Lawrence Durrell suggests that beneath an artist’s various preoccupations such as sex, society, and religion, there lies a deeper, more profound essence. These surface concerns are just distractions that enable the mind to focus outward rather than confront more painful personal truths.
He emphasizes that at the core, there is a soul overwhelmed by a profound absence of tenderness in the world, implying that the true motivation for artistic expression stems from a deep longing for compassion and emotional connection which is often missing in society.