02-02-2023
Beauty in Traditional Arts - Sarah Magalhães
Revelation and the function of Beauty in Traditional Arts By Sarah MagalhãesToday we will becontemplating on Traditional Arts. To awaken the sense of beauty, I have selected a few passages from Art From the Sacred to the Profane: East and West, writings of Frithjof Schuon, edited by Catherine Schuon and extracts from the chapter: TheDegrees of Art in Esoterism as a Principal and as a Way. I propose to elucidate the function of revelation in the artistic process of a practitionerof traditional arts and to answer some important questions related to the role of art and Beauty in human life as receptacles of Truth. To express the ideas discussed through a visual medium, a traditional Bharat Natyam dance performance will follow at the end of this presentation.? What is the most effective way to communicate Beauty, the vehicle of saving Truth?? What is the most appropriate way to convey the metaphysical nature of things through the beauty of forms? ? How can we provoke the same state of contemplativeness in the other by realizing a“contemplative disinterestedness” in the act of creation ?? How can traditional art become an "upaya", a "provisional means" to convey metaphysical truths ? These questions are relevant for any field of traditional arts. There are many aspects ofsacred expressions such as writing, recitation, calligraphy, painting, architecture, sculpture, clothing, pottery, dance, music… My experience, in particular, refers to the sense of the sacred in the art of gesture and sacred dance. However, the practitioner of any field of traditional art and the appreciators of art will find resonance with the ideas discussed here.Introduction:Traditional artproposes in its mode of operation an homogeneous worldview, being an integral expression of the social,religious, ethical, practical and spiritual dimensions of existence. Thus, thiskind of art is a natural expression of life. It has the power to hold togetherseveral streams of a specific culture and to express its true values. In ourpresent times we no longer have the traditional framework of existence, butstill the blessings transmitted by tradition allows the serious seeker in thefield of art to experience its essence. Art, conceived in a traditional way, encompasses all aspects of life, expressinghigher values, revealing truth and metaphysical wisdom. In this context, artassumes a very different role from the superficial modern approach in which artis considered mere entertainment or just merchandise. On the other hand, thetraditional approach to art is that of a metaphysical and religious phenomenon,which is intrinsically connected with Revelation. Art is thus, none other thana channel for revelation of the sacred content of a particular religion. Beingrooted on symbols provided byRevelation, traditional arts has afunction related to esoterism as it reveals the metaphysical and mysticalmeanings inherent in the cannons established by tradition. Thus, the creativeprocess is an experience connectingearthly existence with transcendence; encompassing man’s personality as a wholein which the Unified Reality beyond forms, once realized in depth becomes gnosis, where intellectionmeets Revelation. As in themedieval conception: "Ars sine scientia nihil est”, which means that thepractice of art without knowledge is nothing, establishes that the creativeprocess must be rooted in knowledge, reason and established principles. Thecreative activity must be guided...
