Vegetarianism in Art

[Art-lover]

Recently talked with a good one - in all senses - an artist who for ten years vegetarianism. I asked him a question: Did vegetarianism in his work. The answer was categorical: absolutely not. Then he added that "has always been a vegetarian by nature, only to realize it is not immediately.
This answer was very in tune with my own experience. Yes being changed, in part perception, but the general system of thought remains the same.

And in this respect an example of the Roerich --

Originally Posted by Stanislavsky

This kind of "meditation" vegetarianism professed Nicholas Roerich and his wife, Elena Ivanovna. Vegetarianism, in their view, purifies the body and spirit, and enables access to more "delicate" matter, inaccessible to mere mortals. Thus was born VISIONARY theory of Shambhala, an invisible country, a kind of spirit of Atlantis, which could only be achieved on. Painting of Roerich this period, the color and light - is an attempt to express in paint the ideal of Shambhala. So, a colleague, I can not agree that "spiritual" vegetarianism does not affect the painting. However, similar practices and used monks icon painters. Before you start writing the icons, they spent a long time in severe fasting and prayer, which was to help them in the contemplation of higher truths.

- Proves nothing.

Vegetarianism Roerich was a consequence of the same reasons that prompted him to search of Shambhala (incidentally, arose the legend of Shambhala Buddhists for many centuries before the Roerich Museum), and this is the reason identified the main features of his paintings.
As the monks, the abandonment of animal food - just one of the components of a complex system of bodily limitations and spiritual practices, which prescribed the icon-painters.

Thus, to isolate the "contribution" of vegetarianism (in any of its forms - the ethical, meditative, diet) in the work of artists from the mass of more weighty reasons, apparently, does not seem possible. But of course, Stanislavsky, these considerations in any case did not question the idea of your article "Vegetarianism in Art", as should welcome every opportunity to generate interest as to vegetarianism, and the arts.

[Станиславский]

Dear, Art-lover, nobody is going to do "isolate". Indeed, there is no direct correlation between vegetarianism and the arts, as there is none between ethics and aesthetics. Nevertheless, the "beauty" and "good" often come in pairs, and the absence of one of these two hypostases art often makes the last one-dimensional and insincere. Here is a quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche, which deals with philosophy, but which (with all its maximalism) can be unequivocally attributed to the sphere of art.

"All ancient philosophy was oriented to the simplicity of life and taught some unassuming. In this sense, few philosophers are vegetarians have a great service to mankind than all new philosophers, and as long as these philosophers would pluck up courage and went looking for completely different way of life, and do not show it by example, they will remain empty place "