While the inspiration does not circumvent the perceptual veil of the ego as it was once believed, the myths we live by are recast during these events. Art works as catalytic symbol. The encounter inspires realizations in the viewer. The ineffable content of art appreciation has value as part of the complex set of integrating experiences that shapes the individual and gives culture its ontological ground. These experiences provide substantiating truth and subjective experience as foundations for abstract knowledge. For the artist, it is irrelevant that the perception of truth is not absolute.
The defining mythologies of diachronic culture are in a continual, but often imperceptible, state of change. They require an influx of new symbols to ensure their ability to adapt society to changing conditions. The art object maintains its status as an active symbol of culture for as long as the experience it inspires is relevant to the cultural development of the individual and his orientation in society, and for as long as the context of art inspires a participation mystique.
Paradoxically, the autonomous self is dependent on immersion into the rituals and sign systems of culture. Who we are is learned in a process that develops throughout our lives. Whether the epic poem of the ancient Greeks or the paintings of the Modernist, art is a symbol of the self in transition. The artist searches for the hypothetical image that best fits the needs of individuation. Art is good because of the role it plays in actualizing the personality.
Content in art has always acted politically to shape the individual. Meaningful art experiences de-alienate and delineate the individual in society. Symbolic knowledge acquired during the art encounter is sublimated to the search for a relevant code of ethics -- for a meaningful 'way to be' and for 'meaning in life.' These are euphemisms for ethical values derived from aesthetic experiences.
R. Cronk, 2004