Interview with Frithjof Schuon - on Art

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question: May I ask you what the role of art is in the spiritual existence of man?

Frithjof Schuon: We could say that after morals, art—in the broadest sense of the word—is a natural and necessary dimension of the human condition. Plato said: “Beauty is the splendor of the true.” So let us say that art—including crafts—is a projection of truth and beauty in the world of forms; it is ipso facto a projection of archetypes. And it is essentially an exteriorization in view of an interiorization; art does not mean dispersion, it means concentration, a way back to God. Every traditional civilization has created a framework of beauty: a natural, ecologically necessary surrounding for spiritual life.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question : What are the criteria for knowing the worth of a work of art, its level of inspiration?

Frithjof Schuon: The archetypes of sacred art are celestial inspirations; all other artworks draw their inspiration from the spiritual personality of the artist. The criteria for knowing the worth of a work of art are: the content of the work, its mode of expression and its technique, its style.

Question : Are the criteria different for various types of art: painting, sculpture, dance, music, poetry, architecture?

Frithjof Schuon: No, the criteria are not different for various types of art.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question: With beauty, there is what one might call an ambiguous element, since it can be conducive to a worldly self inflatedness or on the contrary to a remembrance of the Divine. What is it about certain arts—music, poetry and dance, for example—that makes the ambiguous element more pronounced in them?

Frithjof Schuon: Painting and sculpture are in a way more cerebral and objective than poetry, music and dance, which are more psychic and subjective; therefore the ambiguous element is more pronounced in these three arts.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question : Could one say that the Hindu notion of darshan* has an application in experiencing art and beauty?

Frithjof Schuon: Of course, the Hindu notion of darshan applies to any esthetic or artistic experience; but in this case it also involves mental and auditive perceptions, not only vision.

* darshan: in Hinduism, the term has several meanings (click here for a fuller definition), but here is referring to the perception of higher realities through an intermediate cause such as a holy person or a work of sacred art.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question: Could one say that there is a natural link between beauty in the broadest sense and esoterism?

Frithjof Schuon: Yes, there is a link between beauty and esoterism, because “Beauty is the splendor of the True.” Traditional art is esoteric, not exoteric. Exoterism is interested in morals, not in beauty; it even happens that exoterism can be opposed to beauty because of a moralistic prejudice.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question : Would it be legitimate to say that esoterism has certain rights in regard to art and beauty which transcend the limits and prohibitions laid down by the various exoterisms?

Frithjof Schuon: In principle, esoterism has certain rights which transcend the prohibitions of exoterism, but in fact, esoterism can rarely make use of these rights. Nonetheless, it has occurred, for example, in the case of dervish dances or of apparently shameless Tibetan paintings.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question: Besides the “fine arts,” there are—in Japan, for example—the art of flower arranging, the tea ceremony, even the martial arts, which are (or were originally) recognized as manifestations of a spiritual nature. How does it come about that an activity as “everyday” as preparing tea can become the vehicle of a spiritual barakah (grace)?

Frithjof Schuon: The Zen arts—like the Tea Ceremony—crystallize certain manners of acting of the Buddha, or let us say: of Primordial Man; now the Buddha never handled a sword, but if he had, he would have done so like a Zen Master. Acting like the Buddha—even at such a level as preparing tea—means: to assimilate something of the Buddha-Nature; it is an open door to Enlightenment.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question: Modern art is not traditional. Does this mean that a modern artwork is necessarily bad?

Frithjof Schuon: No, because a modern artwork—modern in the broadest sense—may manifest different qualities, in regard to the content as well as in regard to the treatment and also to the artist. Some traditional productions are bad, and some non-traditional productions are good.

This is taken from a transcript of a 1995 interview with the eminent
Perennialist thinker and writer Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998).

Question: What does art mean for the artist himself?

Frithjof Schuon: By creating a noble work of art, the artist works on his own soul; in a way, he creates his own archetype. Therefore the practice of every art is a way of self-realization, in principle or also in fact. With unimportant or even negative subjects, the artist may remain intentionally unaffected, but with noble and profound subjects, he works with his very heart.