« The great function of art is communication, since mutual understanding is a force to unite people, and the spirit of communion is one of the most important aspects of artistic creativity. Works of art, unlike those of sciences, have no practical goals in any material sense. Art is a meta-language, with the help of which people try to communicate with one another; to impart information about themselves and assimilate the experience of others. […]
I simply cannot believe that an artist can ever work only for the sake of « self-expression ». Self-expression is meaningless unless it meets with a response. For the sake of creating a spiritual bond with others it can only be an agonizing process, one that involves no practical gain: ultimately, it is an act of sacrifice. But surely it cannot be worthy the effort merely for the sake of hearing one’s own echo? »
From Sculpting in time, by Russian filmmaker Tarkovsky (1986).
I had not picked up this book since film school and found myself fascinated by this man’s words all over again. For some odd reason (obsession?), the passage I transcribed above made me think of blogging. Do the exercise if you’re curious: reread the above paragraphs by replacing the word « art » by « blogging ».
