Faust’s
absolute complexity. He has to accept (the artist’s) final question to himself is the
that his nature is limited and therefore following: “Art qua Voluntary Act? Hence
tragic and that he does not have the Vulgarity.” Every volunteer act is vulgar.
means to understand what knowledge is. Nobody can escape this statement. We
