Christian Caliandro on the Value of True Art and the Loss of Vitalist Tradition

In a 2017 essay for Artribune, art historian Christian Caliandro argues that authentic art is inherently ahead of its time and feared by those in power, citing Charles Bukowski's 1967 untitled essay. He identifies a vitalist tradition—rooted in the Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Julian Beck, and the Living Theatre—that sought authenticity, flow, and deep intuition about art's role for humanity. Caliandro notes that this tradition, which he observed at Casa Morra in Naples, faded between the 1980s and 1990s, replaced by a rigid, individualistic, and professionalist ethos that stifles experimentation. He calls for a recovery of insubordination, anti-academicism, and experimentation, referencing Italian writers like Parise, Ortese, and Balestrini. Caliandro critiques the commercial art market, quoting filmmaker Andrés Muschietti on the fear of investing in creativity. He asserts that avant-garde movements are always small and initially rejected, only to be absorbed decades later, while safe, decorative art enjoys immediate popularity. The essay concludes that rebuilding a culture of sobriety and refined taste will take as long as it took to destroy it, citing Bukowski's definition of style as maximum naturalness.