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Impersonal Art

Tarlochan Oberoi

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August 3rd, 2014 - 04:34 AM

Impersonal Art

The renowned Russian spiritual master, George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, has separated art into two groups, ‘Subjective Art’ and ‘Objective Art,’ which I would regard as ‘Personal Art’ and ‘Impersonal Art.’

Impersonal Art brings about the power of now, whereas Personal Art keeps the mind moving like a pendulum.

Every image of art can be described as Impersonal Art or as Personal Art. Personal Art can be found in each and every art outlet. It means you are pouring your personal opinion onto the canvas - your prejudices, your thoughts, and your imagination - and it is simply a projection of your psyche. It involves your feelings, your belief systems, and your experiences in any art form. The image has not been created through a silent being. It is a product of turmoil, a kind of confusion. It is a byproduct of a bad dream. Unfortunately, most of today’s art belongs to this class.

From about 1960 to the late 1970’s, the Minimalism movement appeared on the surface of Modern Art. Minimal artists left no trace of art in their work. They claimed that it was a form of art in which objects are stripped down to their elemental, geometric form, and presented it in an impersonal manner. Do we really find an impersonal manner in their work, or only the simplest of designs portrayed in a clear and unmistakable manner?

In the words of George Gurdjieff; “Objective art leads people towards silence, blissfulness, inner harmony and grace. The art that leads us towards pathology, neurosis, perversion, is not really art. You can call it art, but that is a misnomer.”

There is not much Impersonal Art in the world right now, because before Impersonal Art can be created one has to become a vehicle. But we are frozen solid because our personalities are very inflexible.

To be impersonal means to be very humble, almost a ‘nobody.’ In this absence comes a great collective overflow. That overflow can become creativity. It is an effortless expression whose forms will stir up an encouraging echo in all of us. Thousands of magnitudes are on hand, if we are open.

Impersonal Art comes from the inner core (emptiness) of the artist’s heart. The creator has nothing to offer; he is quite clear, utterly dirt-free. Out of this purposelessness arise affection, empathy, and silence. Moreover, out of this state arises a possibility for creativity, which is the very core of existence. It is neither my nor your core; it is the core of the entire reality. Seeing that the creator starts touching the core and realizing that we are not separate from each other brings us as one. We are a branch of the same infinity; a vastly radiant experience of rapture that is beyond words. It is incredible that you can touch the power of now, but it is extremely tough to convey it. This aspiration to share becomes creativity.

“Impersonal, then, is… momentary forgetfulness of one’s own personality.”

- John Galsworthy

You become a catalyst, and the heavens sing all the way through you. Your only responsibility is to not generate any hindrance. If your being is in a let-go state of mind, and you are able to allow the universe to flow through you, Impersonal Art is created. By creating Impersonal Art, you become part of the great creativity of the universe. For example, in haiku poetry (only three broken lines), you will be amazed if you read wordlessly. It is far more sensitive than any explosion. It purely allows access and vision in your being.

“Water reflects sky
Summer of my soul open
Under the spell still”

- Raymond A.Foss

The greatest art will allow the viewer to leave behind the personal experience, the biases. Then the viewer is in the middle of the universe as a raw entity, where the experiencer gets the experience of being wonderstruck!

If only all living beings were vibrant also to an instinctive, effortless type of beauty and the serene joyfulness that it brings about, the globe would essentially be a more nonviolent, kind place.

A painting might thus give the viewer an inspiring experience in a similarly effortless way that a scenic dusk, or a blossom, or dappled sunlight foliage, can delight all but the staunchest of anti-spiritualists (or the non-vibrancy of a clouded mind).

It is how the viewer views the image. If he or she puts his direct personal awareness or past thoughts and feelings into the image, it becomes Personal, or “Subjective”. It can only be Impersonal, or “Objective”, if the totality of the experience of the viewer is put aside. Experience must be immediate; the viewer can’t think about or analyze the artwork. If he or she scrutinizes, then it becomes personal. Can we separate ourselves from our knowledge or experiences? If so, the knower and the known or experiencer and the experience dissolve -- Aha!

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