Art as Gift

“An artist is originally a man who turns away from reality because he cannot come to terms with the renunciation of instinctual satisfaction which it as first demands, and who allows his erotic and ambitious wishes to play in the life of phantasy. He finds the way back to reality, however, from this world of phantasy by making use of his special gifts to mould his phantasies into truths of a new kind, which are valued by men as precious reflections of reality. Thus in a certain fashion he actually becomes the hero, the king, the creator, or the favorite he desired to be, without following the long roundabout path of making real alterations in the external world.” —Sigmund Freud, “Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning”. (1911)

"I also believe that I occasionally noticed that whenever a flower is admired for its beauty, it really blossoms, becoming even more beautiful, until we ourselves blush, and there is no saying which of the two has been gifted." (Hans Erich Nossack - An Offering For The Dead)


"The main assumption of the book is that certain spheres of life, which we care about, are not well organized by the marketplace. That includes artistic practice, which is what the book is mostly about, but also pure science, spiritual life, healing and teaching….This book is about the alternative economy of artistic practice. For most artists, the actual working life of art does not fit well into a market economy, and this book explains why and builds out on the alternative, which is to imagine the commerce of art to be well described by gift exchange." Lewis Hyde, about his cult classic beloved by artists, The Gift, reprinted recently.

His website has details - Lewis Hyde - Publications - The Gift

The Los Angeles Times newspaper online ran an insightful review incorporating an interview with the author early last year on 'The Gift' just keeps on giving - Los Angeles Times