Art or Life

Whether a genius or the greatest creator of all time, an artist is ultimately a human being who breathes the same air as us and grapples with similar contradictions. Tzvetan Todorov, a philosopher of art and literature, reminds us of this simple yet fundamental truth, often forgotten, by examining the relationship between the message conveyed by a work of art and the artist's lifestyle and daily life, using a remarkably plain and clear language.

Todorov, using the example of the great painter Rembrandt, describes the artist's relationship with daily life – an artist who, like most of us, has to produce works "to make a living." He reveals both the human values conveyed to us through the painter's canvases and engravings and the relationships of this same person, who lived an ordinary life, with his wives, children, relatives, and neighbors. Art or Life, in fact, reverses the dilemma by showing that both the work and the artist emerge from and are nourished by the same life: Both art and life!

In the second part of the book, Todorov, starting from a completely different point, the centuries-old conflict between art and morality, demonstrates through Iris Murdoch that love for the world and for life lies at the foundation of both art and morality, again stating both art and life.

For everyone living amidst so much complexity and confusion, often missing the connection between art and life today, who wants to read clear and precise analyses and interpretations based on solid ground, and to regain faith in life and art...
(From the Promotional Bulletin)