Realism is a truthful reflection of REALITY. Adequate. Unvarnished, undistorted.

 

WHICH reality?

WHOSE reality?

 

ON THE QUESTION OF REALITY

Realism = reality perceived and reproduced adequately to the original.

And how, pray tell, is reality defined? What can we call by this honorable name?

Isn’t it what each single individual lives? What he derives life from and pays for with his life? The only thing he can affirm, witness, create?

 

But mountains are seen only by those who can, who dare to see,

And looks in that direction, painting mountains,

Coordinating actions and plans with them

And knowing them…

 

While some know pits. And some know darkness, and some know snow.

And some know the cosmos in a tiny dewdrop;

And some know a gnat there, bacteria, larvae…

Good and evil, are they real?

For WHOM?!

 

 

THE SCALE OF REALITY

 

Reality’s scale… It’s quite real.

For those who authentically live there.

For example? Gambling is for gamblers!

A favorite piece of fantasy can crowd out

Whatever keeps it from ruling the whole world.

 

 

Free choice as the freedom to imitate

And appropriate

Delivers weather forecasts. — So be it!

The scale of reality includes that as well.

 

REALISM CONTRADICTS

 

Let’s compare realities: the idealist’s and the nihilist’s.

Whose is closer to the truth? Who’s more correct:

Malevich, Raphael, El Greco, Pollock?

Ciurlionis?

And why not Rublev?

All realists, if taken lengthwise.

And each contradicts the other.

 

Is a COMMON reality even possible?

And similarly, a common realism? (Perhaps only in common, extremely common terms?)

And is that needed?

And does that need all of us?

 

— T. Apraksina