<p>In this collection I explore aesthetic elements of Existentialism and the Absurd in Art and Culture across time. The central preoccupations of Existential Philosophy: the quest for authenticity, the meaning of life, the absurdity of human existence, etc. are central to many dilemmas and fundamental questions in Literature, Philosophy and Art in general. The main motivation for choosing this theme comes from this assay:</p> <p>Sadigh, Michah. “The Foundation of Existentialism in the Oldest Story Ever Told: The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Existential Analysis 21.1 (2010).</p> <p>And readings of Albert Camus' books such as The Myth of Sisyphus:</p> <p><em>"All Sisyphus' silent joy is contained therein. His fate belongs to him. His rock is a thing. Likewise, the absurd man, when he contemplates his torment, silences all the idols. In the universe suddenly restored to its silence, the myriad wondering little voices of the earth rise up. Unconscious, secret calls, invitations from all the faces, they are the necessary reverse and price of victory... </em><em>The rock is still rolling. I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."</em></p> <p>The Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus (1942)</p> <p><br /></p>