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Some twenty-five
years ago I went to the Pacific and discovered a sky different from that
of Greece but equally of a pureness as nowhere else and an ocean with its
atolls surrounded with necklaces of white foam as the sea beats against
the outlying coral reefs - a breath of fresh air, an escape from the rational
and technical materiality of the western world. Notice the purity of forms
of the wood stool, no. 269, the basalt pounder, no. 268, the Easter
Island paddle, no. 270, the implement, no. 277, and the dagger, no. 276
not to mention the Matty dish, no. 279, of which I once wrote "the most
successful form for a dish ever made in any civilisation, of masterful
abstract and pure line. The relationship of curve and plane, of solidity
and lightness, of strength and elegance to its form creates a volume which
is a great sculpture - a sheer delight to the eyes, an homage of man to
space. " Might it
not be that the timeless quality of life in some primitive societies contributed
to their being able to create such perfection? This timeless quality surely
applies also to the Cycladic vase, no. 49. Feel the savage presence of
the Hawaiian sorcery image, no. 278, the might of the Rarotonga figure,
no. 274, probably a representation of Tangaroa the Polynesian
God of creation and of the sea, with the seat of his "mana" (the
concept of prestige and puissance) in his overpowering head, and the purity,
simplicity of line and perfection of form of the Nukuoro deity, no. 280. What
has happened to this spiritual birth in the West? It is responsible
for our scientific and medical discoveries implemented by technology,
resulting in our high standard of living. The shortcomings are the exaggerated
materialism that ensues and the practical difficulties of democracy working
with vast populations; the impossibility of paralleling the Athenian Agora
where each citizen, humble or high-born, poor or rich, could speak out
and be heard, participate, discuss and vote in full understanding. Today,
our populations have little real concern, no time although our material
progress results in more free time. In the measure that they are informed
it is by the media that forget their sacred responsibility to relate information
as objectively as possible. They should express all opinions truthfully,
with equanimity, regardless of their personal leanings and, honestly stating
their stance, comment freely. Most of
the politicians in the West have forgotten their mission and consider politics
a career; their ego projections, self-interest and power more important
than their call to serve humanity. They are responsible for not giving
the right example and for our failing ethical and educational standards.
Materialism has impaired our courage, but it is not materialism that is
at fault. It is the escape into materialism, it is a refusal of most men
to develop their potential and assume their responsibility. What
has happened to this spiritual message in the rest of the world? It
has not been understood or seen as what it is. It has been assessed as
somewhat distorted by Judeo-Christian religions and associated with western
white man. It has been equated with our racism and our past politics of
colonialism and imperialism, with the dogmatism of our religions, with
our distortion of the use of reason giving birth to ideologies which have
been responsible for millions of deaths and immense suffering. The rest
of the world is in the process of aping, copying and enlarging upon the
science and technology that flowed from this spiritual birth, but simultaneously
rejecting the most important aspects of this birth for reasons I have suggested
above. It is, I
am convinced, the spiritual birth of all humanity, and it is only because
it took place geographically where it did, that the West has been lucky
enough to benefit from it. There is a certain hope in certain peoples wishing
to adopt the political system of democracy. Humanity will not survive unless
all men can relate to each other, unless all men can develop a humanistic
and ethical approach to life and to each other. The difficulty for all
is the balance between elites and the masses, the masses' understanding
and elites' giving of themselves, in the hope that each man will assume
his dignity in a responsible fashion. The other
difficulty is that, superior animals that we are, we tend to find ourselves
distorted by the material creations of our intelligence which enable possession,
cumulation and power. A precarious balance can surely be maintained within
the political system of democracy, the rule of law, the division of powers
between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary, and the awareness
of each that if his role and participation in the "res publica" is not ethically
conditioned and imbued with humanism, there will be no long-term survival. The collection
you will see is a message of hope, a proof that the past is in all of us
and we will be in all that comes after us. Let these works of art speak
to you, hopefully some of them will move you by their beauty and reconcile
you to your fellow men however different their religions, customs, races
or colour. For these works of art are the product of humanity. |
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