John Scott- Clive Bell

As I have been doing some research for my paper I came across an interesting quote by Clive Bell. He writes, “For works of art, are the creations and expressions of conscious minds” and “men do not create such things unconsciously and without effort, as they breathe in their sleep. On the contrary, for their production are required special energies and a peculiar state of mind.” This has made me reprocess this idea of humanity always creating art. Surely, one can make that claim but it does not have this implementation aspect that Bell speaks about. If we are always creating art then we are not being conscious and using special energies. I think this is an important concept to understand, both for the artist and the surveyor. An artist must be putting forth his special talent and energy towards his works of art. He must be passionate about doing and not simply being. I like this concept of art being “the creations and expressions of conscious minds.” In order to make good art, we must be conscious and we must be doing. It is not passive but is active in nature. Furthermore, it requires a specific energy and state of mind in order to create art that is effective at causing a connection. This concept has definitely helped shape my paper and refined it.