Outline of the NCKU Taiwanese Literature Lecture Hall Speech "Art is Life"

Thank heaven, thank earth, thank this land of Taiwan, and thank everyone.

The great French writer Maupassant said: "If no one shares with you, what meaning does victory have?"

Text and images by Chen Chi-Hsiang

"Art is Life"

Goethe: "Theory is gray; only the tree of life is evergreen."

A famous world proverb says: "A closed person cannot develop beautiful qualities, just as a dry seed cannot sprout."

Why do we exist? How should we live? The inspiration of art. The meaning of beauty in life.

The value of life comes from "creation." Each person's value must be created by themselves. Humans are travelers through time and space. Why we exist is life's most profound question. Life has no solution, but existence has its own value and meaning. Life determines the quality of life; one's attitude toward life depends on personal values and meaning. Find your interests, find your passion, find what you most want to do. There is nothing else in life but finding out who you are. On this journey of life, how can you unleash your talents and perceive your nature? Living a creative life is an artistic life, the art of living. So, "Be true to your inner feelings, trust your intuition—this is something others cannot replace..." (Lotus Language). Have the courage that "the road is made by walking." "Success in any endeavor requires momentum, perseverance, and the spirit to persist to the end! Definitions of success vary by person. Joy comes from constantly breaking through yourself. Do what you like, do what you are good at, in the field that interests you most, display your gifts, exert your passion and influence, stick to your goals and confidence! The world will make way for you... (Lotus Language) If you want a beautiful life, live earnestly and fully. A beautiful life is a beautiful existence. Beauty is the perception of existence, the vital energy and consciousness of life.

Famous director Ang Lee said, "Always remember to be down-to-earth, be grateful for everything others give you, and take nothing for granted. Life has ups and downs, but just be yourself. Don't let anything affect you or change you." Keep your original intention. Art seems to metaphorize people's latent creativity and appreciation of the "beauty" of the vast human world, wise and multifaceted learning, positively facing one's own life, entering existence to experience life's profundity. Because art is a space for recognizing human existence, thinking, and settling body and mind. Art helps us understand the culture to which we belong; artworks are the inner life of culture. Open your heart—exist without being boring. Art is a whole worldview. Use art to settle your daily soul; life becomes complete because of art. Beauty is "priceless," cannot be bought or sold, cannot be given, only realized. It has no economic value yet is priceless. Beauty is useless utility—the energy of life and the profundity of existence. "Beauty" is a state deep in the soul, unspoken, the mystery of existence, the experience of the mind. "The inspiration of art is the wondrous recognition of the total aspect of all things shining with light." Because art is a space for recognizing human existence and thinking. "Beauty is everywhere, unrelated to art. Art is everywhere, unrelated to beauty." Where there is no imagination, it seems impossible to dream. The greater the imagination, the stronger the creativity. Only where dreams are possible are there myths and art. Only where wonder is felt is there life energy. Take responsibility, become someone responsible for your own life. Only then can you do something, because you can only do something to yourself. You cannot change anyone else in this world; you can only change yourself. That is the only possible revolution. The only opportunity for transformation lies within yourself. However, transformation is only possible when we feel we should be responsible for ourselves. (Osho, The Alchemy of Life - Awareness, p. 236)

As the saying goes: "One day without reading makes one's appearance ugly"—meaning an artistic life requires seeking knowledge, understanding some philosophical truths of existence, aesthetic experiences, and life's profundity. "This world is not good enough, but reading can make us better." But Saint Augustine said, "The world is a book; those who do not travel read only the first page." Indeed, traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. We should enter the world and life to broaden our horizons, witness life, and experience existence. "The world is not just one book, but a living treasure trove of life and art." "Learning while young is like the sun at dawn; learning in adulthood is like the midday sun; learning in old age is like holding a candle in the dark. Is holding a candle better than walking in darkness?" ~ Shuo Yuan (Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang). In other words, the right path, good intentions, and wisdom are that light.

"Art is Life." Art and life are closely related. "The most effective way to improve a modern metropolis is greening; the best way to change a person is humanities and arts." The famous German artist Joseph Beuys said, "Everyone is an artist." Because creativity is everywhere, unrelated to art, Beuys suggested: "Everyone is an artist." It is a recovery of the creativity inherent in humans. In other words, an artistic society is a "humanistic society," because life itself is a form of creative expression. "Those who understand life understand art." What does this mean? Art comes from life; life creates art. Life and art are inseparable. The source of art comes from living "life." Where there is no life, there is no art. If art detaches from life, art becomes marginalized into knowledge. Conversely, if life detaches from art, life becomes objectified. Art elevates the quality of life, making people more sensitive and perceptive, strengthening spirit and spirituality, filling life with infinite vitality, and awakening consciousness. Then! Life is like a seed; merely being born is not enough. One must learn the art of living, open the door to the heart, live earnestly with keen perception, and live fully. Thus, the alchemy of life is an art. Art is alive, just like life. Silent theories or forced arguments are of no help to artworks or life itself. The famous writer Goethe said: "Theory is gray; only the tree of life is evergreen." As Nietzsche wrote in the famous conclusion of The Birth of Tragedy: "Life is only possible through art; everything else is a missing of life." Beuys said: "The entire function of art is often intended to be suppressed by society. (...) Only art makes life possible—in this radical premise he wished to express. I say that without art, humanity is unimaginably difficult." Ernst Cassirer believed that "artworks are intuitive manifestations of human nature and inner life, appearing in sensible forms of imagery. In the pure formal aesthetic intuition of artworks, one can see oneself and the entire world."

Toshiichiro Fukutake (General Producer of the Setouchi Triennale) said: "We should use existing potential to create possible future visions. Nature is humanity's teacher, and economy is culture's servant." Your life is in your hands; your value and meaning must be created by yourself. Art is not anyone's monopoly. Art is not in museums, galleries, or exhibition halls. Art is here and now. Art is a delicate heart, believing in the existence of all truth, goodness, and beauty. Campbell, The Beauty of Life: "If you cannot find your god in daily life, you will not find Him anywhere." Open your heart—exist without being boring. Art is the restoration of feeling; art is a whole worldview. Use art to settle your soul; life becomes complete because of art.

Let's look at the following thought-provoking story: Once, aesthete Chiang Hsun took computer founder Shih Chen-jung to Greece to see the Temple of Apollo. After hours of hiking up mountains, everyone was exhausted. Upon arrival, Shih Chen-jung looked bewildered: "Did we hike so many mountain paths just to see six columns, three of which are broken?" Chiang Hsun said: "Mr. Shih, you talked all the way about creating your own brand. What is a brand? If Armani is a brand and Chanel is a brand, then these columns are Greece's two-thousand-year-old brand." But Shih Chen-jung said: "Hiking for several hours just to take a photo?" Shih Chen-jung felt it was too uneconomical. Chiang Hsun shut his mouth and stopped answering. Seeing art and owning art do not equal understanding art. Behind the Greek columns stand precious history, valuable creation, countless people's faith, and the sedimentation of common human emotions that have crossed time. All of this, spoken aloud, is just one sentence; felt, it is a beam of light. Do not think that beam of light has nothing to do with us. Wearing beautiful clothes, some people do it only to show off; "another type of person" understands it as self-restraint, to approach decency. Renovating a house, some people hastily hang the most expensive famous paintings, looking like a model home; "another type of person" mixes them casually but fills the space with their own flavor, making home a place for the soul to rest. Hearing a song, some people only think of the musician's scandals; "another type of person" inexplicably sheds tears, resolving a major confusion in their heart... "Another type of person" are those who understand this beam of light. Every behavior and detail of ours is the final result of a lifetime of art education. Wu Guanzhong once said: "Nowadays, illiteracy in China is rare, but aesthetic illiteracy is common." (This story comes from the internet)

In The Little Prince, the secret the fox gives the little prince is: The most valuable things are not those seen by the eyes, but must be felt by the heart. Einstein said: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. To him who is no longer able to pause in awe and contemplation, to whom the emotions are dead, who is as good as dead, his eyes are closed." (Letting Go of Opposition, Meeting the Inner World of Joy by Richard Rohr, translated by Wang Shumei, Qishi Publishing) Madame Curie said, "Actually, inspiration and wonder are all around you; the absent switch is the freedom of the heart or the openness of new senses. 'There is nothing in life to be feared, only to be understood.'" Here, it tells people not to ignore ordinary life, because art is another elevation that enriches mundane life. Those who cannot appreciate everyday objects around them will hardly appreciate much in museums or art galleries, because art is not only in museums and art galleries but deeply rooted in daily life. With an open mind, cultivating keen observation, and through latent creativity and magical imagination, one can transform mundane daily life into vibrant and colorful art.