ABSTRACT

The origin of something is the source of its nature. The question concerning the origin of the work of art asks about the source of its nature. As necessarily as the artist is the origin of the work in a different way than the work is the origin of the artist, so it is equally certain that, in a still different way, art is the origin of both artist and work. Allegory and symbol provide the conceptual frame within whose channel of vision the art work has for a long time been characterized. Architectural and sculptural works can be seen installed in public places, in churches, and in dwellings. Art works of the most diverse periods and peoples are housed in collections and exhibitions. There is something stony in a work of architecture, wooden in a carving, colored in a painting, spoken in a linguistic work, sonorous in a musical composition.