In today’s complex world, unity is an artistic concept that is worthy of our attention. We can gain much needed encouragement and perspective through the compositional strategies that artists use to make the parts of a work of art hang together as a whole.
“Art inspires us to visit the concept of ‘Unity’ and see ourselves as part of a bigger universe.”~ Leni Kae, Australian contemporary artist and illustrator
While uncertainty fills much of what we’re experiencing today, the arts can play an important role in helping us see current situations and events from a different perspective. Artists give us a sense of unity in their works by creating the feeling of familiarity. All the parts have some relation to each other. While unity means that nothing detracts from the whole, too much sameness is boring, and artists strive for just the right amount of variety to stimulate and maintain interest. Various elements are placed in supportive relationship with each other.
In a world obsessed with differences and division, it might be difficult to imagine that an environment like artistic unity can be achieved.However, we cannot thrive without connection. If we choose, we can find the common elements that bind our families, communities, country, and world together as one. Malcolm Forbes spoke of unity as he described diversity: “the art of thinking independently together.”
Unity is like an invisible glue that joins all the separate parts together, so they look, feel, or sound like they belong together—a sense of oneness, of things belonging together to make up a comprehensible whole. Works where all the elements seem to fit together visually or aurally or in action or words allow the whole to become greater than the sum of its parts.
A few years ago, I heard a live performance of Glagolitic Mass by Leos Janácek. Janácek’s music is deeply influenced and inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music. From early in his career, he committed his energies to folkloristic research that informed his work throughout his life. He developed a sensitivity to the melodies and rhythms of speech and used the essence of the inflections, cadences, and emphases of Slavic spoken language in his works. In many ways, the Mass brought together his research and lifetime of experiences.
What is perhaps most interesting is the way the basic form of the traditional Catholic Mass, along with the ninth-century Slavonic language of his countrymen, was used to give voice to his faith in the survival of the nation. Janácek set the Mass in Old Church Slavonic, which uses a distinctive alphabet called “Glagolitic,” the first written form of the Slavonic language, to celebrate and unite the Slavonic people as they spread across Europe. Listening gave me a sense that the principle of unity in musical composition was mirrored in Janácek’s desire to celebrate the common ties, or cultural roots, they shared.
Not only did this monumental work reinforce connections within Janácek’s own life, bringing together a lifetime of personal experiences, but it also celebrates the value of finding connection to one another.
“Art has the power to reframe our vision of the world.” ~ Leni Kae
Janácek used the principle of unity to express the profound bonds underlying the disparate cultural traditions of the Slavic nations. Finding common ground and connecting with others does not mean absolute agreement. Rather, it’s an opportunity to discover the invisible glue that unites diverse opinions, experiences, and cultural practices. How can those varied experiences be placed in supportive relationship with each other with a focus on the bigger picture? All the arts provide conceptual or compositional insight for understanding the value of unity. In our everyday lives, we don’t truly ever forget the diversity of our experiences and beliefs, but we can certainly gain greater awareness and understanding when we step back and seek connection.
“The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety.” ~ Felix Mendelssohn
Patricia Hoy
Are you interested in learning more about the creative process and the value of the arts? Check out my blogs: https://artsawarenessexpressions.teachable.com/blo… and http://artsawareness.com/blog/