Transcendental Art aesthetics is a body of research that the ESTETRA Institute has been carrying out for more than ten years. This work is the subject of a forthcoming series of publications.
Here we briefly summarize some of the basic elements of transcendental aesthetics.
In the aesthetics of transcendence, we examine which elements and attitudes toward artistic practice can lead to a profound transcendental experience. We also seek to identify the various stages in the creation of an artwork—from the need for expression to the work’s realization—which, when approached in a particular way, can lead to a transcendental experience.
Transcendental aesthetics focuses on the spiritual dimension of art rather than its historical, material or technical aspects. Spirituality presupposes a spiritual body as well as a physical one, which we usually call the “soul.”
To animate something has always meant to give it life. Transcendental aesthetics studies the artwork as something into which a certain vitality has been infused. A transcendental artwork is animated.
This “soul” expresses and manifests itself from two different perspectives: that of the creator and that of the perceiver. Originating in the artist, this soul becomes embedded in the work and reaches the perceiver, who reactivates its impulses. Its expression is primarily energetic.
In transcendental aesthetics, the perceiver is as important as the artist.
This energy is considered “subtle”: it cannot be measured by physical instruments, but, according to this approach, can be perceived and assessed by people who are particularly sensitive to it or have developed that sensitivity.
This subtle energy bears witness to the presence of the artist’s spirit—or, more precisely, leaves a trace of the artist’s intentionality. It is transcendental in the sense that it crosses the boundaries of the mortal physical body in time and space.
The traces left by artists throughout the ages are understood to be coherent with one another. Together they form a transpersonal intention, which we call pure intentionality or universal transcendental intentionality.
Finally, this pure intentionality manifests itself in every human action and every discipline that aspires to transcendence, recognizing that there are no barriers between individuals: we are all part of a single energetic universe in constant transformation.
These premises have inspired years of studies and experiments, allowing us to explore the phenomenon from multiple perspectives and giving rise to the Transcendental Art series.