Part 2, Chapter 11 :
Truth: Inwardness of Art
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Author : Gandhi
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11. TRUTH AND BEAUTY
Inwardness of Art
THERE ARE two aspects of things — the outward and the inward….The
outward has no meaning except in so far as it helps the inward. All true
Art is thus an expression of the soul. The outward forms have value only in
so far as they are the expression of the inner spirit of man. (YI,
13-11-1924, p.377)
I know that many call themselves artists, and are recognized as such, and
yet in their works there is absolutely no trace of the soul’s upward urge
and unrest. (ibid)
All true Art must help the soul to realize its inner self. In my own case,
I find that I can do entirely without external forms in my soul’s
realization. I can claim, therefore, that there is truly efficient Art in
my life, though you might not see what you call works of Art about me.
My room may have blank walls; and I may even dispense with the roof, so
that I may gaze out at the starry heavens overhead that stretch in an
unending expanse. What conscious Art of man can give me the panoramic
scenes that open out before me, when I look up to the sky above with all
its shining stars?
This, however, does not mean that I refuse to accept the value of
productions of Art, generally accepted as such, but only that I personally
feel how inadequate these are compared with the eternal symbols of beauty
in Nature. These productions of man’s Art have their value only in so far
as they help the soul onward towards self-realization. (ibid)
Truth First
Truth is the first thing to be sought for, and Beauty and Goodness will
then be added unto you. Jesus was, to my mind, a supreme artist because he
saw and expressed Truth; and so was Muhammad, the Koran being, the most
perfect composition in all Arabic literature — at any rate, that is what
scholars say. It is because both of them strove first for Truth that the
grace of expression naturally came in and yet neither Jesus not Muhammad
wrote on Art. That is the Truth and Beauty I crave for, live for, and would
die for. (YI, 20-11-1924, p.386)
Art for the Millions
Here too, just as elsewhere, I must think in terms of the millions. And to
the millions we cannot give that training to acquire a perception of Beauty
in such a way as to see Truth in it. Show them Truth first and they will
see Beauty afterwards… Whatever can be useful to those starving millions
is beautiful to my mind. Let us give today first the vital things of life
and all the graces and ornaments of life will follow. (ibid)
I want art and literature that can speak to the millions. (H, 14-11-1936,
p.135)
Art to be art must soothe. (YI, 27-5-1926, p.196)
After all, Art can only be expressed not through inanimate power-driven
machinery designed for mass-production, but only through the delicate
living touch of the hands of men and women. (YI, 14-3-1929, p.86)
Inner Purity
True art takes note not merely of form but also of what lies behind. There
is an art that kills and an art that gives life… True art must be
evidence of happiness, contentment and purity of its authors. (YI,
11-8-1921, p. 253)
True beauty after all consists in purity of heart. (A, p. 228)
I love music and all the other arts, but I do not attach such value to them
as is generally done. I cannot, for example, recognize the value of those
activities which require technical knowledge for their understanding.
Life is greater than all art. I would go even further and declare that the
man whose life comes nearest to perfection is the greatest artist; for what
is art without the sure foundation and framework of a noble life? (AG, pp.
65–66)
We have somehow accustomed ourselves to the belief that art is independent
of the purity of private life. I can say with all the experience at my
command that nothing could be more untrue. As I am nearing the end of my
earthly life, I can say that purity of life, is the highest and truest art.
The art of producing good music from a cultivated voice can be achieved by
many, but the art of producing that music from the harmony of a pure life
is achieved very rarely. (H, 19-2-1938, p. 10)
Beauty in Truth
I see and find Beauty in Truth or through Truth. All Truths, not merely
true ideas, but truthful faces, truthful pictures, or songs, are highly
beautiful. People generally fail to see Beauty in Truth, the ordinary man
runs away from it and becomes blind to the beauty in it. Whenever men begin
to see Beauty in Truth, then true Art will arise. (YI, 13-11-1924, p. 377)
To a true artist only that face is beautiful which, quite apart from its
exterior, shines with the Truth within the soul. There is… no Beauty
apart from Truth. On the other hand, Truth may manifest itself in forms,
which may not be outwardly beautiful at all. Socrates, we are told, was the
most truthful man of his time, and yet his features are said to have been
the ugliest in Greece. To my mind he was beautiful, because all his life
was a striving after Truth, and you may remember that his outward form did
not prevent Phidias from appreciating the beauty of Truth in him, though as
an artist he was accustomed to see Beauty in outward forms also. (ibid)
Truth and Untruth often co-exist; good and evil are often found together.
In an artist also not seldom [do] the right perception of things and the
wrong co-exist. Truly beautiful creations come when right perception is at
work. If these monuments are rare in life, they are also rare in Art.
(ibid)
These beauties [‘a sunset or a crescent moon that shines amid the stars
at night’] are truthful, inasmuch as they make me think of the Creator at
the back of them. How else could these be beautiful, but for the Truth that
is in the center of creation? When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the
beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator. I try to see
Him and His mercies in all these creations. But even the sunsets and
sunrises would be mere hindrances if they did not help me to think of Him.
Anything which is a hindrance to the flight of the soul is a delusion and a
snare; even like the body, which often does hinder you in the path of
salvation. (H, 13-11-1924, p. 379)
Why can’t you see the beauty of color in vegetables? And then, there is
beauty in the speckles sky. But no, you want the colors of the rainbow,
which is a mere optical illusion. We have been taught to believe that what
is beautiful need not be useful and what is useful cannot be beautiful. I
want to show that what is useful can also be beautiful. (H, 7-4-1946, p.
67)
From : TheAnarchistLibrary.org
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Part 2, Chapter 11 -- Added : January 05, 2021
Part 2, Chapter 11 -- Updated : January 16, 2022
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