QotD: "The crafts of the great arts of Western civilisation are surfacing again. But what of ideas?"

"The crafts of the great arts of Western civilisation are surfacing again. But what of ideas? Many artists, today, succeed in capturing reality, but how many create a heightened reality that not only brings into sharper focus selected aspects of life through compelling aesthetics but also communicates ideas? Without authentic relevance to the fundamentals of the contemporary human condition, art becomes either decorative or banal. Without ideas informing it, art becomes a pretty pastime...
...."Great artists ... whose work reverberates with lasting significance are fully conscious of the underlying themes expressed through their work ... For these superlative artists, nothing is accidental; ...
... "Such artists distill the quintessence of one image or one fleeting moment (or in literature and music, one finite time-experience) for their own sake first; they make it 'stand still' so they can experience and return at will to the burning center of their creation for rousing renewal. Then they pass their vision on to us for further contemplation of the beauty and values inherent in the work.
....""In this regard, great art is a continual source of inspiration for us all."
~ Alexandra York, from her article 'Some Artists Rightly Refuse to Let Classic Western Art Forms Perish'

PS: "Children need art and stories and poems and music as much as they need love and food and fresh air and play."
~ Philip Pullman

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