LEMMAS – Introduction

— Cornelis de Bondt

In the Lemmas, concepts and notions that I use in my texts, which focus on the pure artistic quality judgment, are described, further elaborated, and sometimes also defined. These are personal descriptions, and I do not aim for scientific pretensions. The texts are tools that can clarify my ideas in my other texts. For example, when I refer to Immanuel Kant — not only in the Lemmas but also in the other texts — I do not claim to explain his ideas and views; it is not exegesis. I use texts by Kant, Agamben, Plato, and other thinkers solely as they suit me, in the same way I incorporate the works of Monteverdi, Bach, and Beethoven into my compositions. When I use a term like ‘truth’, I do not mean it in an absolute sense but always in relation to a specific context, which I consistently connect to it.

The form of the texts is, just like is the case with the Etudes, strictly structured through ‘blocks’ of exactly 273 words. A ‘block’ can be a paragraph, a section, or a multiple thereof. The value 273 refers to the number of degrees Celsius below zero, which equals 0 Kelvin, the absolute minimum of temperature; at this temperature, no movement whatsoever is possible.

The Lemmas link to each other, but also to my other texts — or vice versa. They do not form a theoretically rigid system, nor are they objectwise in nature, but rather subjectwise. They are part of a system of concepts that may be better seen as part of a personal method, serving the other texts. Not an objectwise ‘truth’, but rather subjectwise ‘truthfulness’.

— Cornelis de Bondt, Bonnemort, March 17, 2024