(Originally posted: June 7, 2006)
The manifestation of images in art is not merely the faithful realization of an image but rather the traces left behind in the playful engagement with that image.
Many people lament, saying, “I sometimes have vivid images in my mind, but I lack the skills or methods to materialize them, so I cannot create art.”
But is the process by which artists bring images into being truly what they imagine it to be?
In other words, could it be that artistic methods are nothing more than ways of skillfully playing with the fleeting, imaginary visions that arise?
Rather than simply materializing an image as it is, the essence of creation may lie in this act of play—through which something new emerges.
The artwork, then, might be the record of that play, the traces left behind by the interaction with the image.
And yet, people tend to perceive this as the “realization of an imagined image.”
If we were to put it bluntly, this could be called an “illusion.”
To further elaborate, let us refer to Yuji Takahashi Collection: 1970s (p. 80).
When an initially conceived image carries a sense of structural unity, the creative process—this act of play—gives rise to a work in which the details and finer elements acquire significance beyond their mere roles as parts of a whole. As a result, the “whole” that emerges not only encompasses but also transcends the original image.
It is this desire to touch upon the “reality beyond the image” that constitutes the motivation and value of artistic activity.
After all, music must go beyond the initial image to hold meaning; otherwise, one could simply dream of images and be satisfied without ever creating anything.
