Fraternity-Testvériség, 1963 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1963-12-01 / 12. szám
8 FRATERNITY ALFONZ LENGYEL: THE LIFE AND ART OF ALEXANDER FINTA HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN SCULPTOR Chapter VII FINTA’S PHILOSOPHY OF ART Devoting practically his entire life to the study of art, Finta developed his own philosophy of art. As a prerequisite to proper conclusions, he felt it necessary to define art, its essence and meaning. First he had to decide whether the materialistic or the spiritual approach could provide the proper answers. On the basis of his observations and years of study, Finta concluded that a combination of material and natural forces can produce forms but that such forms lack spiritual content. Natural forces, such as the wind, water, erosion, the transformation of nature, or oxidation, can produce remarkable forms perceptible to man. These, however they may gain one’s admiration, still do not possess the magnetic attraction wdiich only the soul of the artist can develop. Thus Finta came to the question of the foundation of art, its source and primary cause. According to Finta’s theory, art derives from God. The basis of artistic talent is the soul which, through thought, induces the artist to seek to express himself in form. To satisfy its creative impulse, the soul shapes, from material, forms which reflect the Creator. Finta wrote: The foundation of art is like the foundation of man. It is the knowledge of causes and the secret motion of things . . . Every cause is the off-shoot of the first cause . . . Art is creation. The first cause of creation
