Expansion and positive manipulation of evolutionary realism in art (from the archive)

Architect Peter Kellow (American Arts, Spring 2013) defines the Baroque as the manipulation of classical architecture for the sake of theatrical effect. Adapting this to Evolutionary Realism (ER) I would define ER as the expansion and positive manipulation of realism in art for the religious sake of affirming the material evolution of life to Godhood, which is art as an affirmation of the sacred.

ER might have been called idealistic realism, which seems to have been what the classical realists were up to in Ancient Greece. Representing things as true to nature defines realism, and in being idealistically future-oriented ER is a realistic central part of nature. Evolution can be seen as metamorphosis in the sense that life is activated from within by the material Will-To-Godhood, or Tirips, which is later shaped by genetic evolution and outside natural selection.

Science accepts no end-goal purpose or teleology in evolution seeing only blind survival and reproduction, and I don't fault science in their empirical strictness. I don't advocate a vitalistic activation within life to support anti-rationalism or to be anti-science, I expect science to affirm this activation from within toward Godhood one day.

Evolutionary realism in art points to purpose behind evolution, it sees Tirips activating material life to evolve to supermaterial Godhood, shaped by outside evolution, and ER seeks to represent and affirm this with art in an expansive and creative but still realistic way.  Art, like true human nature, is a group endeavor and realism communicates best with real human nature.  Art for art's sake is as short-sighted and silly as anarchic individualism or moral relativity.