My art takes another dimension as my interest shifts towards another form of expression: Land Art. I start using raw materials, earth, sand, rocks, pebbles, charcoal, as well as selected ready-made commercial artefacts and assemble them in a natural environment. Since most of these works, which I call happenings, are usually impermanent, I document them by making use of photography. Though it may imply indirect affinities with other trends of art such as Post-Minimalism and Conceptual Art, the nature of this new modality of work is rather symbolic. What result from my actions are simple and geometrical arrangements, inspired by classical ideals.

Unlike Minimalists, however, I am more concerned about the expressive, emotive, symbolic, spiritual and contemplative qualities of my art. I feel that in this present era, man is too much concerned with conquering and manipulating the Earth and using its resources for his own benefits and to better his situation. He lost himself in creating a secular security and an economic security in order to replace the spiritual one he has lost. The questions on our existence, on our origins and on our primordial links with nature have been pushed aside and repressed altogether. Through my work I try to raise an awareness about man’s relationship with nature and the spiritual feelings these might awaken.

I often venture around the island of Gozo, to places such as seashores facing the open sea and up to remote and steep cliffs in order to find the ideal settings where my actions could take place. The selected locations inspire mystical, evocative, suggestive and ecstatic feelings. They evoke the spiritual in nature as well as the sentiment of the sublime. Sublime, in the sense that, on experiencing particular sites, I am taken in by the grandeur of nature and by feelings of awe, vastness and infinity. The idea behind these happenings is to render aesthetically these contemplative experiences that evoke the overwhelming power of nature. I usually de-contextualise familiar materials in order to render the commonplace mysterious. My happenings are intended to create situations in which the elements of everyday life and everyday manufacture are imbued with the strangeness and ambiguity of the poetic and the fantastic. I select materials and set them in unfamiliar but carefully balanced and geometrical compositions. These are meant to dignify or exalt particular locations that inspire contemplation and spiritual awareness.

My intent is not that of transforming the environment, but to make it more intimate, by manifesting its essentiality. The truth lies in the essence of things. I try to present nature with its simple forms in order to show its absolute value. The attributes of my works are a visual representation of the idea of the Absolute. Occasionally, I make some alterations to my photographic works to idealise the beauty of nature and the harmonious relationship of forms with the natural environment that embody them. Through the simplicity, the spatial clarity, the graceful harmony of forms and the essential, structural configurations that come into existence I try to enhance the idea of the primordial and the divine qualities of nature. The ultimate aim of this photographic work is to create powerful images in which nature and art become one.

The following are insights into contemporary art extracted from my dissertation entitled La Poetica del Sublime. This text was originally written in Italian in 2001.

The Sublime Today

​7.1 The language as a medium that manifests the Sublime

The classical concept of the sublime, originally conceived as an elevated literary form, evolves throughout the ages and gradually acquires new meanings. New definitions of the term are applied: the sublime does no longer identify itself exclusively as a noble style; synonymous with a grandiose spirit, with the representation of ecstasy, with a profound idea or with the power of elevated words. As discussed earlier, the idea of sublime as a sentiment that causes pain, awe, lack of determination and sorrow  develops most notably in Great Britain as a reaction to the neo-classical idealism. The concept of sublime changes repeatedly throughout  successive periods and acquires meanings that are radically diverse. This occurs especially in the twentieth century, a century marked by events that lead to diverse outcomes from the humanistic, scientific and technological fields. The world of art also goes through many changes throughout this century: the advent of abstraction or non-figurative art, the formation of the avant-garde movements and the creation of new forms of art dictated by new languages. We arrive at a point in the second half of the century, precisely in the post-modern era, where artists feel more than ever the urge to represent the non-presentable through the individuation of  new visual languages. It is an urge that reflects the needs of a society that is becoming increasingly complex.  
The period that succeeds modernism renders the world of art different, if not incomprehensible  to the criteria that characterise modernism. The result, according to some authors like Craig Owen (1984: 2003-205), is a theory  that accuses post-modern art of being incapable of asserting its autonomy, its self-sufficiency and its transcendence. The consequence of this contingent, insufficient and non-transcendent art is the divulgation  of diverse  visual and verbal forms of expression. Synthetic processes which combine different and distinct techniques with artistic mediums have become common as well. The appropriation, the impermanence, the accumulation and the hybridisation of matter and forms are amongst the strategies that denote to a large extent post-modern and contemporary art. The remote aspirations and the artistic ideals of the pre-romantic, the romantic and the modern periods appear to have become inadequate and inapplicable.  
And what about the idea of the sublime?  Is it still relevant to talk about the sublime in the post-modern and contemporary era? In the 1980s and 1990s, we find the theories of Kant and Burke applied again in a context that is more immediate and appropriate to the general discussions about post-modern society. The theory of Kant, for instance, is interpreted by J. F. Lyotard and other authors as a direct sensibility caused by the complexity, the rapid changes and the abolition of categories which distinguish this particular society. Lyotard (1983) questions whether it is pertinent to talk any longer about ‘reality’  in the post-modern era, that is, of  “unity, simplicity and communicability”. Lyotard declares that in a society sustained by scientific knowledge and the capitalist economy there is not enough space for  metaphysical, religious and political realities. The disregard towards these ‘realities’  is indispensable for the sake of progress of science and capitalism; in any historical context, modernity cannot exist without the abolition of the faith in ‘realities’ created by mankind. 
Moreover, Lyotard links the lack of realities with the aesthetics of the sublime in which modern art finds its own impetus, and in which the logic of the avant-garde arts finds its axioms. Modernity regenerates itself not only through the abolition of realities, but also through the ideal relationship between what can be conceived and what can be presented. The modern aesthetics is an aesthetics of the sublime, even though it is a nostalgic one. The primary role of this aesthetics is not the manifestation of ‘realities’, but rather the creation of allusions about what could be conceived but not presented. 
Moving in this direction, it is possible to arrive at the limits of imagination and representation itself. As discussed earlier, it is possible to exhibit ideas in their pure form – a sublime manifestation of a conceptual nature. These points make us reflect upon another argument as well, much discussed throughout the last decades – the recognition of a work of art. And since the legitimisation of an object as a work of art requires some morphological and pre-established characteristics, some presentational modalities need to add new morphological characteristics to the ones already recognised. There are instances where artists present ‘objects’ in a context that conditions spectators to recognise them as artistic objects – this is the case of Yves Klein when he presents the ‘void’ at the Iris Clert Gallery in Paris. Moreover, some artistic creations acquire their status through the ‘declaration’ made by the artists who conceive them.  As a matter of fact, the practice of art conforms to the vagaries of its own practicability. From the conventional forms of painting and sculpture we move on to the readymade; from the readymade we move on to conceptual art and the progression to synthetic and virtual images. Therefore, the interest shifts from  a figurative representation of the sublime to a conceptual and ultimately to a technological representation. 
From this evolution in the aesthetic and artistic domains follows what is often referred to as the ‘dehumanisation of art’ – an art that focuses less on subjective attributes  like gestures, actions, signs, personal or manual elements.  From a historical perspective, contemplative and transcendent art practices  are followed respectively   by pure sensory experiences and an aesthetics of pure thinking. The sublime acquires a new and almost exclusive meaning in  contemporary aesthetics: the manifestation of the power of reason upon our sensations; the importance of the concept that prevails on the exaltation of the senses. Some theorists and artists argue that painting and sculpture are characterised by physical limitations that dictate whatever can be said in their respect. Though painting and sculpture have always stimulated the mind, such theories arguably hold that these cannot serve their purpose beyond  their physical constitution. The British conceptual artists, on the other hand, claim that their practices defy any linguistic limitation. 
There is no doubt that both forms of art  hold our thinking captive to  their own physical constraints. The conception of the infinite in our imagination is only an intuitive one.  Our reason still proves itself inadequate to express ideas about the infinite and the absolute; it can only aspire to infinity, and the violence it inflicts on our imagination impedes the origin of the sentiment of the sublime. The inadequacy of the imagination together with the insufficiency of our reason provoke an ambivalent sentiment that triggers simultaneously sensations of attraction and repulsion. The contemporary artist who aspires to manifest the true sublime must try to achieve the ideal synthesis between a profound thought and a fervent imagination – the eternal dialectic between the Apollonian and the Dionysian. Moreover, an impeccable mastery of the technique that guarantees rigour and dignity to the work is required. And finally, the authentic sublime has to astonish and at the same time daunt the observer. 
I wonder, however, if it is still possible today to recuperate the original sublime conceived by Burke and Kant during the period preceding the Romanticism. The fundamental role that art used to play in reconciling mankind with nature - with its true essence -  seems to have become passé. Nowadays, the capital has replaced the myth; the safeguard of interests, the personal well-being and personal comfort prevail considerably on spiritual needs. It is difficult, therefore, to think of a possible comeback of the original sublime considering that people today tend to repress the emotions that arouse such a sentiment. 
Moreover, the scientific and technological advances, particularly those following the Second World War, tend to repress even more the feelings of anguish, terror, fear, anxiety and reverence that still oppress the existential condition of the modern individual. The post-war art is dominated  by ideas that derive from various philosophical branches, namely Existentialism, Phenomenology and Jungian Transcendentalism. This period confers a heroic role to the modernist avant-garde artists – not in a political sense, but in a way that art could re-establish the bond between mankind and the ‘lost essence’, and liberate the hidden human qualities and unrealised  potentials. The role of art becomes that of re-establishing the “empire of signs” that the war had destroyed. However, at the end of the 70s, the art practices influenced by Transcendentalism and Phenomenology take a different orientation with a new generation of artists that does not recognise anymore the existential values of the post-war years. Since this new wave of artists did not experience directly those difficult times, they suddenly find themselves in a situation in which all rules are inapplicable. Inevitably, they start concentrating on the language as a medium that brings order and meaning to a world that necessitates more than ever new and valid codes. Undoubtedly, such interest continues to persist till these very days, enabling the network of languages to extend even more, and consequently, becoming more complex and intricate. 


7.2 The Diversity of the Languages

It comes not as a surprise, therefore, that this diversity of languages, adopted in the field of aesthetics,  characterises  contemporary art. As declared by A. Bonito Oliva, experimental art practised in Europe and the United States, manifests itself with the following presupposition: 
"the object of art is the language and research does not only refer to  experimentation of new techniques, but also to the analysis of the linguistic instruments being used" 
(A. Bonito Oliva, 1991: 13).

The interrogations and preoccupations posed by American and European artists are different. The former share a pragmatic reliance on the instruments used, and the nature of their difficulties tends to be operative. American artists show interest in the accumulation and concrete occupation of space. Their painting is often characterised by compact and ‘minimal’ brushwork; their research often focuses on geometry, a basic arithmetic unity and repetition. As regards conceptual art, American artists tend to focus more on the correspondence between the work  and the concept behind it. Moreover, they have a concept of space influenced by the vast and horizontal prairies and deserts, and they often look upon nature as a source for artistic intervention. Their experimental art may be defined as a pragmatic reality and as a  space that needs to be occupied and experienced. 
In Europe, on the other hand, prevails the interest in the rational organisation of space; projects based on reason take over the pure phenomenological manifestation of events. Conceptual art is often presented as a form of self-analysis that ultimately leads to a definition of the system of art. The American notion of art as a tautology is counteracted by the European notion of art as an interrogation. European artists relate their idea of nature  to the history of culture; contrary to the American artists they do not recognise nature only as a phenomenological event. Having a more tragic conception of nature, they tend to transform and re-propose it as a more complex and extended model. European artists confront nature in a different way by citing and interpreting the myth in a critical way. 
Ideology and pragmatism are therefore the two poles that distinguish the modalities and languages exercised in both continents. We are induced to ask ourselves whether the concept of the sublime is implicated directly or indirectly in either of the two artistic scenarios. My personal opinion is that the manifestation of the sublime is more evident in the European art scene. Europe has a richer historical and cultural heritage. After all these centuries, philosophy, science and literature still accompany and support the world of art. The sacred, the metaphysical, the mythical  and the alchemical help to configure an art characterised by a strong poetics that exalts the human existence and the power of nature. It is a poetics imbued with tragedy, contemplation and memory. On the other hand, American art is relatively younger in age and tradition and lives on its own modus viventi, that is, on the evidence of its own means and instruments. Whereas the European culture subjects itself to a continuous introspection, the American culture is more likely to face problems according to their specific and immediate urgency. 
The American artists confront the world of art by experimenting with new and unconventional mediums; they tend to solve the conflicts and the incongruity of their own work by relying on the quality of presentation. Moreover, their confidence in their own linguistic instruments is a guarantee of a product that is well studied and devised. The sublime is consecrated by Andy Warhol (1928-1987), who catalogues systematically the data of the American reality with his own cold and detached presence. The key concept behind his work is the module – the infinitesimal representation of a geometric infinite.  It is a conception of the infinite that derives from the urban extension of the megapolis. In the same way as the module transforms itself into a multiple,  the individual transforms himself into a human-mass created by a productive system that proclaims a  stereotyped existence. The sublime manifests itself, in American art, as a celebration of the inexpressive and the cancellation of psychological connotations and individual affirmations.   
Moreover, one also needs to take into consideration the impact of  the culture of consumption. American art, which is strongly characterised by the notions of consumption and consumerism, opposes itself to the ideas of uniqueness or unique products. It affirms systematic repetition and standardised mechanisms that annihilate all types of anxieties.  In this stereotyped world, quality becomes synonymous with quantity, whereas the values of ‘aura’, uniqueness and non-reproducibility - that usually characterise a work of art - are contested. In Europe, where the art market is less aggressive and invasive, the situation is different. Whereas the American artist tends to specialise in his specific work to guarantee himself quality and recognition, the European artist is more likely to question the specialisation of his activity; the latter understands the importance of working with an experimental approach, but also tends to propose himself as the conscience of his own production and of the making of history. 
The sublime that manifests  itself in European art is laden with history and pathos; the metaphors of the absolute, the ineffable and the unspeakable reveal themselves through the powers of the myth, the metaphysical and the sacred. The American idea of sublime, on the other hand, is the actual one of the hic et nunc, of the here and now, as Barnett Newman declares it. It is a kind of sublime that configures in the urgencies of everyday life. It is  about  the accumulation of facts, news and circumstances that are collected as forms of art. The contemporary sublime, therefore, presents itself in two different ways. The threshold that separates the sublime expressions from the common formalisms and decorations is a subtle one. Talking about the sublime nowadays is not so simple, even though the term is often used in the field of aesthetics. Forms of art which deserve to be recognised as sublime require strong values and principles.  The sublime is synonymous with a sound ethical disposition; it necessitates a dignified presentation devoid of any vulgar or indecent theatricality; it requires a noble and rigorous language; it requires pathos and sentiment, but not sentimentalism; it requires a degree of essentiality that excludes any rhetoric, artifices, inclusion of effects, ornaments or decorations. 
The sublime is extra-linguistic. It reveals itself when the specific language being used ceases to function; in spite of this, the experience of the sublime cannot take place without the exercise of a specific  language (M. Costa; 1998: 35). The sublime manifests itself when the importance shifts from the significant contents of the language to the pure happening of the linguistic form. Every representation reveals itself inadequate due to the incommensurability between object and word/image. One needs, however, to comprehend that the sentiment of the sublime is not related to the insufficiency or inadequacy posed by the specific language, but to the irreparable ethical perception of its limits. It is one of those forms by which the nothingness proclaimed by the language reveals itself as its indescribable foundation. 

Christopher Saliba,
Accademia di Belle Arti,
Pietro Vannucci,
Perugia, 2001.

References:
A. Bonito Oliva, L’arte moderna: l’arte fino al 2000, Sansoni Editore, Firenze, 1991
E. Burke, Ricerca sull’origine delle idée del sublime e del bello (1756), a cura di A. Baratono, Alessandro Minuziano Editore, Milano, 1945.
M. Costa, Il Sublime Tecnologico, Castelvecchi, Roma, 1998
I. Kant, Critica del Giudizio, Laterza, Bari, 1970.

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Black is solemn and austere; it imposes itself and dominates other colours. Black has strong symbolic meanings and associations, particularly with death in the western civilisations. The colour itself is full of contradictions. For instance, is black a colour? Is black a hueless colour sensation? Black is the result of the three primary colours  mixed together. Is black therefore all colours mixed together? When one considers that everyone perceives colour in a similar way, nonetheless, culturally people are different and their intellectual response can vary considerably. This is how the universal qualities of such an emblematic and captivating ‘colour’ like black become apparent.

Even in the field of art, few artists were so daring to use black exclusively in their works.  Artists like Kasimir Malevich, Franz Kline and  Pierre Soulages made a name for themselves for reckoning black as the absolute colour. The work of such impressive artists came to my mind when viewing Christopher Saliba’s latest exhibition held last July  at Le Meridien Hotel, St. Julians. The collection of abstract works, entitled “Defining Confines”,  consisted of 14 etchings printed with black ink.  Like his colourful and vibrant abstract paintings, Saliba’s etchings are marked by the configuration of basic geometrical shapes and structures with an expressionist idiom. The complexity of his work lies in the meticulously monitored process of each image that has simultaneously the same sense of dynamism, looseness and spontaneity of his abstract paintings.Saliba’s etchings stand out black, powerful and compelling. Each work is a build-up of lines which are violently chiselled out on the surface of  the copper or zinc plate. Thick lines are scratched forcefully and repeatedly within the areas that delineate the basic structures of each composition.  From a distance, the eye of the spectator embraces the forms in their totality. At a closer range, the spectator realises that forms are not simply dense washes of black colour but rather a conglomeration of an infinite number of lines.  The mastery of  the technique lies in the artist’s ability to create different depths and tones of shapes with the controlled and varied force exerted by the steel point. Subtle grey tones made from faint and thin lines contrast beautifully with dark, black and deep cuts, the accumulation of which surprisingly gives shape to distinct and dramatic forms. Saliba’s etchings reveal light and darkness as absolute values and they prove that light appears with its greatest density and meaning when it relates with black. The source of light comes from the bare, white paper behind the imposing black signs. Some of the light areas appear lighter because of the different tonalities of black – even though the actual ink colour never changes. 

Saliba first showed interest in printmaking in 1997. He worked with master printers during his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti,  Pietro Vannucci, in Perugia, Italy. He also worked with German master printer, Eduard Schmid. Though printmaking enables artists to reproduce their work in limited multiples, known as “editions”, Saliba prefers to restrict his production to just one print for each plate produced. In fact, the artist is more interested in the technique employed rather than the benefit of creating multiple copies of his works. In doing so, Saliba affirms the uniqueness and distinctiveness of each work.

Conceptually, Christopher Saliba’s concern is that of defining or questioning the idea of confines and boundaries. Though the black forms created stand out authoritatively and solemnly against pale grey backgrounds, their boundaries always appear undefined and barbed, adding to the intense and dramatic character of each work. The repetitive and accumulative process itself implies the artist’s intent of exasperating the idea of finiteness of form, matter and space. This concept consorts with the ideology behind other works created by Saliba, particularly his installations.  Among other things, he is interested in expressing symbolically the spatial and psychological  limitations that people living on an island have to cope with. Surpassing confines and borders and looking beyond the horizon are common themes recurrent in Saliba’s works.

                                             Natasha Mifsud,  in Design & Décor, Autumn 2008 issue.

Christopher Saliba’s forthcoming exhibition is unusual though visually striking. Recently, the artist has taken a keen interest in setting up installations at unspoilt and undeveloped natural sites around the island. Sometimes, he even explored remote, steep and almost inaccessible places to make his works appear more dramatic.

The objects used were raw materials like wood and rocks as well as selected ready-made commercial artefacts. The result of these interventions are simple and geometrical arrangements inspired by classical ideals.

Mr.Saliba’s aim was to create an atmosphere that evokes spiritual and sublime thoughts as well as an intimate feeling of belonging with nature. Since most of these works, which the artist himself calls happenings, are usually impermanent and ephemeral, he documented them through photography.

He says that the environment became the real protagonist of his art. “Nature is no longer represented, like in painting, but presented directly to the beholder, though with a different eye and an unusual and unfamiliar way of looking at things.”

His prime sources of inspiration are the unique and evocative marvels of Gozo that evoke what he describes as the power of nature. Other sources of inspiration are great masters like the surrealist artist Giorgio de Chirico and cinema directors like Federico Fellini, Stanely Kubric and Peter Greenway.

Thrrough his works, Saliba tries to raise awareness about the beauty of God's creation and man's relationship with nature. He says his intention is not to transform the environment, but to make it more intimate, by manifesting its essentiality. "Through the simplicity, the spatial clarity, the graceful harmony of forms and the essential, structural configurations that come into existence, I tried to enhance the idea of the primordial and the divine qualities of nature.”

The result of this photographic work is a series of powerful images in which nature and art become one.

Mr. Saliba is an established artist who spent four years at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Perugia. From then onwards he exhibited his works several times in Italy, Malta and England. He is also a teacher of art at the School of Arts in Ghajnsielem.

This exhibition, sponsored by Bank of Valletta, is being held at the Banca Giuratale, Independence Square, Victoria, between October 2 and 14

                                                Steve Mallia, The Times of Malta, September 13, 2004

In Book V of Homer’s The Odyssey, there is a significant detail about how Odysseus, a far from willing ‘prisoner’ of Calypso on the nymph’s isle of Ogygia, often used to go down to the seashore and look out “with streaming eyes across the watery wilderness” in the vain hope of seeking a means to leave the remote island and go back to his wife Penelope in his native land of Itacha.

Young Gozitan artist Christopher Saliba is not really following the wily Greek hero’s insatiable desire to leave Calypso’s ardent embraces and her island, so often identified with the mythical Ogygia. Rather, he is enraptured by its beauty and the solace it offers to contemporary stress, but with some vital differences.

He is currently showing 20 photographs of his own installations at the Banca Giuratale in Victoria. Since 2001 he has put up four other solo exhibitions on the sister island, the last one of which, called “Idylls of Gozo”. In 2003, this same exhibition was also held at St. Columba’s church hall in London. Also, since 1998, he participated in a number of collective exhibitions held in Perugia, where he studied.

The current exhibition, called “Transcending the Ordinary: from an islander’s perspective”, takes its starting point from Saliba’s deep interest in land art. He uses raw materials – earth, sand, rocks, pebbles, charcoal – together with selected ready-made commercial artefacts, and assembles them in a natural environment.

Saliba explains the idea behind his work as illustrating what he calls “the expressive, emotive, symbolic, spiritual and contemplative qualities of my art”. According to him, man has nowadays arrived at a point where he has lost the spiritual security that he had before. The whole exercise behind his installations is to recoup that lost relationship with nature, and therefore indirectly with God.

Living in Nadur, which is the second highest Gozitan village after Zebbug, Christopher Saliba has come to better assimilate the feeling of being an islander where the surrounding sea defines the limits of one’s immediate belonging and yet links the small territory of the island to the lands beyond the horizon.

He has taken it as a habit to roam the coast of the island, finding little nooks or at times inaccessible places where a feeling for the awesome nature around him inspires him  to put up his little temporary structures, looking like snippets of vocabulary from the metaphysical language, against a backdrop of rocks, salt-pans, sea, sand or maybe even an example of a girna, that rural structure in the fields that throws us back to another time.

In doing so Saliba generates a surreal feeling, which at times can combine a contained drama with the beauty of the site itself. Perhaps one of the best exercises is that entitled On the verge where, against the vast, open shimmering sea and the sheer cliffs on one side, a glass flower vase is precariously balanced on a pile of loose stones a the edge of the precipice in such a way that the vase seems to be floating on water. Other works include the ceramic pot placed  on the skeletal framework of a wooden drawer set against the fascinating feature of the Azure Window, a single stone balustrade bearing a small sphere as blue as the deep sea beyond, superimposed wood structures framing other items of glass or ceramics as in Contemplating Time, a straight path made of shingles going straight ahead into the sea in Towards, the carapace of a turtle cryptically ‘heading’ towards the open sea as it appears both in Utopia and in Endless Journey, or a circular clamp of charcoal (maybe a subtle means of protest against human interference) on the deep, orange sand around.

With his efficient manner of eliciting a metaphysical dimension through simple shapes and objects, Saliba has well managed to ‘frame’ for the viewer’s attention what he calls “the primordial and the divine qualities of nature”. Nature is after all the essential part of creation, which carries along with it a timelessness for which, even if we are not subscribers to any pantheistic thoughts, we must be grateful.

E. Fiorentino, The Sunday Times , September 12, 2004

The history of art is first and foremost the history of vision. Technique changes as a result of a change in the mode of seeing; it changes whenever the method of seeing changes. It changes so as to keep pace with changes of vision as they occur. And the eye changes its method of seeing according to the relation man establishes with the world around him. An individual views the world according to his/her attitude towards it. Two influences affect this vision - an outer one and one from within. As soon one realises that vision is always a result of both external and inner influences, it becomes a question of trust. It becomes a dilemma between trusting more the outer world or otherwise the inner self. Once one arrives at the point where s/he can differentiate between the self and the world, when s/he can separate outer from inner, s/he can choose to find comfort either in the outer or inner world. A third possibility is that of halting on the boundary line between the two. Significant form, no matter whether it results from the outer or inner world, stands charged with the power to provoke aesthetic emotion in anyone capable of feeling it. Beliefs bear different weights during different times; the intellectual feats of one age are the follies of another; only great art remains stable and unobscure. Great art remains stable and unobscure because the feelings that it awakens are independent of time and place. It is generally assumed that people who cannot feel pure aesthetic emotions remember works of art by their subjects; whereas people who can, as often as not bypass the subject of a picture and its representative elements and prefer to talk about the shapes of forms and the relations and quantities of line, colour and texture. By doing so they win an emotion more profound and far more sublime than any that can be described or narrated through facts and ideas. The forms of art are inexhaustible, but all lead by the same road of aesthetic emotion to the same world of aesthetics.