Art

A work of art is at the same time a material structure, whether experienced through sound (music or words), vision (colour or form) or whichever of the physical senses, and a spiritual image of reality. It acts as a means of communication among people and of enriching their knowledge of the world and of themselves. Meaning may be at the personal level, symbolizing the artist's own experience; specific to an individual culture; or universally understood independent of culture.

The primary function of a work of art may be said to consist in its capacity to extend vision, purify perception, elevate consciousness, intensify sensibilities and illuminate experience in time with timeless reality. Even when art is considered as simply a representation or imitation of what is commonly perceived as reality it has value in that, together with its aesthetic enjoyment, it instils a specific system of values and arouses emotions similar to "real" experiences. It may express in ritual what is considered dangerous or taboo if expressed openly. On a higher level, it may be thought of as the highest form of language, that of communicating perception. This is witnessed by the struggle some artists experience in the effort to express exactly what they (perhaps unconsciously) intend; and by the ability demonstrated by "non-artists" to produce one particular work in response to an inner need for expression, this ability disappearing when the need is fulfilled. The capacity to appreciate the work of art of another demonstrates a kinship with the artist, some spark of his genius existing in every individual.

For the artist, to produce a work of art is consciously to experience his inner perceptions and images, the work itself being an autonomous self-representation of perception. Nature (as the artist) may in a sense be said to experience nature (as the perception) - subject and object thus becoming one.

The importance of the individual in transmitting cultural skills for the purpose of preserving traditional art forms is recognized in Japan by the designation of people particularly gifted in this sense as living national treasures.