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Introduction
Amindislikeaparachute.Itdoesn’tworkifitisnotopen.
(FrankZappa)
ThespiritofcontemplationwasavailableinWesternculture
sinceantiquity.Westartourunderstandingofcontemplationfromthe
descriptionofthesculpturebyAlbertToft,HTheSpiritofcontemplation”
(seePhoto1).1Whenwelookatthesculptureweseeapersonsitting
inachairinaveryrelaxedposition.She/he(wedonotknowexactly
theperson’sgender)isnaked,whichmeans,thatshe/heisopen,not
closedorlimitedbyanyclothes.Thisnudityreferstoclearingthebody
andmind;itislikelookingforanepoché.However,weseetheancient
ornamentsonthebackofthechairrailing,thusthepersonissituated
inanhistoricaltime.Wealsoseeapapyrusonthethighsoftheperson,
whichcanmeanthatcontemplationisconnectedwithreadingand
writing.Thehandsrestonthechairrails,andthefingersareloose,
hencecontemplationalsomeansrelaxation.However,thekneesare
connected,whichmeansthatthemindisawareofthebody,itison
alert,consciouslykeepingthekneesclosetoeachother.Themind
controllingthekneesindicatesthatitishereandnow.Theheadisheld
straightandthepersonlooksinfrontofher/him,withconcentration
visibleonthefaceandintheeyes.Theopeneyesalsomeanthatshe/
heishereandnow.
Therefore,wecouldinferfromtheseartisticintuitionsandart
workthatcontemplationisaconceptreferringtothementalactivity
ofdeepconcentrationonsomething,onsomeissues,onGod,orany
otherobject.Itisconnectedalsowithreadinganddeepreflection.
Theartisticvisionisbasedontheknowledgeandontheideaof
contemplationcomingfromtheWesternculturaltradition.Thisis
notapretense-itismerelyastatementofthefact.Theconnection
withreadingandwritingsuggestthatcontemplationincludestheact
ofreflection.Itisnotonlyapassiveacceptanceoftheeventsgoing
aroundthecontemplatingperson.Inreadingatext,itisoftenanactof
contemplationofthephrases,metaphors,andcomparisonsexpressed
inthelanguage.ItisanactivitythathelpstounderstandtheOther,
theSelfandtheWorld.Itcouldalsobeananalysisandcritiqueofthe
1SeeGeorgeP
.LandowpictureofthesculpturebyAlbertToftHTheSpiritofCon-
templation”,http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/toft/28.html(accessed:29.04.2017).