Artistic activities consist of two aspects, namely, creation and appreciation. These two aspects are not separate activities; rather, they are the two aspects of a united activity. This means that while one engages in creation, one engages in appreciation at the same time, and while engaging in appreciation, one creatively adds to the work of art one’s own subjective perspective (called “subjective action,” which will be explained below). In short, creation and appreciation are inseparably related.
Why are creation and appreciation so closely related? What are these two aspects of art necessary for? From the viewpoint of Unification Thought, creation and appreciation are practical activities carried out in order to fulfill the dual desires to realize value and to seek value. Specifically, creation is performed so that one may fulfill one’s desire to realize value, and appreciation is performed so that one may fulfill one’s desire to seek value. Then, for what purpose do human beings have these two desires? Human beings are given the desire to realize value in order to fulfill the purpose for the whole, and they are given the desire to seek value in order to fulfill the purpose for the individual. In other words, God gave human beings such desires as a driving force or impulsive force, so that they might act to fulfill the purpose of creation.
The purpose for the whole, even when not in one’s conscious awareness, is nevertheless latent in the subconscious of a human being. At the same time, there exists in the human subconscious the desire necessary to fulfill the purpose for the whole. For this reason, everyone, consciously or subconsciously, strives to live a life of truth, to do good deeds, to create beauty, to serve humankind, and to please God. In this way, creation in art is based on the desire to realize value, namely, the desire to fulfill the purpose for the whole. Furthermore, human beings live for their own sake as well. This means that everyone seeks to obtain joy by finding value in an object based on their desire to seek value. The appreciation of art is based on this desire. Hence, the appreciation of art is a quest to fulfill the purpose for the individual.
The purpose for the whole and the purpose for the individual come from God’s purpose of creation. God created human beings in order to obtain joy; this is the purpose of creation from the standpoint of God. From the standpoint of human beings, however, it is their purpose of being created, which is both to please God and the whole, and to find joy for themselves: the purpose for the whole and the purpose for the individual.
The purpose for the whole and the purpose for the individual come from God’s purpose of creation. God created human beings in order to obtain joy; this is the purpose of creation from the standpoint of God. From the standpoint of human beings, however, it is their purpose of being created, which is both to please God and the whole, and to find joy for themselves: the purpose for the whole and the purpose for the individual.
In this way, creation in art is the activity whereby an artist, in the position of object, manifests value (beauty) for the subject, namely, God and humankind, whereas appreciation is the activity whereby an appreciator, in the position of subject, finds and enjoys value (beauty) in an object, namely, a work of art. Both actions are ultimately derived from God’s purpose of creation. Today, however, it is often the case that artists have deviated from the original proper position and have fallen into self-centered art. This has become a deplorable situation. If the true meaning of creation and appreciation becomes clear, artists will come to see their activities with more of a sense of purpose, and will pursue artistic activities as intended in the original ideal.