Artists, whether they intend to or not, must face the element of time when creating their work. The creative process often takes longer than expected, shaped by both inspiration and life’s unpredictable events.
Completing a piece after an initial idea emerges can be one of the most challenging aspects of artistic creation. Many works are shaped by personal struggles, interruptions, or even external pressures. The time spent on a project becomes part of its essence, whether seen as a sacrifice or a necessary investment.
The Weight of Unfinished Works
History is filled with artistic masterpieces that were never fully completed. Some creators pass away before finishing their vision, leaving behind fragments of their grand ideas.
One example is the French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé, who aimed to write his ultimate work, the Grand Oeuvre, but never achieved its final form. Similarly, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent nearly 60 years refining Faust, an enduring piece of world literature.
For some, artistic persistence lasts a lifetime. Japanese writer Murasaki Shikibu took at least a decade to write The Tale of Genji in the 11th century, while Boethius, facing execution, wrote The Consolation of Philosophy in just a few months.
Creativity in Confinement
Prison has often been a setting for significant literary and artistic works. Incarcerated artists and writers use their time to resist oppression, document their experiences, or express themselves creatively.
Oscar Wilde, imprisoned in Reading Gaol, wrote a long letter to his lover Bosie Douglas, though it wasn’t fully published until 1962. Malawian poet Jack Mapanje was jailed partly because of his poetry collection Of Chameleons and Gods (1981). His work, spanning ten years, reflected the struggles of finding a voice in an environment where freedom of expression was suppressed.
Art That Defies Time
Some artistic projects stretch across decades or even centuries. Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch took around 20 years to complete The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490-1510). Composer John Cage’s musical piece As Slow as Possible is currently being played in Germany over a span of 639 years, challenging traditional notions of time in music.
Similarly, poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning spent over a decade crafting Aurora Leigh, and James Joyce referred to Finnegans Wake as a “work in progress” throughout its 16-year creation. Even today, artists continue to build upon classic works, illustrating or reinterpreting them in new ways.
A Lifelong Artistic Journey
Many creators return to the same themes over and over, reshaping their work as their perspectives change. Personal experiences, memories, and emotions influence their art in ways they may not have anticipated.
Poet John Kinsella, for example, has spent 40 years working on interpretations of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, a project he expects to continue for the rest of his life. Likewise, his ongoing Graphology poems have been accumulating since the 1990s.
Time as a Shared Experience
The duration of artistic creation is not just about the artist’s personal journey—it also affects audiences. Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508-1512) was not just about the time he spent on it but also about the lasting impact it had on viewers across centuries.
Philosopher Henri Bergson’s concept of élan vital suggests that the essence of life and creativity is in its movement and growth. Perhaps this explains why unfinished works and ongoing projects continue to inspire, as they capture the evolving nature of human expression.
Art does not exist in isolation; it grows over time, shaped by the artist, their surroundings, and the passage of years. Even when a work appears complete, it continues to live on in those who engage with it.
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