What is art?

Art is a sublime mode of communication, a spiritual bridge between its creator and its audience; the most intuitive and natural connection imaginable. Art is an embodiment not necessarily of what is but of the possibilities, of what can be. This mystic connection, however, unlike any other, is not a conscious one; it's at the subconscious level. The true beauty of an artistic creation is that neither the creator nor the audience is consciously aware of the veracity and nature of this relationship. Artists do not know exactly what he's communicating through their art, and the audience does not know what they're absorbing. The reason is that at the time of creation, artists are not in their right state of mind, per se; they're in a state of trance, unaware of their conscious being, and levitated from their mundane existence, embarking on a fascinating journey into the abyss of infinite unknowns of their psyche. This is the most inspiring mental state humans may ever achieve because, in this state, the artist is liberated from all their presuppositions and confinements and is capable of revealing their shadow, the persona artists do not fully comprehend or are not aware of its existence. What emanates from an artist and what is discerned by the audience is the true meaning of art; the delightful process of subconscious discoveries is what makes art genuine, fantastic, and unique.

The masterpieces created by Salvador Dalí are a prime example of how the unconscious mind manifests in art. His surreal and dreamlike imagery transpires the labyrinth of his psyche and enables him to explore themes of desire, fear, aspirations, and irrational dreams.

Art is created only when the artist is possessed by forces unknown to them. Consciousness is the nemesis of art. The conscious urge and effort to create art is only the beginning of the magnificent journey of an artist into the eerie labyrinth of their spirit, where they may or may not find the treasure chest of artistry they are anxiously looking for.

The form of art is only a conduit, a device, a tangible exterior utilized to unveil unconsciousness and make it discernible by consciousness. The manifestation of artistic creation, the form, the appearance of art, is not the essence of art by itself; it's a façade that masks the true meaning of art. The more an artist is integrated with their inner being, the more the veneer of their creation reflects the crux of their inner soul and the essence of their message. The more an artist consciously creates, the more they reflect their conscious being and suppress their shadow, and inevitably distance themselves from being who they really are. The artistic creation of full consciousness is more of a cognitive statement than art, as beautiful as it may be, because it's produced, or at least influenced/tainted, by consciousness.

Artistic creation cannot be taught or learned; the techniques of such creation may.

At a more palpable level, art is an exchanged sentiment between two human beings, a portal that connects two souls. As inspiring and as magnificent as this human connection is, art is capable of achieving more than a connection between its creator and its audience. Art is reflective of the collective unconscious of a nation in an era since, in its purest form, art itself is a product of the collective unconsciousness communicated through the psyche of an artist. This is the beauty, the power, and the universality of art.