What is the Meaning of Art?

According to Andrey Tarkovsky, this question is inextricable from questioning our existence on earth

I recently found out that a study proving fiction’s power to cultivate empathy in the reader is…well…not totally grounded in truth. So I’ve been thinking about why I write, and what I want to accomplish with my writing when it comes to creating something meaningful.

As a young reader, other people’s writing saved me and helped me feel less alone. So, even if it doesn’t necessarily develop empathy, there is a way that writers can reach into the lives of others. David Foster Wallace said:

“we’re existentially alone on the planet. I can’t know what you’re thinking and feeling and you can’t know what I’m thinking and feeling. And the very best works construct a bridge across that abyss of human loneliness.”

I would argue that the meaning of art is a way of seeking answers for our existence, yet that the ultimate knowing is understanding how little we know, or even that we know nothing.

That the basis of our knowledge is empty.

There is nothing to stand on, because we don’t know why we’re here.

Watch this beautiful (and short) video about the meaning of art

What do you seek in your art, if anything? Do you feel that you have answers? What does it feel like when you sense into a space of not knowing? What exists in that space that cannot exist in a space of knowing?