The Necessary Thing

What's swirling around inside me these past days:

"Silence is an important component of seeing....as the dialogue with the object or objects (a dialogue which is usually maintained in silence) deepens over time, one becomes less and less inclined either to listen or engage in idle talk. The practice of seeing promotes a generalized heightening of attention which does not want to be disturbed by chatter."

"Cezanne was able to progress from looking to seeing in his work...Unlike Rimbaud and Van Gogh, however, Cezanne's technique of seeing was thoroughly grounded by his direct and daily contact with nature as well as his abstemious living habits, and he did not self-destruct."

"In addition to being a strict vegetarian and abstainer from alcoholic beverages for most of his adult life, Rilke's cultivation of solitude, patience, and alertness was a conscious intention on his part to foster the ability to see and hear over a long period of time..."

"Rilke advised, 'The necessary thing is after all...solitude, great inner solitude.'"

-- Mark Levy
(in writing about the painters Cezanne and Morandi, and the poet Rilke)
(from Technicians of Ecstasy: Shamanism and the Modern Artist)