84. The universal and the
specific in art
One of the
themes in this blog is that of the universal and the specific (or
individual). I discussed their interplay, in which a universal is
abstracted from the individual and its specific context, to carry what is
derived from it to novel contexts. That is a mechanism of learning by
generalization. In the novel context, the universal is confronted with the
richness of specific, new details, where it may fail to work and may fall
apart. If this happens in several contexts, it may be reconstructed, in the
form of a novel universal in the making. I connected this process to the hermeneutic
circle, discussed in item 36 and to a cycle of invention, discussed
in item 31. What is the relation to art, if any?
In a paper
for the Dutch Prince Claus fund (dedicated to preservation of cultural
heritage) Charlotte Huygens discusses themes that are, I think, related to
this.
One topic in the paper is how in art exhibitions, which serve to present new contexts,
art works can obtain new, multiple interpretations. This is related to the
theme of locality and globalization. At the Documenta Art Exhibition in 2012 ‘
… interaction of art works with the local environment … formed an integral part
of the concept’. This localization of art produces a dialogue (or ‘polylogue’)
with other places.
A second
theme is the relation between universalized, globalized art, footloose across
the world, exhibited mostly in developed countries, and locally embedded crafts
still tied to a specific heritage. The challenge is to connect them better, as
a feature of exhibitions, as occurred in the Victoria and Albert Museum in
London, with ‘its mission to encourage classical, craft-based art forms as a
source of inspiration for contemporary creation …’. Such cross-fertilization
may break through the ‘.. pitfall … that cultural heritage and craft is
associated with non-Western countries, …. considered to be in the past, whereas
contemporary art is associated with Western civilization’.
A third
theme is that of art as resistance to dictatorship and totalitarianism where
individuals are subjugated or even sacrificed to universalized ideologies. I
would add, however, resistance also to similarly subjugating dogmas of
capitalism, such as a universalized, context-independent regime of markets.
The three
themes come together, I think, as follows. First, universalized art can adopt
new meanings by being embedded in novel contexts with their own localized art
and craft. Second, the resulting contrasts can jolt universalized art into
novel experiments and shifts, to produce the emergence of novel universals.
Third, such infusion from local heritage and local variety, diverse
individuality, can prevent universals from becoming totalitarian, a steamroller
that squashes individuality and variety, where everything becomes a carbon
copy, a clone, a McDonald burger. In this way art is part of the rebellion
of the individual against the threat of existing universals and contributes to
the emergence and thriving of novel ones.
In
conclusion, the mixing and meeting of the global and the local, the universal
and the individual, in art and culture, is a crucial part of maintaining the
vitality of art itself and of humanistic society.
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