Katya Mandoki
The Indispensable Excess of the Aesthetic
T h e excessive a n d the basic a p p e a r to be logically o p p o sed . T h e term
»excess« is co m m o n ly u n d e rsto o d as a synonym o f the su p e rflu o u s a n d in ­
com patible with o th e r key categories o f aesthetics such as harm ony, simplicity
a n d unity. F o r p eo p le w ho co n sid er them selves refined, excess is alm ost an
in d ex o f b ad taste. An excess in color, in jewelry, in accessories, in o rn a m e n ­
tatio n , in gloss... are e ith e r lau g h ed at o r boasted about, d e p e n d in g o n cul­
tu ral b a c k g ro u n d . Excess m ay be em b arrassin g ly h id d e n o r p ro u d ly dis­
played, h o a rd e d o r wasted; in any case, it seem s to be som ehow a n d som e­
tim es significantly lin k ed to th e aesthetic.
T h re e a u th o rs have m o re o r less explicitly d e a lt w ith th e n o tio n o f
excess: T h o rstein V eblen, M arcel M auss a n d G eorges Bataille. T hey all m e n ­
tio n th e aesth etic b u t n o n e o f them , unfortunately, deals w ith it in p artic u ­
lar. T h e th re e h a n d le the c o n c e p t o f co n su m p tio n , b u t it was B ataille w ho
w orked m o re extensively o n th e id ea o f excess to th e d e g re e o f p ro p o sin g a
C o p ern ican revolution in econom ics. C o u n ter to views p revalent in this field,
B ataille m a in ta in e d th a t n a tu re obeys a p a tte rn o f excess ra th e r th a n scanti­
ness a n d lim ited resources. H e stated th a t a living organism receives m u ch
m o re en erg y th a n it needs, a n d th at this excess o f energy is n o t only inevi­
table b u t has to be dissipated else it m ay becom e destructive a n d tu rn against
th e o rg an ism . T h e excess o f sp erm fo r a single ovule, th e excess o f eggs
d ep o sited by m any species, th e ten d en c y to excess in v egetation, th e excess
o f en erg y ra d ia te d by th e sun, all illustrate this ten d en cy to d issipation a n d
ex u b eran ce. Leave a g ard en u n te n d e d a n d it will soon overflow a n d fill ev­
ery gap. F or Bataille, this c e n tu ry ’s W orld W ars w ere the ca ta stro p h ical c o n ­
seq u en ce o f in d u strial excess th a t was n o t voluntarily sp e n t w hen re q u ire d .
I will n o t a tte m p t a th o ro u g h analysis o f this very controversial thesis p ro ­
p o sed by B ataille, also in co m p lete in its arg u m e n ta tio n a n d th e o re tic a l d e­
v elopm ent. I will only deal with the id ea o f excess in relatio n to th e aesthetic
a n d ex am in e it w ithin the perspective o f M auss’ study o f arch aic societies
w hich, in fact, trig g ere d B atailles own conceptions.
B ataille ex p lo res how ex ced en ts are co n su m ed in various types o f soci­
eties such as th e Aztec sacrificial theocracy, M oslem m ilitarist a n d L am aist
m onastical o rganizations. His w ork o n this subject was in sp ired , as h e acFilozofski vestnik, X X ( 2 /1999 - X IV ICA Supplement), pp. 173-179
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Katya Mandoki
know ledges, by M auss’ investigation on the T lingit a n d H äid a com m unities,
p articu larly th e ir potlatch cerem o n y w hich is a com petitive d e stru c tio n o f
ex cedents for g en eratin g prestige. This cerem ony was n am ed by the C hinook
te rm potlatch m e a n in g »to feed« o r »to consum e« (M auss 6). As M auss in ­
sisted, th ese gifts a n d ex c h an g e cerem o n ies are never voluntary, b u t co m ­
p u lso ry in n atu re . T h e re is an obligation to re cip ro ca te with gifts o f eq u a l
o r g re a te r value.
The h a u and the au ra
M auss b eg an an in q u iry o n econom y a n d e n d e d with an in q u iry o n
morality. H e was c o n c ern e d with u n d ersta n d in g the code b e h in d this obliga­
tory reciprocity: »W hat ru le o f legality a n d self-interest, in societies o f a back­
w ard o r arch aic type, com pels th e gift th at has b ee n received to b e obliga­
torily recip ro cated ? W h at pow er resides in th e o b ject given th a t causes its
re c ip ie n t to pay it back?« (M auss 3) Rem arkably, M auss im plies in th e sec­
o n d q u estio n (»what pow er resides...«) a partial answ er to the first: it is the
b e lie f th a t th e re is a pow er w ithin objects th at acts u p o n p eo p le a n d forces
th e m to re cip ro ca te gifts. T his pow er is th e hau o r sp irit o f objects, w hich
re ta in p a rt o f th e soul o f th e ir m aker. O n e m ust relate to this c o n c rete p res­
e n c e in o b jects w h en o n e in tro d u c e s th em in to o n e ’s h o m e. T h e M aori
p eo p le call »hau« this spirit th at clings to an object w hen ow nership changes.
In o u r c o n tem p o rary globalized industrial society, the idea o f the hau seem s
like m e re childish su p erstitio n o f prim itive, uncivilized p eo p le. Yet, we d o
n o t invest in an artw ork unless we are sure it is g e n u in e , even if we c a n ’t tell
th e d iffe re n c e b etw een th e o rig in al a n d a copy. T his proves th a t we still
believe in so m eth in g sim ilar to the hau o f things, at least in artw orks. M any
p e o p le call a p riest to bless a new house o r a ship a n d organize w arm ing
p arties. It is n o t too fa rfe tc h e d to associate th e M aori id ea o f hau w ith w hat
W alter B en jam in called th e » aura« in the w ork o f art. His id ea o f th e loss o f
aura in th e age o f m ech an ical re p ro d u cib ility m ay also explain a c o n te m ­
p o ra ry sense o f loss o f hau sep a ratin g objects from subjects a n d b ecom ing,
as M arx a rg u ed , fetishes th a t tu rn against th e ir p ro d u c e rs in in d u strial p ro ­
d u ctio n .
A n o th e r case o f c o n tem p o rary W estern hau p ro d u c tio n is th e so-called
»car art«. A ndy W arhol, Roy L ichtenstein, R o b ert R auschenberg, a n d David
H ockney, a m o n g o th ers, have each d e c o ra te d a BMW car, co n v e rtin g an
alread y expensive piece o f m ach in ery in to an even m o re expensive w ork o f
art. T h ese vehicles m u st now be carefully p acked a n d tra n sp o rte d b efo re
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The Indispensable Excess o f the Aesthetic
e n d in g up m otionless, on display in a rt exhibits worldwide. B etw een the car
a n d th e artw ork, th e difference is th e hau o f the artist w ho p a in te d it. T his
sp irit is what, in archaic societies, d em an d s recip ro ca tio n , a n d in m o d e rn
societiesjustifies a p rice u n re la te d to the a m o u n t o f labor invested in o r any
b en e fit deriv ed from the object.
Total services and contrasting pulse
Mauss fo u n d am o n g the com m unities o f the A m erican N orthw est w hat
h e term e d »total social p h en o m en a « w hich m eans th at »all kinds o f in stitu ­
tions are given exp ression at o n e a n d the sam e tim e - religious, ju rid ic a l,
a n d m oral, w hich re la te to b o th politics a n d th e family; likewise ec o n o m ic
ones, which suppose special form s o f p ro d u c tio n a n d consum ption, o r ra th e r
o f p e rfo rm in g total services a n d o f distrib u tio n . T his is n o t to take in to ac­
c o u n t th e aesth etic p h e n o m e n a to w hich these facts lead, a n d th e c o n to u rs
o f th e p h e n o m e n a th a t these institutions m anifest.« (M auss 3) U p to h e re
we have m ost o f w hat Mauss can tell us c o n c e rn in g the aesthetic: h ard ly an
allu sio n . T h e o th e r a n th ro p o lo g ists re le v a n t to o u r p o in t (V eblen a n d
Bataille) prove n o m o re enlightening. W hat does Mauss m ean by saying th at
th ese facts lead to aesthetic p h e n o m e n a ? I will v en tu re an answer.
A ccording to Mauss, certain cerem onies have to be p e rfo rm e d because
»to m ake a gift o f so m eth in g to so m eo n e is to m ake a p re se n t o f som e p a rt
o f oneself... To re ta in th a t th in g w ould be d an g e ro u s a n d m ortal...« (M auss
12). T his b e lie f refers to the hau, a n d seem s to be a b e tte r ex p lan a tio n fo r
com p u lso ry reciprocity, w hich lies, th ere fo re , n o t in the hau o r sp irit o f the
th in g retain ed , b u t the act o f retain in g it. A t issue h e re is th e a ttitu d e towards
a n d th e reg u latio n s governing re ta in in g o r giving. This is w hat d iffe ren ti­
ates W estern an al retentive societies from w hat F reu d w ould call an al ex p u l­
sive co m m u n ities like the H ä id a a n d T lingit. T h e differen ce, I c o n te n d , is a
q u estio n o f pulse u n d e rsto o d as ce n trip etal o r centrifugal a ttitu d e in re g ard
to o u r su rro u n d in g s. T h e re are, on o n e h an d , societies th at display ce n trifu ­
gal pulse a n d p rid e them selves in th e ir pow er o f giving away, like th o se com ­
m u n ities th a t p ractice p o tlatch o r mayordomia. O th e r societies ex h ib it a ce n ­
trip etal tendency, like W estern capitalist econom ies, a n d value th e ir pow er
to accu m u late to th e d eg ree th at prestige a n d h o n o r are a re su lt o f saving
a n d h o a rd in g w ealth ra th e r th a n sh arin g it.
T hus, th e logic u n d erly in g obligatory reciprocity w ould a p p e a r to d e ­
p e n d less u p o n th e hau o f things observed by Mauss, th an u p o n a dynam ic
a n d co m m u n al sense o f life, o f the w orld, o f w ork a n d o f its p ro d u cts. As I
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Katya Mandoki
m e n tio n e d above, it is a m a tte r o f pulse a n d an attitu d e tow ards re te n tio n
itself ra th e r th a n tow ard w hat is re ta in ed . C om pulsory recip ro city com es
fro m a worldview th a t considers as m ere co m m o n sense th a t we m u st give
b ack w hat we receive, obvious in n atu ra l biological processes as b re a th in g
a n d eatin g , b irth a n d d e a th , sowing a n d reap in g . T h e circu latio n o f m a tte r
a n d energy, th e m o v em en t o f all things, stars, anim als a n d light, th e rivers
a n d th e sea, th e c h a n g in g o f the seasons, all evince a p a tte rn o f a b u n d a n c e
a n d dynam ism , n o t o f p e n u ry a n d im mobility.
T his holistic aw areness explains the practice o f reciprocity a m o n g the
societies studied, seem ingly n o t because o f the b elief th at things have a spirit
th a t can take revenge, b u t because everything m u st be k e p t in m o tio n . To
re ta in o r to h o a rd is, in this co n tex t, a co n tra -n a tu ra attitu d e , eq u iv alen t to
im p riso n in g o r h o ld in g hostage an object, anim al o r perso n d estin e d to be
in m o tio n .
The expressive, the impressive and the excessive
If Mauss a n d M alinowski believed they fo u n d th e origins o f eco n o m y
a n d o f law, o f relig ion a n d m orality in these p attern s, I w ould suggest th a t
we m ig h t also seek th e re in the origins o f th e aesthetic. L et us im ag in e two
c o n te n d in g tribes in re la tio n o f p o tlatch , each o n e trying to surpass th e
other, each o n e offering g re ater quantities o f goods, o f b etter quality o r m ore
ex cep tio n al, b ro u g h t from re m o te r places o r m ade with g re a te r ta le n t a n d
skill. T h e aesth etic im pulse h e re resides precisely in this desire to im press.
F ro m a rch aic co m m u n itie s to R enaissance aristocrats a n d c o n te m p o ra ry
m agnates, in all social classes, som e m ore, o th ers less successful, th e p ro p e l­
lin g drive seem s to be the sam e: provoking ad m ira tio n , im pressing o th ers,
a c cu m u latin g prestige. As a co n seq u en ce o f this drive, we have b e e n fo rtu ­
n ate to in h e rit th e treasures o f m o n u m en tal arch itectu re, m asterfully crafted
vases fro m a n c ie n t G reece a n d C hina, sp ectacu lar jew els from th e fa rth est
c o rn e rs o f th e e a rth , am azin g plays o f d ram atic, epic a n d com ic im pact,
m a g n ific e n t rituals, m u rals, scu lp tu res, m usical trad itio n s. In s h o rt, it is
th an k s to this n e e d to im press th a t we have in h e rite d cu ltu ral artifacts th at,
d esp ite th e passage o f ce n tu ries a n d m illennia, re ta in this power.
T o g eth e r with this n e e d to p ro d u c e an im pressive effect (th e necessity
to im press) th e re is also a necessity to share with o th ers th a t w hich is deeply
m ean in g fu l to us (th e necessity to ex p ress). T hus, in c o n ju n ctio n w ith the
im p re ssiv e o r th e d riv e to im p re ss, is th e e x p ressiv e d riv e t h a t m a n y
aesth etician s from B au m g arten to Langer, have em phasized
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The Indispensable Excess o f the Aesthetic
T h e e x u b e ra n t a n d lavish always im presses, som etim es as beauty, as in
B lake’s saying » ex u b eran ce is beauty«, o th e rs as ugliness. R egardless o f the
categories involved, th e excessive is som ehow involved w ith o r sym ptom atic
o f th e aesthetic. U gliness a n d the g ro tesq u e also resu lt fro m o n e o r a n o th e r
k in d o f excess (o f fat, for instance, o r o f len g th as a lo n g nose o r ch in , o f
w idth as im pressive hips) a n d as such they are also re la ted to th e aesthetic.
Excessively lo n g fingernails, ap a rt from symbolizing a status beyond the n ee d
o f m an u al w ork, are co n sid ered aesthetic. Excessively h ig h h eels are an ex­
p licit sta te m e n t th a t the ow ner n o t a p ea san t w om an.
A rtw ork is ail excessive. Ordinarily, o n e does n o t witness as co n c en trate d
a n d in ten se a d ev elo p m en t o f events as are fo u n d in dram a, o f im ages, colors
a n d form s as are seen in a pain tin g o r o f sounds as are h e a rd in a m usical
com position. B aroque a n d G othic a rt are excessive in form s, E xpresionism is
excessive in em o tio n s, Fauvism in color, C ubism in sim u ltan eo u s p e rsp e c ­
tives, R u b e n ’s paintings in flesh, M annerism in the dram atization o f the body.
D u c h a m p ’s A nti-art sta te m e n t is equally excessive (he co u ld have ch o se n a
ch a ir o r a ta b le ... why precisely a urinal?) M alevich a n d M o n d rian , as well
as th e M inim alists like Sm ith a n d G oertitz, are all excessive in th e ir re d u c ­
tio n to th e essential. Lucio F o n tan a, in his search for real space, was a b it
excessive: why c u t th e canvas with a scalpel! O f course, excess a n d h ip erb o le
a re elo q u en t.
T h e cloak o r wig o f a ju d g e in F ren c h a n d B ritish courts, th e excessive
space in the lobby o f official buildings, the excessively slow gait o f th e priests
in religious liturgy, th e excess o f solem nity in a weekly school cerem ony, are
all m a in ta in e d fo r th e ir aesthetic effects. A jew el is always excessive in the
lab o r it im plies. A h a n d woven carpet, a p e rfu m e, th e fe rm e n ta tio n o f fruits
fo r liquor, all are aesthetic in th a t they co n tain so m eth in g beyond, m o re e n ­
h an c ed , m o re co n d en sed , m o re profuse th an the strictly essential. F u r coats
are w arm a n d soft, jew els gleam ing, p erfu m es are pleasant, g o o d w ine is lus­
cious, carved w ood is exquisite, chocolates delicious a n d bo n sai cute; n o n e
are necessary, all are excessive a n d each is aesthetic.
Display o f excess inevitably cap tu res atte n tio n , engages o u r sensibility
a n d seizes o u r im ag ination. T h e u tm o st p ro to ty p e o f excess taken to sub­
lim e p ro p o rtio n s is th e Palace o f th e Nazirs at th e A lh am b ra in G ranada:
th e m ost excessive o f all excesses. We m ay re a c t with p leasu re o r d ispleasure
to th e excessive, b u t we can nev er re m a in in d iffe re n t to it. Excess is never
aesthetically n eu tral.
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Katya Mandoki
The indispensability o f excess
I h o p e to have a rg u e d convincingly e n o u g h so far th at th e re is a salient
re la tio n betw een th e aesthetic a n d the excessive. D e m o n stra tin g th a t this
excess is indispensable, however, requires substantial arg u m en tatio n . Excess
has sim u ltaneously o p p o sin g effects: b o th d a n g e ro u s a n d inevitable follow­
in g B ataille’s thesis, as well as g enerous a n d indispensable as I c o n te n d here.
F or W estern cultures, b o th the aesthetic a n d the technological revolve
a ro u n d th e sam e axis, p leasure, b u t in op p o site directions: W hile th e tech ­
nological prom ises to re d u ce displeasure, th e aesthetic prom ises to increase
p leasu re. If a single flow er is pleasurable, a w hole b o u q u e t is even m o re so.
F o r non-W estern cultures, o n th e o th e r h a n d , th e aesthetic a n d the te c h n o ­
logical also revolve a ro u n d th e sam e axis, b u t in this case, are aim ed in the
sam e d irectio n : T h e aesth etic does n o t o p p o se the technical b u t is a kin d
o f tech n o lo g y for p ersu ad in g the gods o r m a in tain in g a certain b alan c e in
th e world.
As V eblen c o n tra p o se d th e instinct o f w orkm anship to financial invest­
m en t, (w hich is a k in d o f leisure conspicuously c o n su m ed a n d e x h ib ite d by
a e sth e tic m ean s), this o p p o sitio n can also b e re fo rm u la te d in term s o f a
technological instinct o f preserving an d p ro d u c in g things versus an aesthetic
in stin c t o f dispensing. In o th e r words, the technological drive is an im pulse
to save, re d u ce, re stric t a n d b e reaso n ab le w hile the aesthetic is an im pulse
to e x p e n d , dissipate, distend.
T h ese two o p p o sin g drives ech o N ietzsche’s D ionysian vs. A p o llo n ian
forces in his The Birth o f Tragedy (1872). F or N ietzsche, th e A p o llo n ian re p ­
re s e n te d th e re a so n a b le , ju d ic io u s, ra tio n a l, re lia b le , useful e le m e n t in
h u m a n n a tu re , w hile th e D ionysian is the a rd e n t, enthusiastic, passionate
e le m e n t, as p erso n ified by the G reek gods A pollo a n d Dionysus. T h e walls
o f A p o llo ’s tem p le a t D elphi b o re two G reek m axim s, »Know Thyself« th e
axiom o f reaso n ab len ess a n d »N othing in Excess«, the fu n d a m e n ta l p rin ­
ciple o f tem p eran ce. W hile aesthetic theory has em phasized the A p o llo n ian
aspects ad m irin g unity, harm ony, symmetry, regularity a n d rhythm , th e im ­
p o rta n c e o f th e Dionysiac excessive aspect has b een greatly u n d e re stim a te d
in theory, a lth o u g h n ev e r in art.
A pollo is te m p e ra n c e a n d logos, while Dionysus is excess a n d pathos.
H e is in fact th e G reek god o f a b u n d a n c e re la te d to every kin d o f excess:
m ystic in th e religious, orgiastic in the sexual, ecstatic in its ritu al dances,
e u p h o ric a n d in e b ria te d in th e B acchanals. Dionysus was h e n c e p a tro n o f
w ine a n d o f arts like song, d ra m a a n d poetry. His sym bolic p re sen ce leads
to a sense o f freed o m , fertility, generosity a n d ease.
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The Indispensable Excess of the Aesthetic
W hile A ristotle advised te m p eran ce , w hat we really enjoy a n d n e e d is
excess: it assures us th a t life is m ag n an im o u s a n d the w orld a b u n d a n t. C o n ­
sequently, in a c o n te x t th a t is b o u n tifu l a n d good, it beco m es only n atu ra l
to b e k ind a n d g enerous. S trict calcu latio n a n d co n tro l o f p e o p le ’s tim e,
d esires, e n e rg y a n d privacy, such as occurs in to ta lita ria n re g im e s leads,
B ataille insisted, to u n c o n tro lla b le fe ar a n d d estru c tio n th ro u g h war, d e h u ­
m anization, reification a n d s u rre n d e r o f th e m ost basic h u m a n values. W hat
is in d isp en sab le is this possibility a n d actuality o f the excessive itself, the
feelin g th at excess is real, th a t we can lose w ith o u t rem o rse, th a t th e re is a
m arg in fo r vagary a n d play, th a t life gives m ore th a n we can take.
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