“Being a woman is just a matter of emphasis, and has nothing to do with the quality.”–Osho
The label ‘Womens Art’ attempts to frame Art as most other labels do, though we know that art is not something that can be framed. If one may attempt yet again to label Art, it is a process, and at the end of the process there happens to be a by- product which we like to call ‘Art’, and yes, ultimately we do enclose it in a nice wooden frame for public consumption. Art is a realization, a leap, a destruction that leads to a new construct. It is death leading to life. But for the sake of a debate we can always reduce the fluidity of this being and tether it to men, women or for that matter, a good old chimpanzee.
“Women and Art” – how do they meet, interact, is what we would like to know and understand. To be more precise, how does ‘she’ enter ‘art’? I am glad that someone did realize that the way women approach art could be different from the way men approach art. But it is an acknowledgement of a state of ‘being’ (of being a woman) and it should not be construed as anything more than that.
The mind is moving in a time frame, and at the point of destruction of one frame of mind/time and before the next is grabbed, in that gap dwells art. And that space, that pause- one calls creation or art. So death is the point of entry for both beings, man or woman. Death of what, is the question to be answered. What dies in a woman and what dies in a man? How far is she from art as opposed to her other half is what we would like to explore, which leads us to the basic question of how far is this ‘man’ from the ‘woman’? Are they absolute opposites or do they meet at some point?
Woman, by her very nature is nurturing and ‘giving’. She is closer to her instincts, in touch with her emotions- she is the way of the heart. There is more trust, more forgiveness, more acceptance, and she is by nature more playful. But she gets caught in the emotional turmoil and emotion is not art, but the view from above is.
And what is the texture of death? I understand that it first requires you to take a leap into trust and love. It is a risky preposition, but it just might earn you the firm grounding of acceptance. And on that firm ground, comes the joyful play of creation. So yes, she does possess qualities like trust and love which are closer to death, closer to creation/art/life. But having said that, it is also equally true that at the moment of trust, or at the moment of the leap, there can be no gender.
The male energy is moving toward stillness, more practical, more down to earth, unwavering in its journey. More forceful and aggressive. All of life seems to be a play between these opposite energies. A ‘giving and a ‘taking’. Between ‘force’ and ‘resistance’. And in the process of this play of achieving a balance, each one fulfills their own need. I believe that this dance culminates in the Ardhanarishwari images.
A perfect balance of male and female energies. In that wonderful state of fulfillment, in this new state of ‘being’, the circle is complete and the person is aware of both the energies playing within, and hence capable of responding in the right way to every situation that arises.
Man and woman, both two sides of the same coin, like death and life. No man is completely man, and no woman is just a woman, both moving towards art- Towards completion.
