A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nor does a nursery gardener scent his roses. An artist cannot speak about his art any more than a plant can discuss horticulture.
The extreme limit of wisdom, that’s what the public calls madness. The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, they finish by loading honors on your head.
The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be believed.
Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time. Take a commonplace, clean it and polish it, light it so that it produces the same effect of youth and freshness and originality and spontaneity as it did originally, and you have done a poet’s job. The rest is literature.
When a work appears to be ahead of its time, it is only the time that is behind the work.
The actual tragedies of life bear no relation to one’s preconceived ideas. In the event, one is always bewildered by their simplicity, their grandeur of design, and by that element of the bizarre which seems inherent in them. Man seeks to escape himself in myth, and does so by any means at his disposal. Drugs, alcohol, or lies. Unable to withdraw into himself, he disguises himself. Lies and inaccuracy give him a few moments of comfort.
I am a lie who always speaks the truth.
by Jean Cocteau
Interesting ^ ^….
Thank you, Paulo for such powerful words and thoughts.
Artists do have an expiry date on their lives, but they leave their works to live their dreams.
I’m neither a lie nor the truth. As any creation, I’m only a piece of mysterious reality. The faith in the life accompanies me on this road.
Light & Love,
hey really amazing it was in mind wanted to now small thngs in the world about art and truly they r wise…its true in all aspects may be more thn this but worthwhile reading it actually every reading by u Mr paulo coelho is amazing thank you for making ur realize the things tht r actually in us but just not on the mind….
Must confess that each time I read subjects about poets, painters, art, I used to judge myself because I did not in my life express through those mediums and am more of the type to admire nature as art and how can I say … feeling, sensing art that emanates from people, objects, etc …
I came across some of Don Miguel Ruiz writings about art. The letter A is an A and the word “dog” identifies a type of animal that all accepted to call “dog”. That knowledge utilized is just an instrument for communication. But the rest, all that is abstract is lie; true or false, good or bad, beautiful or ugly. Without knowing, as a kid, an adolescent, and even in early stages of adulthood, I believed the tellers and their art, their art of dreaming and living. And why should have I not believed them? They filled me with their art, and I utilized their art, what I saw of their art, what I interpreted of their art to create my style, an art in a similar fashion. And suddenly, becoming aware that the art that I was expressing I did not like, being my personal story, I decided to change it. At the beginning I failed many times … until I understood that I had in order to change my art to change what I believed about myself as an artist. “Toltèque” means “artist of the spirit”. In that tradition, each human being is an artist and the supreme art is expression of beauty of our spirit. If one understand that point of view, it is more adequate to call oneself artist instead of human. When we think that we are humans, we limit our way of expressing ourselves in life, we limit our art. But if we think of ourselves as artists, where is the limitation? As artists, we do not have limitations. We are creators, as the one who created each of us. How do we live, how do we express life? That is our art, the art of living. With our power of creation, we express the power of life in all that we say, in all that we sent, in all that we do. But there are two kinds of artists: those who create their art without conscience and those who see again and create their art with truth for themselves and love.
So, in this world, we categorize an artist as someone who paints, who photographs, who writes, who sings … I did not consider myself an artist until I discovered that I am one, an artist who each day wakes up and pursue her creation … the art of living for me.
Love, Jojo.
“When a work appears to be ahead of its time, it is only the time that is behind the work.”
Can u make me understand the above words please? I couldn’t get it completely.
for me the focus changes.
“When a work appears to be ahead of its time ….”
if somebody is ahead of time, this person is often not understood.
the critique goes to the work: it gets perceived as “ugly”, it is “disgusting” according to specific norms”, it is hard to understand or “crazy”, cannot be realized.
“… it is only the time that is behind the work.”
here the critique goes to the people who live in this time and cannot think so far ahead. and it therefore acknowledges the work in a positive way and gives it value and “right to exist”.
had to think of two women scientists …
1. beatrix potter. she was a naturalist and discovered that lichen is a symbiosis between fungi and algea or bacteria. the paper she wrote about this got never accepted. it is said there were a lot of negative politics involved. at this time,e.g., women were not allowed to attend an academy’s meeting where her paper was discussed for publications. as the result, she could not defend it appropriately, and she did not continue but focused on “Peter the Rabbit” and land conservation.
2. Barabara McClintock. worked in the 1930s on an aspect in genetics that nobody understood. however, she found a good niche in cold spring harbor where she could continue to work. when she was in her 40s, she stopped publishing in most journals because she was tired to get criticized by her peers about her “crazy” ideas. finally when she was 80, one started to understand her work, and she got the nobel prize. 80 years after her work, her aspect is an important & “hot topic” in human genetics, and one finally understands (giggle).
thanks for ur help…. there are still more examples of such artists whose work appeared to be ahead of time….and really they were considered insane till there work was proved.
hm.
the whole text reminds me of the atmosphere that many of the other contemporary French writers also generated. there is indeed much good in it and at the same time, the atmosphere it generates feels as poisoning as he says about the society.
Society is not just a kind of anonymous monster as it comes over here. Man produces society. Society effects man. It is a circle. May be it is: “Unable to withdraw into himself, he disguises himself. Lies and inaccuracy give him a few moments of comfort” that generates an inhuman environment.
fashion & art’s beauty …
hm…..
beauty is something that is subjective. I like old fashion; not everything old is ugly. and if you really look at fashion: many old ideas come up again and again.
art is managed by mankind in different ways. as a pure product for the market. and then there is the message that art can give and it goes beyond. for me, it feels as essential as nature. indeed, everybody will perceive it differently, and so also the artist who did it. however, perceiving it differently should not be disadvantageous.
it still can provide for each of us the necessity we need to develop further our soul.
Being ahead of the times…This reminds me of Athena, in The Witch of Portobello.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fElcOGalO8&feature=related
Letting the soul fly. Creative activity!
Love and Blessings, thank you Paulo,
Jane xo
To me these are just such great words!
There are things in life which U just can’t explain without living them and some others which U just can live and that’s it.
You can try to describe passion but words can’t seize it’s essence, the real feeling of it. A real artist is full of his passion for the art he creates. Every word combination, every color, every move, every sound that an artist can produce it is made of passion. And passion is just like a truth which NEEDS to come out. Sometimes this truth is too big to bear and weak souls needs to run away, to disguise, etc.
Truth is beautiful just like the way it is but only strong souls are able to see and admit that.
The admirers of art might be of different kinds. They might understand quite well but they might see only the insignificant details.
Hard to understand the madness of those wise who can see…
Instead of feeling they try to put “logic” in it, but skepticism won’t help, so “lets see these new truths as ugly”…
Well not everything can be theoretically showed and spoken, so it is needed to stop commenting and start feeling.
A true and determined artist might suffer because of that, because of the fact that no matter how much he tries he will never be able enough as to explain what goes on in his inner world. That’s why dear artists, do not despair anymore but U keep sharing what GOD has putted in your heart and know that not everybody has eyes to see.
As Jesus said:
“Who can listen, than listen”
And he was also grateful that God had blinded others to not let them know his secrets.
Even him wanted to be believed.(Even though he wasn’t a lie speaking the truth. ;)
Love
Olta
i’m not an idiot and not mad , but still different , its why i like all this blog , because i feel good & not different than others , thanks Mr Paulo , i’m a good learner , because u’re a good teacher , THANKS for all.
Thank you so much, Sir Paulo :)
OMG paulo,,,!!! this is the one i ws waiting for,,,i always doubted myself on whether i m right on demanding complete freedom,,,,this blog made me realise that complete freedom is more than a cherished dream,,,that there’s nothing wrong in being completely free….simply divine…!!!!
Thanks for another great tip into a world that I have unfortuntaly so little contact with. What an interesting individual he indeed was. I have lots of reading to catch up on. I love the last three sentences the best.
I also like the last three sentences, Shelly.
“Drugs, alcohol or lies.Unable to withdraw into himself, he disguises himself.Lies and inaccuracy give him a few moments of comfort.”
sur le vin – extrait de sens et symboles – Dr Olivier Soulier -
“Le but du vin est de nous aider dans la manifestation de l’esprit. En anglais, l’alcool est “spirit” et en francais ne dit-on pas “vins et spiritueux – Etre spirituel peut signifier a la fois avoir un profond sentiment ou faire de l’humour.
L’esprit comme le disait Rudolph Steiner represente ici la manifestation du Moi individuel, au dela de l’ame qui est la simplicite de l’etre humain.
…les alcools spirit peuvent nous aider a retrouver l’esprit ou a le perdre.
mais parfois et pour certains, perdre l’esprit est finalement la plus sure maniere de le retrouver – traverser la folie et y perdre sa “persona” pour retrouver au-dela du delire, le veritable “MOI”.”
On wine – excerpt from “Sens et symboles” by Dr Olivier Soulier.
“The aim of the wine is to help in the manifestation of the spirit. In English, alcohol is “spirit” and in French don’t we say “Wine and spirits”? Being spiritual can mean at the same time to have a deep feeling or to be in good humor.
The spirit, as R. Steiner said represents here the manifestation of the individual self, beyond the soul, which is the simplicity of the human being…
The spirits alcohol can help us with the recovering of the spirit or to loose it.
.. -and sometimes and for some – loosing your mind is finally the surest way to find it again – going through madness and loosing its “persona” to be totally delirious in order to find its True-Self.”
simply had to read this one several times. cause i am quite mad at the moment and my truth is a lie. or am i an idiot..
Simplicity is beauty. Nature is beautiful. We, human beings, are beautiful! A baby is full of beauty.. Then rules, musts, and … teachings are driving us far from our real selves, our real nature and self. We built the walls to conform with society.
A poet is just expressing his World. Art is the expression of the poet’s soul. A piece of ART is created in order to give an outlet to the poets feelings and emotions. I think, that a piece of art is … beyond explanation. It is a mystery as .. life and love. We just have to be true to ourselves and express our Soul. Otherwise we will die from .. loneliness.. We must dare, as you have taught us, dear Paulo Coelho, DREAM!
LOVE,
Thelma xxx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wnTwBZ0e74
Seraphine de Senlis.
Yesterday I saw the film about her life. She was a self-taught painter, directly connected with her real World.
LOVE,
Thelma xxx
Dear Thelma, WOW!!! Enjoyed so much! Love, Jane
“Un mensonge qui dit toujours la verite.
Un vrai poete ne se preoccupe pas d’etre poetique. De meme qu’un jardinier parfume ses roses. Un artiste ne peut pas parler de son art,de la meme facon q’une plante ne peut pas discuter sur l’horticulture.
L’extreme limite de la sagesse c’est ce que le public appelle la folie. L’instinct de presque toutes les societes est d’enfermer n’importe quelle personne qui est vraiment libre. D’abord la societe commence en essayant de vous tabasser, si cela echoue, elles essaient de vous empoisonner. Si elles n’y reussissent pas, elles finissent par vous couvrir de louanges. Le poete ne veut pas etre admire, il veut qu’on le croit.
L’art produit des oeuvres laides qui bien souvent deviennent belles avec le temps. La mode, d’un autre cote , produits de belles choses qui deviennent laides avec le temps. Prenez un endroit banal, nettoyez-le et mettez- le en valeur – de telle sorte qu’il reproduise l’effet de la jeunesse ,la fraicheur , originalite et spontaneite qui lui appartenait a l’origine, et vous avez fait le travail d’un poete. Le reste c’est de la litterature.
Lorsqu’une oeuvre a l’air d’etre en avance avec son temps, c’est seulement le temps qui est derriere l’oeuvre.
Les vraies tragedies de la vie n’ont aucun rapport avec les idees preconcues de l’un.
En l’occurence, on est toujours perplexe par leur simplicite, leur grandeur du design, l’esthetique et par cet element du bizarre qui leur est inherent. L’homme cherche a echaper au mythe et le fait par n’importe quel moyen a sa disposition – les drogues, l’alcool ou les mensonges – Incapable de se retirer dans son propre interieur – il se camouffle. Les mensonges et les manques de precision lui donnent quelques instants de repit.
Je suis un mensonge qui dit toujours la verite.”
i hv to give more concentrate to understand it.. fact bt need more attention..
Dear Paulo Coelho…your writings give hope..n courage to dream…your writings are making world a better place to live….