“An artist is a variation of nature.”
- January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970
- Born in Japan
- Novelist, playwright, critic, political activist
- He became a representative figure of postwar Japanese literature, and was highly acclaimed both at home and abroad. He pursued his own unique aesthetic with themes of beauty and death, and ultimately committed seppuku at a Self-Defense Forces garrison. His life, which combined literature with action, continues to have a strong influence today.
Japanese
「芸術家というのは自然の変種です」
English
“An artist is a variation of nature.”
Explanation
In this quote, Mishima asserts that artists are not separate from nature, but rather a variation or extension of it. He suggests that artists, through their creative expressions, reimagine or reinterpret the natural world, offering a unique and personal view of reality. Artists are seen as being intrinsically tied to nature, yet they possess the ability to transform it, much like a mutation or a change in the natural order. This idea implies that art is not something unnatural or constructed outside of the human experience, but rather a fundamental part of the natural world, where artists play a role in shaping and redefining reality through their work. Mishima’s view reflects the idea that creativity is inherent in the human condition and, by extension, in the natural world itself.
Mishima’s statement can be seen as a commentary on the relationship between humanity and the natural world. He often explored themes of human nature, beauty, and the connection between individuals and their environment. In his philosophy, artists are not alien to the world; they are instead deeply rooted in it, and their art reflects a distilled essence of natural truths. The artist, like nature, is constantly in a state of evolution, adaptation, and recreation, serving as both a product and a transformer of the world around them. Mishima’s comparison of the artist to a variation of nature underscores his belief that creativity is an organic process, flowing naturally from human beings, just as nature produces diversity in life forms.
In a modern context, this quote suggests that art should be understood not as a separate or artificial realm, but as an inherent part of nature and the human experience. Artists, by tapping into the fundamentals of nature—emotion, perception, and the world itself—reveal deeper truths about the world, even as they transform and reinterpret it through their unique perspective. Today, this understanding of the artist as a variation of nature can encourage us to view art not as something removed from life, but as a living, breathing expression of the natural world, deeply interconnected with the human experience. Art, in this view, becomes a manifestation of nature’s complexity, revealing hidden meanings and offering new insights into the world around us.
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