The Value of Communication

Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood. -T.S. Eliot

Although I agree with our discussions in class in that Tolstoy´s definition of art and its all too exclusive opportunity for artistic failure, I do wonder about the value of communication. We touched upon the difference between expression and representation on Wednesday, and it triggered a thought. Expression comes from the artist. It is the actual act of creating and releasing an emotion; a form, perhaps, of catharsis. Representation, however, is more about the interpretation of the observer. So yes, it seems virtually impossible for the observer to experience the exact same emotion as the artist because the two are experiencing it through a different medium/method. What I am interested in is the unique value of communication (of emotions) and why Tolstoy places so much emphasis on it in his definition of art, regardless of whether or not his theory is impossibly and radically based on unattainable success and perfection.

Author AGE Blake presents the above image as a guide to "Structural Communication". Upon analyzing the circle, I concluded that communication both starts and ends with the individual. First, an intention (a thought, as Plato might say) is triggered in one´s mind and emotion is experienced. Next, the individual (as an artist) creates a piece of art as a visual presentation--a representation of his emotions. Then, response from viewers occurs, followed by questions, diagnostics, and discussion with others. Finally, however, we return to the individual and "viewpoints" are formed by the observer about the artist´s original intent. Accordingly, communication, however interactive, does always lead back to the individual. What Tolstoy was getting at, I believe, was the value in communication as a means to experience something outside of oneself. I do believe that communication can and does make a person better. Although we cannot ever experience the exact same emotion or thoughts as another person, coming extremely close can suffice in triggering feelings (and therefore thoughts) that we might not otherwise have encountered.