Art and play preserve depth only by retaining life’s traces in autonomous forms

Evidence

There is more in human products, perhaps in every single one which derives fully from the creative power of the spirit, than is contained in its forms. This marks off everything that has soul from all that is produced merely mechanically. Here, perhaps, may be found the motivation for the contemporary interest in the art of Van Gogh. In him more than any other painter, one senses a passionate life which swings far beyond the limits of pictorial art. It flows from a unique breadth and depth; that it finds in the painter’s talent a channel for its expression seems only accidental, as if it could just as well have given life to practical or religious, to poetic or musical activities. It is primarily this burning life, which can be felt in its immediacy—and which sometimes enters into a destructive contrast with its obvious form—that makes Van Gogh so fascinating. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 853 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Since life is the antithesis of form, and since that which is somehow formed can be conceptually described, the concept of life cannot be freed from logical imprecision. The essence of life would be denied if one tried to form an exhaustive conceptual definition. In order for conscious life to be fully self-conscious, it would have to do without concepts altogether, for conceptualization inevitably brings on the reign of forms; yet concepts are essential to self-consciousness. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 1018 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

The ideal scent keeps the wearer interested, evolves with him or her; you can’t “solve” it in one go like the plot of a bad detective novel. You need a perfect structure, like Chanel No. 5, to keep you safe; and then from time to time you need to subvert expectations, with something that cuts against your style and even your gender. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1068 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Creative work holds more life than its forms can contain — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 853; Enduring art balances a safe structure against deliberate subversion — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1068; Conceptualization inevitably imposes form on formless life — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 1018 (+6 more)

Related

• Creative work holds more life than its forms can contain (similarity 0.89)
• Enduring art balances a safe structure against deliberate subversion (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Creative work holds more life than its forms can contain #corroborates (0.85) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 853
• Conceptualization inevitably imposes form on formless life #qualifies (0.75) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 1018
• Enduring art balances a safe structure against deliberate subversion #qualifies (0.72) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1068
• Art’s felt experience is suppressed by learned critical discourse #complicates (0.72) — Karl Ove Knausgaard, A Death in the Family, 1135
• Everyday moments of attention can be framed and shared as art experiences #exemplifies (0.70) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 372