Bergson, Beuys és a krumplihámozás művészete
Bergson, Beuys and the Art of Peeling Potatoes

Summary/Abstract: Joseph Beuys is one of the most significant and, at the same time, one of the most debated artists of the second half of the twentieth century. To understand his work, I consider it essential to analyze Beuys’ way of thinking. His worldview was strongly influenced by Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy, which was a filiation also highlighted and studied by Beuys’ interpreters. In my view, there appears to be a strong resemblance between some of Beuys’ and Bergson’s thoughts, which the literature does not examine at all. In what follows, I would like to highlight these similarities without claiming that Beuys knew Bergson and drew from his philosophy. I will focus on the following aspects: the vitalist worldview, the debate related to intellect and intuition, creativity as a fundamental feature of life and as a means of saving humanity. With this background in mind, it may shed more light on how we can understand Beuys’ scandalous statement that “everyone is an artist.”

• Details
• Contents