Philosophical question....

A philosophical question that may make for some interesting discussion.....
"Does a life or a period of life spent in great suffering offer an artist a unique perspective to create on a level that most individuals can not conceive, therefore allowing the artist to create truly great pieces more capable of touching the human soul?" Easy answer....I say yes. What do you think?

I say yes as well.

When you've spent most of your life or a period of your life suffering, you see people and the world differently and on a deeper level than perhaps an average normal human being would be able to, so having that different view on the world most certainly opens the door for more creative thinking. How do I know this? Well, I myself have been struggling most of my life with debilitating illness, and I'm no great artist by any means, but the answer is without question yes.

If there's an easy answer its not philosophy

What exactly is great suffering? Actual physical pain, or psychological suffering? What is great to one individual might be trivial to another. Just because one has experienced suffering does not mean one's art will be more capable of touching the soul than another piece of art that expresses different feelings or reaches out to different emotions. Many people spend their lives or periods of their life in suffering, it would hardly be a "unique" perspective.

Yes, with a caveat.

Any great experience in life which sets an individual apart from the rest of society generally influences their art. Suffering a little bit more-so, because it's extremely personal and impactful. Generally this influences their art and gives them a unique perspective, but it doesn't necessarily do either.

Great input so far. I posted this because I happen to be going through a very dark valley in my life at this point and while my pain often times seems immense, I have been able to view the world through a different "lens". This has had a tremendous impact on how I view my world, how I approach my photography and what I've written recently. It has given me a different perspective and produced creativity that I didn't know I was capable of. BTW...this is of a very personal nature so it isn't reflected on my web site if you happen to wander by
IMO, It's easy to attempt to portray human suffering in art as an outsider but when an artist is creating from his/her heart out of true suffering, the creation often times has much more impact simply because it's "real".

I guess one could argue that everything you experience - good or bad - influences who you are and how you communicate with others. For people who create from scratch, like artists, musicians etc this will have a tremendous impact on their perspective.

However, as a landscape photographer, I try to capture the moment as it is - not manipulate it to reflect my inner pain. If I take a bright sunny Yosemite picture and PP it to be dark and gloomy because I feel that way at the time I don't think I'm being fair to my subject.

WaltA wrote in post #12214358
However, as a landscape photographer, I try to capture the moment as it is - not manipulate it to reflect my inner pain. If I take a bright sunny Yosemite picture and PP it to be dark and gloomy because I feel that way at the time I don't think I'm being fair to my subject.

I guess that depends on your view of the art.

You don't necessarily have to be untrue/unfair to your subject in order to portray it that way. Every time you take a picture you're re-interpreting the scene, for better or for worse.

Suffering...what does that mean...how is it defined...can you hope your situation will improve...all need these questions need answered before your question can be addressed.
Or are you saying that one needs to suffer before one can be truly considered a great artist...which is a totally FOS assumption.

chauncey wrote in post #12214665
Or are you saying that one needs to suffer before one can be truly considered a great artist...which is a totally FOS assumption.

This reminds me of Steve Carell's quote from Little Miss Sunshine.

For the uninitiated:

Suffering makes for great art in some fields... music, literature, ... not so sure about photography. Did Peter Lik suffer (besides putting up with all the comments on this board, I mean...)

Wait... if he didn't suffer, maybe that proves your point!

Suffering is subjective.

Examples:
Some people (not all) who have cancer or other horrible diseases, that receive painful medical procedures, end up smiling, laughing, and generally being high-spirited despite the physical, emotional and mental pain that their diseases bring.

Some people (not all) who have healthy bodies, loving families, good surroundings, and seemingly all things good going for them commit suicide - they simply can't go on any longer.


Suffering?

Does either of these groups of people have a better chance of producing more spectacular, thought provoking, emotion stirring works of art (in any format) than the other?

Ugly Joe wrote in post #12215357
Does either of these groups of people have a better chance of producing more spectacular, thought provoking, emotion stirring works of art (in any format) than the other?

I think it's the perceived suffering that matters (whether others want to call it "legitimate" suffering or not is irrelevant). If it doesn't impact your life, then it's not going to show up as a defining part of your self-expression.

Is the realization and enlightenment derived from the suffering of yourself and how you see others..... You can be living in the eternal cycle of life and death without ever getting more enlightened or smarter.

TheBurningCrown wrote in post #12215398
If it doesn't impact your life, then it's not going to show up as a defining part of your self-expression.

That's a valid statement. Which seems to address the original question asked in the opening post.

For my part, I keep wondering if suffering is indeed a key factor, however.

I have (as I'm sure we all have) met some wonderfully creative people, with a talent for producing stirring pieces of work, almost on a whim. The ability to bring something into being that touches others is just simply a part of their nature - it's not from any particular suffering or profoundly life-altering experience they've encountered.
These people don't "suffer" more than the rest of us, and often haven't had any particularly traumatic, life-changing events occur to them. They simply are artists, at the core.

Other side of the coin? Long time suffering artists, musicians, and script-writers who produce moderately moving work, at best. Their art is..."nice". It gives most folk the, "...yeeahhh...I get what you're saying..." kind of feel.
I'm describing people I know, who've actually done some of these things.

And, admittedly, I've seen some very emotional work come from people who do have a history of suffering - physical, mental, emotional...coming from broken homes, terrible physical hardship, crippling manic/depression, even schizophrenia (although, I've lost track of that individual a few years ago...I am unsure if he's still with us).

Strangely enough, I find that the people producing some of the best art are more in touch with their own emotions than most others. They don't hide their true motives from themselves, whether it's something they want to see or not (so many people hide what they really feel and think away, so deeply, that even they have no idea what is real, and what is contrived).

We've all suffered - and almost always, it's by our personal choice. I don't know that suffering is necessarily a source for producing art.

I'd say, getting in touch with your true emotional base has a lot more to do with it, as this allows you to feel the art at the time, resulting in work that then impacts the emotion of others.

Ugly Joe wrote in post #12215702
I have (as I'm sure we all have) met some wonderfully creative people, with a talent for producing stirring pieces of work, almost on a whim. The ability to bring something into being that touches others is just simply a part of their nature - it's not from any particular suffering or profoundly life-altering experience they've encountered.

Then again...you don't know if they have "suffered" or not (many people hide it). Not saying they have, but it's something to consider.

Ugly Joe wrote in post #12215702
I'd say, getting in touch with your true emotional base has a lot more to do with it, as this allows you to feel the art at the time, resulting in work that then impacts the emotion of others.

I agree with this.