Gustav Mahler on what every work of art should have

    Gustav Mahler believed that every work of art - call it a thing - should have in it a trace of the Thing behind the thing:

How can people forever think that Nature lies on the surface! Of course it does, in its most superficial aspect. But those who, in the face of Nature, are not overwhelmed with awe at its infinite mystery, its divinity (we can only sense it, not comprehend or penetrate it) - these people have not come close to it. . . . And in every work of art, which should be a reflection of Nature, there must be a trace of this infinity. (Quoted from The Life of the Creative Spirit, p. 351.)

    For a brief biography of Gustav Mahler, click here.

Comments

[Aaron Kelson]

Gustav Mahler's statement entices us to consider that man too has a "trace of infinity." Does our understanding and portrayal of humankind reflect this?

If making a final judgment regarding another person is a temptation we face, would our decision change if we were to realize that we know only little about the person involved?

Maybe our relationships with others could also be described as a form of art.