Ever since the late 60s, freedom is one of the main ideals of our society. Freedom allows us to be who we really are, to express ourselves as individuals.

While I’m certainly not against freedom in most aspects of life, I’ve come to believe that often, elegance comes from constraining creation. For the simple reason that these constraints force you to surpass yourself, work with and around them to get where you want to be.

For instance:

• the beauty of a math demonstration lies in elegantly manipulating concepts, within the boundaries imposed by a certain set of rules.
• one could argue that more people reached a higher level in craft when they were constrained by a certain art form (japanese prints, flemish primitives, …).
• writing: haiku, pentameters, writing with a certain format (if only a limited number of pages) has undeniable grace

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As opposed to, say, Marcel Duchamps toilet, or Mierda d’artista, ancestors of today’s conceptual art, which is truly free-form.

I’ve been thinking this for a while, but I was reminded of it while seeing a film by Ernst Lubitsch last friday. It was a silent film, with a live piano score (at Cinematek).

Silent film, no special effects, dodgy film quality – and still genius, full of visual jokes and naughty humor. Beauty in the constraints.