T.S. Eliot on Creativity

What is Mr. Eliot trying to tell us in the following quote of his?

"The more perfect the artist, the more completely separate in him will be the man who suffers and the mind which creates; the more perfectly will the mind digest and transmute the passions which are its material."

-T.S. Eliot, from his essay: "Tradition and Individual Talent", 1922.

My opinion is that he speaks of suffering has a beneficial ingredient or fuel rather, for the creative mind; "...the passions which are its material." He is saying that the mind needs tension, struggle, needs conflict, and drama; the pursuit of one's ideals or vision through diffuculty. The Latin phrase "Ad Astra Per Aspera" (to the stars through difficulty) comes to mind. (it's the State of Kansas' motto).

Some would argue that having the time and money to do art creates a situation where masterpieces can be created, leaving the artist free from stress, worries, responsibilities, etc. But just because one may be comfortable, doesn't mean that one has to rid himself of the 'tension' in his/her life that can help with the creative process. Take for example comedian Andy Kauffman, who even when he 'hit it big', took a job at a deli-counter in an effort to keep it (his comedy) real, providing fuel for his art. In conclusion, I am not saying one needs to suffer to make good art; but it sure does make it a hell of a lot easier.

Good Art, Anxiety, and Oppression

Oppression can breed good art. Not to say that good art has to come from suffering though; this was a point an art teacher of mine made clear to me. This quote from American then British poet T.S. Eliot illustrates this point:

"Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity."

- T.S. Eliot (1888 - 1965)

Also take Picasso's Guernica for example, which is still a living symbol of the tragedy that the Nazi regime laid upon a small town in Italy. Wars always produce a counter reaction of interesting art. Dada in response to World War I, the cultural boom in America after World War II: abstract expressionism, bebop jazz, method acting, and beat poetry.

In Russia, exiles from the socialist revolution like painters Marc Chagall and Wassily Kandinsky - spread their artistic influence globally. So - good art doesn't need to come from anxiety, but it sure can light a fire in an artist's soul sometimes.

T.S. Eliot on Twentieth Century Art

The following quote from T.S. Eliot illustrates a lot of reasons that I create and enjoy modern art:

"Twentieth-century art may start with nothing, but it flourishes by virtue of its belief in itself, in the possibility of control over what seems essentially uncontrollable, in the coherence of the inchoate, and in its ability to create its own values."

-T. S. Eliot

I like art that has a poetic rhythm to it, or lack of a traditional structure; something that creates an entirely new plane with a new language, free of traditional symbols or implied notions. I cannot express this idea enough; I just don't get art that merely strives to recreate life and celebrates when it does so.