The visual athlete may not be bi-lingual

The inward, introspective direction of art - its shift from the outside to the inside world - was influenced by two factors: our inheritance of the desire to explore new territories and the completion of the mapping of the earth.   

Our exploring urge is now directed toward outer space or the inside of matter.  Thankfully, this has not proven to be true, but was taught as true in most schools for the latter half of the 20th century.  In keeping with this historical movement, I probed inward.  Thus, this inward movement in art, most notable during the 20th century, has more to do with the optimism of exploration than the pessimism of alienation. 

Rejection is not what drives the artist – their personal and compelling turmoil is responsible for that.  But social influences.  Ah.  If alienation is the topic of compelling art work, than those in charge of social media are responsible for cultivating social indifference - its affect sanctified by the personal choices and behavior of the majority of people in the culture.  The artist is not responsible for this - they are simply the ones in the culture who have sufficient set of skills to record the dominant social evolution.

I am driven inward by a society that proposes to elevate, promote, respect, and applaud the work of its explorers.  This is the proper influence of society - influencing the subject matter artist's use to appease their internal turmoil.  The artist’s sensors read and interpret the undercurrents of social concern.

Both the environment and my body propel me into a physical reaction to life, and language propels me into an internal reaction.  Life is inherently both object and subject – a duality embodied in the products which bear a cultural label.  Cultural products earn their title when they have successfully bridged this duality.

The fine artist who accepts and meets the challenge of bridging duality will then acquire a skill that can be freely applied to anything which exhibits a high contrast to his own being.  He becomes adept at dissolving distinctions.

Without some means of dissolving man’s distinction from nature our struggle to develop an enduring affection toward her will remain thwarted. 

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The artist begins this dissolving process by bridging the duality within himself using artistic means and conventions to do so.  His visual gifts may be in such a concentrated form that he may or may not be equipped to share his methods with others verbally.  For some artists, for most perhaps, the best that they can do is to share their methods visually.   

The visual athlete may not be bi-lingual.