Potent Functions of Art Works
Fig 1. shows the three potent functions of art-works and how they overlap, with potence at the confluence of all three.
Within any given philosophy, there are many extant and conceivable functions of art-works, however only three are measurably potent:
Medicine, which functions to bring healing
Beauty, which functions to bring joy
Illumination, which functions to bring radiance
An art-work that does not employ a potent function is impotent.
An art-work may employ one or more potent functions to gain potency.
This is significant because the only true measure of an art-work’s value is its potency.
Notes
Philosophy: that which offers questions, seeks answers; that asks what aliveness means and what it means to be alive. Potency is a unit of measurement on a scale that describes the transmission of aliveness (which is life imbued with meaning, soul, agency, quality and defiance). Aliveness is the opposite of fatalism.
Medicine: that which heals, offers compassion, consolation, solidarity, vitality, brings us back to aliveness.
Beauty: that which is love, the unmeasurable divine, aliveness itself and the unfettered celebration of all that is beautiful, moving and wondrous.
Illumination: that which casts a light in the darkness, true wisdom, responsibility, significance, holiness and meaning.
Impotence here is fatal, dead, without value.
And thus an art-work may gain true value characterised by its own aliveness and its ability to transmit aliveness to others.
All other methods or measures submitted as determinants for ascertaining the true value of an art-work, including, but not limited to, its money-price, materials, size or celebrity-status are impotent, irrelevant, deadly; without merit or value.
