{"id":402,"date":"2024-11-10T21:24:28","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T21:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westbridgemagazine.com\/?p=402"},"modified":"2024-11-11T22:12:44","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T22:12:44","slug":"the-war-of-arts-and-hearts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westbridgemagazine.com\/?p=402","title":{"rendered":"The War of Arts and Hearts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aristotle: “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miscommunication is like a pebble that often falls into the pool of human expression, particular in the arena of creativity. While some miscommunications can be easily resolved, some linger for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris created an elevated level of diatribe among many. It brought the organizers under the crucible of heated criticism from many and applause from a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many who hold a strong Christian perspective posit that the ceremony is a derogation of Jesus’ Last Supper and a specter aimed to haunt Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They argue that the ceremony is a depiction of classic satanic showmanship and conception. They further posit that it is more of a ritual than a ceremony – a blasphemy. Also, another group, more moral than religious, adjudges the whole performance as a propagation of the sickening woke culture where impunity, immorality, and obscenity are couched as the ideal lifestyle and the best way of exercising human liberty and freedom. The fire and brimstone of criticisms that were rained on the organizers made them delete the sensitive footage of the Last Supper recreation from YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the Olympic organizers and Thomas Jolly, who was the Art Director of the Olympic opening ceremony, have come out to apologize, stating that it was not meant to incite any religious group, but rather was aimed to promote solidarity, tolerance, inclusivity, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the middle of all this, another group of individuals who possess an esoteric knowledge of Arts, Philosophy, and Greek Mythology saw something largely different. They saw the symbols of Greek mythology come to life on the stage. These individuals remain indifferent to the exuberance radiating from the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics and remain unconcerned with the hullabaloo that it has caused in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a neophyte in this group, having spent the past three years of my life reading and researching Arts, History, and Greek Mythology, I was astonished to see a large blue figure on the television screen whose reflection drove my mind to Greek mythology. With mouth ajar, I was surprised to spot a bright blue Dionysus singing in French somewhere along the River Seine. That made me pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the advancement of literacy and education, for many people, the world is only seen and deciphered through the monocle of today, without the consciousness and understanding of ages gone by, as well as life and people obscured by time and buried not just under the surface of the earth, but also in history and under pages of books. Today, most people see the world from a prominent religion’s point of view. Not to mention how scholars such as Nixey in her work “Darkening Age” have criticized the prominent religion of today (Christianity) as a militant religion that comprehensively and deliberately extinguished the teachings of the Classical world, ushering in centuries of unquestioning adherence to ‘one true faith’. This is no attack on popular religion of today, rather a humble submission that no religion is without its dark past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the showmanship of the blue figure with a bulging tummy on the stage is important to us storytellers, balladeers, and bards. This blue figure on the stage is none other than Dionysus, I mean. The Greek god of theatre, music, creativity, madness, irrationality, as well as of fruits, vegetation, nature, wine, and ecstasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, was the unruly son of Zeus and Semele. In Greek mythology, he symbolized chaos, revelry, emotions, irrationality, drunkenness, intuition, and way too often, inexplicable melancholy. He has always been a beloved figure for many artists all across the world. However, he was not the only one though. There was another god\u2014Apollo, who represented harmony, analysis, reasoning, common sense, balance, and progress. He brought with him solid structures of order, logic, and light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two mythical figures have close meaning to the Chinese Yin and Yang. Chaos and Order; which many philosophers believe the world is divided into. An example is Nietzsche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 19th century German philosopher and cultural critic was, and still is, one of the most influential (and also, controversial) thinkers of the modern era. He wrote on a wide range of subjects from “the death of God” to “will to power” to “critique of mass culture”, and the question of “nihilism”. But one of the most extraordinary aspects of his work was how fascinated he remained with the comparison between Dionysus and Apollo. He developed this argument further in his most accessible book, The Birth of Tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nietzsche believed that we had to pay extra attention to the contrast between these two remarkable characters in the Greek pantheon: Apollo versus Dionysus. Different forms of art (or at times, sports) were related to one or the other. Even their looks were very different. Dionysus was often depicted with unruly hair and an unkempt beard. Apollo was neatly shaven, strictly beardless, always handsome, always tidy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archery was very Apollonian, for instance. So was sculpture. But music was Dionysian. Music always spoke directly to emotions. Depending on which form of creativity you engaged in and how you chose to give life to your art, you could call your path either Dionysian or Apollonian. From the very beginning, the worship of Dionysus, which originated in Asia Minor, had a strong “feminine” component. Women who followed its rites and rituals were called ‘maenads’. There were many priestesses and poetesses who were associated with Bacchus. Whereas the cult of Apollo was centered in Greece, Delphi, and Delos, and later on, it effortlessly morphed into Sol in Roman mythology. Apollo came to be associated with controlled, measured restraint. Well-constructed, well-formulated expressions of creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As time went by, Apollo became more dominant and visible while Dionysus was pushed to the background. According to neo-Platonism, for instance, one should prioritize the Apollonian principles. And this is where Nietzsche broke the linear tradition. He regarded Dionysian elements, such as ecstasy, dreams, elation, or euphoria, as an essential and inseparable part of not only art and literature but life itself. To be human requires connecting with Dionysus! Nietzsche also reminded us that the two forces, no matter how contradictory at first glance, could be blended. There was a time when this had been achieved, through the Greek tragedies of Aeschylus and Sophocles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The depiction in the opening ceremony in Paris may have incited religious bellicosity; however, it remains a reappraisal that the morality of Art is in its interpretation. Authors such as Oscar Wilde have argued that ‘art is amoral and that an artwork’s value lies in its beauty, not its moral message.’ While this article is not aimed to support or totally crucify the work of the organizers, but, it aims to remind us of the Chaos or Order; Dionysian or Apollonian world divide. Also, reminding Art creators in their overly pursuit of aesthetics, that they should never forget the interpretations that will be accorded to artworks. Also, recapitulating the voice of Hegel in idealism and dialectical thinking for the importance of distinguishing between ideals or aspirations (what “ought to be”) and the actual state of affairs (reality) and the antecedent consequences for those who fail to make this distinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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