Lea_Art List

*The Intimate Art*
Some works of art are made great by their size, and their value is judged by the sense of power they emanate. Works which emphasize the struggle between volumes and forms, such as temples, palaces, and monuments are examples of this type. The more they succeed in astonishing, the more they leave the spectator feeling small and overwhelmed. These creations celebrate the decorative, “non-personal’’ artistic outlook and nourish the eye alone by means of the aesthetic norms of the period.
This is an art that requires efficiency and technical sophistication. It is an art that also requires large resources of wealth and therefore must turn to the establishment for support. But like all endeavors controlled by the state, such art imposes a style and way of expression on the individual. He is not allowed to choose.
On the other hand, there exists an art which offers only modest statements about everyday uncertainties in a complex system of life. In this art the individual as creator struggles with problems of identity and image, of man and his surroundings, working his way to a tentative resolution from his own inner depths. Then, by a miraculous coincidence, his art touches the hearts of others, and they find affinity in its expression. This is the intimate art, dedicated to sensuous, emotional, and intellectual stimulation with no profit and with no eagerness to impress.
Intimate art cannot be forced on the spectator. It is presented to him for his own free choice.
Lea Majaro-Mintz, 1983