To my dear parents
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
che la diritta via era smarrita
(Dante. La Divina Commedia). 1
Puesto nombre, y tan a su gusto, a su caballo, quiso ponérsele a sí mismo, y en este pensamiento duró otros ocho días, y al cabo se vino a llamar don Quijote; de donde, como queda dicho, tomaron ocasión los autores desta tan verdadera historia que, sin duda, se debía de llamar Quijada, y no Quesada, como otros quisieron decir. (Miguel de Cervantes. El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha).2
Must I show you a place to sleep? Are you not at home here?. I understand that you take me for one of the tiny folk, said the midget, but Im a human being, like yourself, although I have been transformed by an elf. That is the most remarkable thing I have ever heard! Wouldnt you like to tell me how you happened to get into such a plight? The boy did not mind telling her of his adventures, and, as the narrative proceeded, she who listened to him grew more and more astonished and happy. What luck to run across one who has travelled all over Sweden on the back of a goose! thought she. Just this which he is relating I shall write down in my book. Now I need worry no more over that matter. It was well that I came home. To think that I should find such help as soon as I came to the old place! Instantly another thought flashed into her mind. She had sent word to her father by the doves that she longed for home, and almost immediately she had received help in the matter she had pondered so long. Might not this be the fathers answer to her prayer?. (Selma Lagerlöf. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils).
Introduction
It is generally accepted that there are Turning Points in our lives that Change Us Forever. So, let me tell you My Story.
I remember my mother sitting at the piano and playing the Swan Lake. It was then that I decided to become a Musician. I had no fear of performing in front of the audience and I could play the piano without even looking at the keyboard.
When I was studying at the Music College in Smolensk, fate, once again, intervened on my behalf one of the professors recommended me to read a book about Alexander Scriabin. And from that time on, the creativity of this composer has captured my imagination.
In Minsk I have met with Dr. Elena Polyakova my Masters supervisor who has eventually become my best friend ever. She taught me how to write articles and we used to talk a lot about Art and Education.
We attended conferences in Vitebsk, Mogilev, Moscow and, finally, we visited Saint Petersburg where I have made an acquaintance with another professor Dr. Alexander Klujev who has also played a significant part in my scientific career. He has never interfered with my Ph.D. research, on the contrary, he encouraged me to develop my own creativity.
And last but not least, I strongly believe that it is absolutely impossible to study Art without Travelling. You can read a lot about the Sistine Chapel or the Sainte-Chapelle, and yet, not until you see them will you realize the real Power of Art. Among the masterpieces that have impressed me most are Claud Monets Waterloo Bridge, Dürers Self Portrait, Raphaels Lodges, Van Goghs Sunflowers, the Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti, etc. That is why my research is complemented by the so-called Impressions of the Cities. Although all the Chapters of the Book are in Chronological Order, each of them has its own Form and I encourage you to Choose the Sequence of the Chapters according to your personal preferences. Taking into account the fact that the Beauty of the World is Endless, this research will be continued.
The Healing Power of Art
It seems to me that there is something Mysterious about Art. On the one hand, you could be a spectator and go to Concert Halls, Theaters and Museums and, as for me, I could spend hours walking around exhibitions, looking at Paintings and Sculptures and contemplating the Power of Art. I am virtually certain that nothing could be better than Live Concerts, especially when an Author is sitting in the audience, since when the curtain opens and conductor goes on stage, Magic happens and you feel a sense of Unity not only with humanity, but also with the whole Universe.
On the other hand, you could take Your Story and Paint it, Sing it, Dance it or Write about it and thus enhance the Healing Power of Art. Since you have everything you need inside you, you should Open up your Heart, Honor the Light inside you and Bring the Gifts of Your Creativity to the World. One should not forget that There Can Be No Mistakes in Art, that is to say, you should Release the Inner Critic within you and Be Who You Are. And I must say that for me it has been one of the most challenging problems because I have been suffering from self-doubt all my life.
I am virtually certain that Eastern Culture and Philosophy may be helpful. According to Dao De Jing, sometimes when you want something to happen you have to do the opposite. Dao ever-constantly practices non-action, / Yet nothing is left undone. / If nobles and kings could maintain it, / The ten thousand creatures would naturally transform. / Transform, and if desire arises, / I would restrain it by means of the nameless uncarved block. / In the state of the nameless uncarved block, / Men also would be without-desire. / Not desiring, thus they would be still / And the world would naturally settle. And Bashos Haiku Poems which often have multiple meanings are fascinating Temple bells die out. / The fragrant blossoms remain. / A perfect evening!. I absolutely adore the Mysterious sound of Guzheng a very old Chinese plucked string instrument tuned in a major pentatonic scale. There are the so-called Talking Drums and by changing the pitch of the drum you can imitate African speech patterns and send Musical Messages over long distances. Singing Bowls, on the other hand, are widely used in Buddhist Temples or Pagodas since not only can you produce a tone by striking the edge of the bowl, but you can also create residual vibrations which have Healing properties. In India they know how to lead a happier life as well, suffice it to mention Holi an ancient festival during which people laugh, dance and spray bright colors on each other. Their Temples look Magnificent (for example, the Lakshmana Temple) and nothing can be compared with Indian Music which is not fixed and stable but, on the contrary, relies on improvisation and is characterized by sliding or gliding from one Svara (tone) to the next (Sarasiruha To the Goddess Saraswati starting from the free-flowing exploration of the Raga an Indian equivalent of Scale). And despite the fact that Indonesian Music, the entire system of which is based on a sense of pitch that is outside our twelve tone realm, may sound strange, it has its own Beauty.
As a matter of fact, I have always tried to create Sacred Spaces artistic compositions consisting of porcelain statuettes, postcards, toys, artificial flowers and put them all over my flat so as to feel comfortable and safe. But when the virus started spreading around the world and they told us to stay at home, I became afraid and could do nothing. Then I decided to finish my Book on Art and when I was writing about my previous trips around Europe, I felt as if I was visiting those places once again. Or, even more, as if I had never left them. And after a while my mother asked me to create some illustrations for her new book. I hesitated at first since I am a Musician and not a Painter. And yet, it was so exciting that I ended up writing Poetry so as to make it easier for children to learn Musical Language. It was fun and these jobs helped me to overcome stress. Interestingly enough, I did not use dark colors in my paintings, on the contrary, I chose yellow, blue, red, green and pink.
Suddenly I realized that My Mission in life is to Explore the Beauty of the World and Share my Knowledge with People. I do believe that Art as a whole and This Very Book in particular could help you to overcome pain and darkness and Transform your Soul. All in all, Life is nothing but a Dream and like Zhuangzi who didnt know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi you might never find final solution to this problem.
The Big History of Art
I have been studying the connection between different branches of Art for a long time and was delighted to know that there is a significant basis for my research. That is to say, the carbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms in our bodies, as well as atoms of all other heavy elements, were created in previous generations of stars over 4.5 billion years ago. This idea that We are all Made of the Same Staff as Stars took me by surprise. So, we all have the same birthday the Beginning of the Universe.
Interestingly enough, the Earth is a Closed System and it must obey the Second Law of Thermodynamics according to which the Universe has a consistent amount of energy; and when some energy is lost in any operation, it ultimately leads to the Rise of Entropy and the inevitable Heat Death of Matter in the Universe. It implies that the Universe is destined to get simpler and simpler, even though its pockets still enjoy concentrations of energy, energy flow, and therefore complexity. On the other hand, there are a lot of Open Systems on Earth to which this Law cannot be applied and Art, being one of them, interacts with the environment and conveys Great Ideas of Humanity in Sound, Color, Shape, etc. Different branches of Art (Music, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, etc.) are in constant Dialog with each other and, from time to time, they Unite their forces (Opera, Ballet, Happening, Installation, etc.) so as to make it easier for us to appreciate the Beauty of the World. And yet, we may never understand what is a Piece of Art-in-itself since all we know is the way in which Art appears For-Us in different interpretations.
According to the Big History Project, there are Eight Main Thresholds major phase-shifts leading to the beginning of the Universe, the First Stars, new Chemical Elements, the origin of Planets and the Solar System, the Beginning of Life, the Evolution of Collective Learning, the Emergence of Agriculture, and the Beginning of the Modern Revolution. In this book we are going to scrutinize the way in which Philosophical Ideas have been expressed in Art from Antiquity to the Present Day. If the predictions are true and life on Earth will be destroyed, all we can do is try to postpone this event by developing new technologies enabling us to travel through the Universe and find another planet on which we could live and Create New Art.
Musical and Aesthetic Concept of Alexander Scriabin
Many years ago one of my College Professors recommended me to read a book about Alexander Scriabin. And from that time on, Scriabins creativity has captured my imagination. It goes without saying that Alexander Scriabin is one of the most Mysterious Figures of the 20th century. Not only did he compose Music, but he also wanted to Transform the World by using the Power of Art. In other words, he believed that the Performance of his Mysterium comprised of different branches of Art could cause Dematerialization and Rebirth of Humanity.
Alexander Scriabin was an extremely versatile person and his Literary and Philosophical works correspond to his Music. The Early period of his creativity (up to 1900) has very much in common with Romantic tradition and then (from 1900 till 1910) the Center of his Aesthetic interests starts shifting towards the Personality of the Artist who is able to Bring Beauty to the World. This reorientation triggered radical changes in his Musical Style, namely Functional Inversion, the Emancipation of the Dissonance and the Compression of the Form. During the Late period of his creativity (from 1910 till 1915) Scriabin was fully occupied with the Realization of his Project and most of his last works could be viewed as splinters of the Ideal Piece of Art the Mysterium. Prometheus: The Poem of Fire is a fine example of the expression of the Idea of the Total Unity since here Music is complemented by the Color Organ Part (Luce) whereas Melody is derived from Harmony and vice versa (Prometheus Chord). Interestingly enough, during the last years of his life his Musical Language was changing towards Simplicity and it seems to me that the so-called Style of Black Line on White Background (Prelude op. 74 No. 2) fully expresses Scriabins Passion for Unity and Beauty.
In this Book the idea of which appeared when I was writing my previous monograph on the creativity of Alexander Scriabin I am going to scrutinize the way in which different Philosophical Ideas have been conveyed in Art. That is to say, we are going to Travel throughout the Whole History of Humanity and I hope that at the end of our Journey we will know more not only about Art, but also about ourselves.
Chapter I
There is No Place Like Rome
As a matter of fact, I have always wanted to travel around the world, explore cultural diversity. In particular, I have read a lot about Wonders of Italy; hence, it is no surprise that my first destination was Rome. Actually, it was my mother who forced me to go there, metaphorically speaking. So, there I was, flying to Italy on my own. The truth is that, being proud of myself, at the same time I was trembling and thinking Is it worth it?
Little did I know what would come next.
Firstly and most importantly, you could talk endlessly about the charm of Rome as many prominent scientists and artists have done before. And yet, only when you arrive there will you realize what is this all about. On the one hand, Rome is without any doubt the Spiritual Center of the Christian World. It seems to me that even the sun shines more brightly there than anywhere else. On the other hand, Rome has some dark pages in its divine history. It is hard to believe, but before Constantine the Great made the Roman Empire Christian in 313 A.D. Christians were arrested and tortured at the Colosseum.
Secondly, it is extraordinary that, despite all the obstacles, they did manage to preserve the achievements of the past till the present day. Rome is like a multi-storey building and it has its foundation Antiquity. What I am trying to say is that the Whole History of Art lies in front of you, right under your feet literally speaking. All you need to do is walk along the curvy streets of the city and look around.
Last but not least, the influence of the Roman Culture has been so huge that one can find a lot of replicas of Italian Architecture in many other countries. I presume, there are two main ways of studying the History of Art. The first one is the shortest and the hardest you may start from the beginning and go to Rome. Or you could travel around Europe trying to put the puzzle pieces of Rome together.
To sum it up, it was love from the first sight. I will never forget the ringing of the bells of Santa Maria Maggiore at 9 P.M. If you ask me, I am virtually certain that this Mysterious Sound really is the Essence of the Roman Spirit.
Literary Essay I
It is undeniable that Ancient Philosophy has had a tremendous impact on Western Culture. Since Socrates, Plato and Aristotle lived before Christianity and could not enter Paradise, Dante had nothing to do but put them in Limbo, which is the first circle of Inferno in The Divine Comedy. And even there they were having a perpetual seminar and discussing their works with each other.