82. The Red Shoes (1948)
“When we first met you asked me a question
to which I gave a stupid answer: You asked me whether I wanted to live and I
said ‘yes’. Actually, I want much, much
more. I want to create, to make
something big out of something little…”
Vickie doesn’t want to just live, she wants
to dance remarkably, memorably. She
wants the glory of being an artist. We
might give many definitions of “art” and certainly a two year old can create
art without much effort or thought. But
when we speak of capital “A” Art, art as an ideal, then it becomes
difficult. Such art is not content with
imitating reality, or outlining reality—such art must be bigger than reality
itself.
Just as the ballet in the Red Shoes has
color more vibrant than reality can show and express emotion more poignant than
reality can express, so Art is huge, requiring a canvas so large that no one
can drink it in at a single glance. Art
requires not only talent and discipline but a vision that is larger than life.
Upon such a canvas nothing less than one’s
life’s blood can be spilled. To be
bigger than life, Art requires life. No
one can touch the depth of a soul without placing one’s whole soul within
it. The cost, the worth of Art cannot be
measured by materials, time and effort.
For who can place a cost on one’s soul?
What is a human life worth? Art
demands life, and so it is worth life.
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