Antiquatis

Rudolf Steiner has quite a different view of arts than what is just included under the heading of “creative expressions”(Refer Art as Seen in the Light of Mystery Wisdom). What is seen is that the interaction of the different sectors creates what is called art… a spatial representation of different temporal relations. The key thing is to distinguish between creative art and imitative art… creative art is more than just a duplication of a certain existing structure, but its experience. It is an event, and not an object.

In short, this is what he envisions, with the spatial dimensions involved in parentheses:

Physical Body: Architecture (3D)

This forms the base material, just as the elements make up a human body. The Art form in this case is the way in which the building expresses the physical organization of a human, to embody the building as a man/woman, who can then house a spirit. We notice this understanding in the Ancient Indian Vaasthu system (similar to Chinese Feng-shui) with the house represented as a man sitting cross legged.

Etheric Body: Sculpture (3D)

The interaction of the prana with matter animates it, thus giving it an expression in the inverse sector, with living forms represented. Note that this form is in some sense living, consisting of a physical and an etheric form. When a being from the Alter Mundi, seeks expression in the physical, it would require a sculpture or an idol, which can serve as vehicle while it “occupies” it.

Astral Body: Painting (2D)

A planar representation of a reality which is conjugate to the material sector and its interaction with the “living” etheric… through a picture, or symbols. This expression would closely represent dream life, and the art would serve as a means to bring those forms into reality, both from the personal and the collective. Via painting one can act back into the astral world.

Ego: Music (1D)

The experience of the individual consciousness, of the form of the astral world is represented via tone, and music.

Spirit-self: Poetry (0D)

An expression of poetry is seen as one of the pinnacles of achievement in Kundalini awakening, which is probably why many of the epics have taken poetic form. I am not sure I understand this yet, as I have not experienced it for myself, but apparently what he calls the Spirit-self might be the 4th density self, only made conscious this time.

Life-spirit: Eurythmy (?)

This is still beyond comprehension, so I’ll just quote Steiner here: “And proceeding still further, one can say, though to a limited extent: Round about us, in the environment of soul and spirit which we shall absorb at a later stage, the life-spirit is also present. Therefore one day the life-spirit may come to be lowered into the spirit-self… One can foresee for the far distant future that there will be an art of great perfection that will stand out beyond poetry, as poetry stands out beyond music, music beyond painting, painting beyond sculpture, and sculpture beyond architecture (this being a question not of superiority, but of arrangement). You will guess, of course, that I am referring to something of which we know only the most elementary beginnings today: Something of which we can only receive the very first indications: the art of eurythmy.”

Hopefully this would help us reorganize our experiences, and identify which art form is our preferred way of expression.