“Art is not vague production, transitory and isolated, but a power which must be directed to the improvement and refinement of the human soul. [...] If art refrains from doing this work, a chasm remains unbridged, for no other power can take the place of art in this activity. [...] It is very important for the artist to gauge his position aright, to realize that he has a duty to his art and to himself, that he is not king of the castle but rather a servant of a nobler purpose. He must search deeply into his own soul, develop and tend it, so that his art has something to clothe, and does not remain a glove without a hand. [...] The artist is not born to a life of pleasure. He must not live idle; he has a hard work to perform, and one which often proves a cross to be borne. He must realize that his every deed, feeling, and thought are raw but sure material from which his work is to arise, that he is free in art but not in life.”

— Vasilij Kandinskij, Concerning the Spiritual in Art

It’s 2020. Museums are closed – at least in most European countries. Fast fashion stores, on the other hand, are open – and people are queuing in front of their doors in the morning already. Supposing consumers behave rationally at all times (a basic assumption of economists), these stores must satisfy their needs. And supposing most customers already have enough clothes to keep themselves warm in their home, shopping for material objects must satisfy some other need. Some spiritual emptiness. And artists can’t help but wonder where they got it wrong.

After all, contemporary art in the past decade has remained obscure and inaccessible to the large majority of the population, a vast sea of humans who still links the word art to Impressionist paintings – and art it is, undoubtedly, but how about the art of our time? These past years have definitely been characterised by the reign of materialism (as the quest for spiritual satisfaction in material goods) and the detachment of the public from the therapeutic role of art. Art has come to be considered a material good to be traded too, often bought as an economic investment rather than as a spiritual enrichment. However, as history demonstrates, the darkest times are but a heralds for a new dawn.

Dissatisfaction, forced isolation, excessive production rhythms, political extremism. These are the historical signs that the times are mature for a spiritual revolution. And aren’t these exactly the issues of our time? Money has not made us richer, connections have not eased depression, food engineering has not made us healthier. Science proceeds, indeed, but it can only discover what is already there in nature. We’re stuck. But maybe not. Art, neglected in the materialist eras, remains ready to flourish once again in all her majestic power to bring humans closer to each other, as soon as the times are ready. Born in mysterious ways from the artist’s hand, art goes beyond her awareness up to the point of expressing what, until then, had not been expressed. Art is the field in which nature experiences herself and expands towards unexplored lands.

To that end, artists are responsible of engaging in continuous training just like athletes do. Just as every meal matters and every mile counts –a contribute to the athlete’s progress– every conversation matters, every book read counts –a contribute to the artist’s progress. Many of the great, in their persistence and dedication, have confessed being at times tempted to desist. To desert their demanding role and just enjoy life. To their eyes, the contrast seems to lie (most often) between the continuous mental awareness implied in being an artist and the lightheartedness enjoyed by all others.

One might point out that maybe–just maybe–artists tend to be drama queens. However, most artists reading this article have probably gone through that same internal debate. And the ones that have persisted have, probably, reached the awareness that in the end their role is not as unpleasant as announced by Kandinskij, but rather it opens up a whole new definition of life of pleasure. The artist’s pleasure, in its purest form, lies in unveiling layers of her soul normally hidden in the depths of our daily life. Her strength is continuously reinvigorated by the awareness that, sooner or later, she will experience the flow of creation once again. Just like any other life path, the artist’s life consists of ups and downs–just a little more unpredictably and deliberately so.