The Paradox Of Timeless
Wrapping up Louise Penny’s latest, ‘A World Of Curiosities’ from her Three Pines / Inspector Gamache series (I strongly recommend reading the series), my curiosity was piqued by The Paston Treasure painting which is like a non-living protagonist in the book. Googling it, even I found it as fascinating – I was mesmerised by it as the characters in the book have been.
The thing about this painting is that it is by no means a ‘masterpiece’ as we have come to associate the word with some of the more renowned artists. In fact, it is by an unknown Dutch artist. And yet its timelessness has seen it become the subject of much analysis and speculation for more than three centuries. There are still things that one tends to notice that seem to have been missed on repeat observation even.
And it is not only about this painting. Or paintings. Or art, only. Timeless is a concept, a phenomenon that transcends living things as well as inanimate objects. It straddles everything that we encounter – art, literature, culture, architecture, engineering, design, fashion, people, music, films, plays, objects, food, and all that you can think of.
Religious scriptures like the Bible or the Quran. Epics like The Mahabharat or The Ramayan. The ancient wonders of the world. The modern wonders of the world. Or the wonders of the modern world. Shakespeare. Gandhi. Martin Luther King Jr. The Beatles. Vincent Van Gogh. To Kill A Mockingbird. The Godfather. Apple. The works of Henri Cartier-Bresson. Or closer home, Raghu Rai. Caravaggio. Amar Akbar Anthony. Aviator sunglasses. Ford Mustang. Harley-Davidson. Mohammed Ali. Animal Farm and 1984. I could go on about things, and people, and creations, that I feel have an element of timelessness … and so could you. Each of these things I have mentioned above (and many, many more) keep adding new converts into their fold year on year, generation upon generation.
So what makes only some things, or some people, timeless while the rest of the multitudes suffer a lack of relevance once their time has passed?
What follows is an attempt to decode, or deconstruct, or decipher, the concept of timeless. It’s my personal take on the subject and, in absence of any formal research or analysis, can/will be subject to polarized opinions. It’s something that’s been playing on my mind for a while, and I felt it’s about time (sorry, bad pun) that I write about it.
To be timeless, as defined by the dictionary, is to not be affected by the passage of time, to be resistant to change. But when I compare the definition to our perception of timeless work, there's a conflict: timeless work isn't actually an issue of time. Rather, it's a principle, a style, concept or quality of work. To create something timeless is to have it look a certain way, not necessarily to be unaffected by change. One more definition of timeless goes ‘the concept of timeless aesthetics is an unchanging quality that is not bound by time. It describes a state in which a work of art, design, or idea remains relevant and valuable over and over again, regardless of ever-changing fashions and trends. Something timeless also has a universal character that is valid across generations and across different cultures.’
Researching on the subject, I came across an essay by Niklas Göke that has attempted to put some structure on the topic. He has cited four principles behind creating something timeless:
Timeless things are never the result of trying to make something timeless. In the modern context, it’s a bit like saying that virality of a video or a meme happens on its own. You don’t, or you shouldn’t, start out saying ‘I’m going to make a viral video.’
Timeless things change over time. This is a bit counterintuitive to the popular concept of timelessness. A timeless concept adapts itself to the times. It is accommodative enough to assimilate the pertinent and relevant elements of the times to make the timeless aspect even stronger. Change isn’t a bad thing. It’s an acknowledgement, “This is good. Now let me make it better.” Change is the only thing that’s constant — and that’s why it’s the root of all that’s timeless.
The more time you put into it, the more timeless your result gets. J.K. Rowling came up with Harry Potter in 1990. The manuscript was ready in ’95, published in ’97, another 10 years before the last book came out. That’s a 7-book series, 20 years in the making. How many changes do you think she made along the way?
If you don’t feel time, your end result won’t either. Great work comes with many pains and at great prices. But suffering from boredom isn’t one of them. The more you’re feeling time less, the more likely what you’re making will be timeless.
Timeless work is a pursuit of the ego.
Timeless work is an individual pursuit. There can be many influences, many partners, many associates, many supporters. But the actual creation of a timeless creation is a lonely act – by choice. Ironically timeless, according to me, is all about ‘the moment’. It’s possibly what the performer, artist, designer, thinker, painter, athlete, director, actor feels … or experiences at just that moment in time. It is the moment that paves the way for the masterpiece to become timeless. As it turns out, creating for the end of time is more about creating for the now than we think.
Everyone quotes the 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration equation. However, what is often missed out is the fact that in the case of the greats that 1% has a lop-sided weightiness to it which makes more of the 99% happen. It is where the creator becomes one with their creation. When it becomes difficult to separate the two. When it becomes impossible to think of one without the other. There is an undefinable depth that remains uncovered despite repeat viewings, interpretations, or performances. It seems that a timeless creation is both a boldly personal expression of the artist who made it, and a universal truth hidden under a recognisable layer of form, texture, and line.
Timeless work is both mysterious and familiar at the same time. It feels both fully realized and unresolved.
Closely linked to the moment is the passion for what the performer does. It’s actually like some kind of a chicken and egg situation. Is it the passion that leads to the moment or is it the moment that leads to the passion? Per me, the brilliance actually lies in neither the moment, nor the passion. It lies in the fact that the passion of the performer rubs off on the recipient. It is only then that a creation can become timeless.
Timeless can be created in isolation, but timelessness is an outcome of the adoption of the creator’s vision by the many.
And the better the creator is at transferring the lethal combo of moment and passion to the recipient, and not just to their creation, the more the chances of something becoming truly timeless. Gazing at the Taj Mahal, or being taken in by the violent brushstrokes of Van Gogh, or listening to the melodies of The Beatles, is a captivating experience since the recipient is enveloped by the experience that the creator wanted to transfer. And since you are so taken in by the creation, you are willing to suspend belief, willing to overlook the glitches. Manmohan Desai’s passion behind the creation of Amar Akbar Anthony so completely sucked you in that it didn’t matter how Nirupa Roy regains her eyesight, that medically it’s not possible to do blood transfusion the way it’s shown in the movie, and the fact that the villains don’t recognise the three heroes when they literally announce themselves in the title song! You took it in your stride. And to further the point made earlier, though filmmaking is a team effort, in a way Manmohan Desai created it in isolation because he had to bulldoze his way through all doubters who tried to instil sense and logic to the proceedings.
Creators of timeless masterpieces also form undefinable bonds with their audience at a very personal level. Their creations are something people look up to. Are motivated by. Are touched by at a deeper level. How else do you explain that from Hokusai’s set of 36 woodblock prints featuring views of Mt. Fuji, only “The Wave” has captivated audiences to an extent that it is now one of the most recognizable works of art in the world. The artist certainly could not have predicted that this one piece would become one of the most produced prints of the 21st century, while the others have rarely been seen outside of the artists closest circle of admirers.
It probably has to do with the fact that the creations of the masters are somewhere rooted in some of the eternal and universal truths or emotions or realities, which on the one hand are not subject to debate, and on the other hand are open to interpretation, and hence debate. Love, hate, jealousy, loathing, friendship, passion, vindication, winning, redemption, vengeance, losing, faith, devotion, war, peace, etc etc and the like are things that are primal by nature. They don’t need to be created or impregnated. We are all born with them. They can only be stoked. In various ways. That is where the paradox lies – in one way these eternal/universal truths can never be subject to analysis in their purest form, but at the same time they can be dimensionalised in whichever way the creator wants to.
The closer the interpretation of any truth is to the purest form, the more relatable and timeless it has got the potential to be. The various interpretations work in unearthing facets that were hitherto hidden. So there is love that can take on forms of mush, platonic, idolatory, or many other facets. Faith can be blind, informed, destructive, constructive, etc … And so it is true of all the eternal truths. So however much one may try to displace some of these essential truths, they remain in some form or the other. They are never subject to obsolescence. One of the reasons why The Mahabharat is considered to be the most complete epic, and a truly timeless one, is the fact that it addresses the entire gamut of eternal and universal truths across genders, personality archetypes, colour, caste, creed, sexuality, vices, virtues, values, emotions, behaviours, beliefs, etc in all possible variations, dimensions, interpretations. It’s a moment in time captured thousands of years ago. Relevant even today. Open to interpretation even today. Think about it - everything that you can ever think of or imagine or experience or feel or see or touch or hear or taste has all been captured in The Mahabharat.
To date there has not been anything, and I mean anything or anyone, that you encounter that has not been addressed or covered in some form or the other in The Mahabharat. Think about it. It’s staggering.
Like eternal truths in the case of art, culture, philosophy, literature and music, there is the element of good design that make inanimate objects timeless. Rams Dieter, widely considered to be the guru of modern design, has ten simple principles behind good design, and as a logical outcome making an object timeless. These ten principles of good design are:
It is innovative
It makes a product useful
It is aesthetic
It makes a product understandable
It is unobtrusive
It is honest
It is long-lasting
It is thorough down to the last detail
It is environmentally friendly
It involves as little design as possible
I am willing to bet you anything that on reading these principles, the first objects that came to your mind would have been from the Apple stable. Right? Maybe not as much to do with the ninth principle, but each of the other principles is applicable to anything that Apple designs. Right down to the packaging. Right down to how the unboxing should be done. (Did you know that empty boxes of Apple products sell, and that too at a premium, on eBay?) Those who have wilfully submitted to the brand will confess that the way they treat their Apple products is very different to the way they would treat any other gadget. There is an element of piety that is at play where one is compelled to treat the gadget as if it is a holy thing. This behaviour is a result of the creator’s vision of having created something timeless being transferred to the recipient. It’s not about Handle With Care. It’s more like Handle With Love.
Timeless is not created by committees. It is about one creator’s vision. It’s about their insight and audacity. And their ability to galvanize resources to see that vision come to life. With exacting precision.
While the principles read as really simple ones, believe you me, adhering to them in letter, and in spirit, is one of the most difficult things to do when faced with business and market and shareholder realities. These can force even the best of minds, and the most visionary of leaders to cut corners. To compromise. It's hard to think about timeless when one is under pressure to build things quickly, to fail fast.
In the age of immediacy, we're being pushed away from such a pursuit. Life today is being dictated by the all-encompassing power of the binary world of bytes. AI, NFTs, Insta, Snap, TikTok, and their ilk don’t require material resources to create something enduring. They only need the ephemeral nature of the web, and I mean the web in its broadest sense and form to stand for anything and everything digital. That is the reason why it struggles to co-exist with timeless. Millions of content is added everyday only to be eventually lost. The web isn't like a fine wine that ages well; it's like a river. There's nothing timeless about a field that's in a constant state of flux. However, if there's one design that's not changed much since its inception, it's the Google homepage. It's the one example I can concede as 'timeless' design. It is still something that defines how a search engine should look and behave. It adheres to Dieter Ram’s principles to the T.
Timeless remains a slippery veil. Some of the great works of art we now consider to be timeless were never designed with that intention in mind. At the end of the day timeless is essentially about the craft. Whatever be the form. Whatever be the discipline. Whatever be the art. Whatever be the science. Whatever be the object. Whatever. There is no formula.
Timeless is about ‘that’ moment, and yet timeless needs time. It does need a lot of tuning and fine tuning. And hence creating timeless is not an everyday phenomenon.
Some of it comes naturally, no doubt. But to lavish us, the ordinary audience, with one timeless piece after another is a journey of fine crafting. And though we are all born the same anatomically, there is a certain segment that is genetically gifted to become artists or creators. And then within this niche is a smaller niche that manages to do extraordinary and outstanding creations. And then within them is a micro niche that comprises those who create something timeless at least once in their lifetime. And then within them is a nano niche, the true elite, who create timeless in multiplicity – be it objects, pieces of art, music, film, … experiences. Bow down to them with reverence.
Be braver. Be kinder.
For Keep Watching this time, I am sharing the reviews of The Sopranos and The Wire. Two truly timeless series, I feel. Created in the aughts, I had heard about them for the longest time but never actually got down to watching them till recently. And not for a moment did I get a feel of watching something dated, considering that in today’s times anything dated is from last week! So to not get a sense of datedness while watching something at least 15 years old is testimony to the timeless nature of these creations. The reason why you will find the rating as 10* out of a maximum 5*!
Epic, noun: a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary hero.
Epic, adjective: extending beyond the usual or ordinary, especially in size or scope.
The Sopranos is both these dictionary definitions of the word epic, and more. Brutal, witty, sarcastic, dark, humorous, topical, current, metaphorical, real, surreal, and many more such adjectives, it takes you deep into the ordinariness as well as the out-of-the-ordinariness and many a time the extraordinariness of the lives of the Italian mafia. Multiple narratives, multitude of characters, multi-faceted depictions of living life on the edge, constantly looking over your shoulder, with a sword hanging constantly not just because of your enemies, but even the closest of friends and relations. It’s a peek into a world where warped definitions of loyalty, integrity and moral compass are what are lived by. Where no one is to be trusted - no one. Where the only language that matters is business that makes money. It’s a series which not only sheds, but actually trashes, all the glamour associated with the Italian mafia. It shows the generosity and the pettiness of the gangsters - not just in money matters, but also where ego is involved. James Gandolfini in the titular role - brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. With its finale happening in 2007, many will say I’m too late to the party. But for those who haven’t yet seen it, and if you have the patience, then do not miss it for anything in the world.
The Sopranos | Jio Cinema | 6 Seasons
Set in Baltimore, this masterpiece from the aughts captures various socio-politico-cultural issues that encompass racism, the drug menace, industries like dockyards and print media facing extinction, authorities and underworld alike grappling with technology, the tight rope between politicians and the police and a lot of issues that tear at the fabric of society, this series casts its net wide and never loses its tautness. It could be stories that are true to any major city in whichever part of the world. It’ll be a travesty to slot this as a cop and robbers series because throughout the series one wonders who is who, who’s good, who’s bad, and what’s right and what’s wrong. Brilliantly scripted, authentically shot and superbly casted for, this gritty series and it’s multitudes of characters grow on you with every episode, as you find your heart reaching out to the hope-less-ness of the lives they lead.
The Wire | Jio Cinema | 5 Seasons
‘Timeless’ is so well explored by you in this article that I am short of words to express myself ! In our own ways we do notice these ‘timeless’ treasures but seldom pay attention to them . What you say about the ‘Mahabharat’ is so apt and yet I find an increasing number of youngsters either not reading it (forget understanding it) or being completely ignorant about it …
Yes agreed.. it has got to be hard to anticipate this attribute- so much also depends on the environment at the time it is introduced .. or if it is picked posthumously after the artist is no more .. the new age viral videos - not sure how timeless they are ? Feel very transient to me- here today everywhere- no one has a memory of it tomorrow