Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
art is ...
5/25/08
9:25 AM
what art is ...
[reminders to myself]
quite simply - by formal definition:
“the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty and emotional power - concerned with the processes and products of human creativity - a skill at doing a specific thing, typically one acquired through pratice” ...
Traditionally the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".[1] Generally art is a (product of) human activity, made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; by transmitting emotions and/or ideas. Beyond this description, there is no general agreed-upon definition of art. Art is also able to illustrate abstract thought and its expressions can elicit previously hidden emotions in its audience.
The evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the 20th century. Richard Wollheim distinguishes three approaches: the Realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view; the Objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience; and the Relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human experience of different humans.[2] An object may be characterized by the intentions, or lack thereof, of its creator, regardless of its apparent purpose. A cup, which ostensibly can be used as a container, may be considered art if intended solely as an ornament, while a painting may be deemed craft if mass-produced.
Visual art is defined as the arrangement of colors, forms, or other elements "in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium".[3] The nature of art has been described by Wollheim as "one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture".[4] It has been defined as a vehicle for the expression or communication of emotions and ideas, a means for exploring and appreciating formal elements for their own sake, and as mimesis or representation.[5] Leo Tolstoy identified art as a use of indirect means to communicate from one person to another.[5] Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood advanced the idealist view that art expresses emotions, and that the work of art therefore essentially exists in the mind of the creator.[6][7] Art as form has its roots in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, and was developed in the early twentieth century by Roger Fry and Clive Bell.[5] Art as mimesis or representation has deep roots in the philosophy of Aristotle.[5]
It is common in the history of art for people to dispute whether a particular form or work, or particular piece of work counts as art or not. In fact for much of the past century the idea of art has been to simply challenge what art is. Philosophers of Art call these disputes “classificatory disputes about art.” For example, Ancient Greek philosophers debated about whether or not ethics should be considered the "art of living well". Classificatory disputes in the 20th century included: cubist and impressionist paintings, Duchamp’s Fountain, the movies, superlative imitations of banknotes, propaganda, and even a crucifix immersed in urine. Conceptual art often intentionally pushes the boundaries of what counts as art. New media such as Video games slowly become co-opted by artists and/or recognized as art forms in its own right, though these new classification shifts are not universally adopted and remain the subject of dispute. [17]
Disputes over the nature of art have raged for centuries, and have even resulted in the banning of some forms.
Philosopher David Novitz has argued that disagreement about the definition of art are rarely the heart of the problem. Rather, "the passionate concerns and interests that humans vest in their social life" are "so much a part of all classificatory disputes about art" (Novitz, 1996). According to Novitz, classificatory disputes are more often disputes about our values and where we are trying to go with our society than they are about theory proper. For example, when the Daily Mail criticized Hirst's and Emin’s work by arguing "For 1,000 years art has been one of our great civilising forces. Today, pickled sheep and soiled beds threaten to make barbarians of us all" they are not advancing a definition or theory about art, but questioning the value of Hirst’s and Emin’s work.[18] In 1998, Arthur Danto, suggested a thought experiment showing that "the status of an artifact as work of art results from the ideas a culture applies to it, rather than its inherent physical or perceptible qualities. Cultural interpretation (an art theory of some kind) is therefore constitutive of an object’s arthood."[19][20]
Art tends to facilitate intuitive rather than rational understanding, and is usually consciously created with this intention. Fine art intentionally serves no other purpose. As a result of this impetus, works of art are elusive, refractive to attempts at classification, because they can be appreciated in more than one way, and are often susceptible to many different interpretations. In the case of Gericault's Raft of the Medusa, special knowledge concerning the shipwreck that the painting depicts is not a prerequisite to appreciating it, but allows the appreciation of Gericault's political intentions in the piece. Even art that superficially depicts a mundane event or object, may invite reflection upon elevated themes.
Traditionally, the highest achievements of art demonstrate a high level of ability or fluency within a medium. This characteristic might be considered a point of contention, since many modern artists (most notably, conceptual artists) do not themselves create the works they conceive, or do not even create the work in a conventional, demonstrative sense. Art has a transformative capacity: confers particularly appealing or aesthetically satisfying structures or forms upon an original set of unrelated, passive constituents.
Art is often intended to appeal and connect with human emotion. It can arouse aesthetic or moral feelings, and can be understood as a way of communicating these feelings. Artists express something so that their audience is aroused to some extent, but they do not have to do so consciously. Art explores what is commonly termed as the human condition that is essentially what it is to be human. Effective art often brings about some new insight concerning the human condition either singly or en-mass, which is not necessarily always positive, or necessarily widens the boundaries of collective human ability. The degree of skill that the artist has, will affect their ability to trigger an emotional response and thereby provide new insights, the ability to manipulate them at will shows exemplary skill and determination.
Traditionally the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".[1] Generally art is a (product of) human activity, made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; by transmitting emotions and/or ideas. Beyond this description, there is no general agreed-upon definition of art. Art is also able to illustrate abstract thought and its expressions can elicit previously hidden emotions in its audience.
The evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the 20th century. Richard Wollheim distinguishes three approaches: the Realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view; the Objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience; and the Relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human experience of different humans.[2] An object may be characterized by the intentions, or lack thereof, of its creator, regardless of its apparent purpose. A cup, which ostensibly can be used as a container, may be considered art if intended solely as an ornament, while a painting may be deemed craft if mass-produced.
Visual art is defined as the arrangement of colors, forms, or other elements "in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium".[3] The nature of art has been described by Wollheim as "one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture".[4] It has been defined as a vehicle for the expression or communication of emotions and ideas, a means for exploring and appreciating formal elements for their own sake, and as mimesis or representation.[5] Leo Tolstoy identified art as a use of indirect means to communicate from one person to another.[5] Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood advanced the idealist view that art expresses emotions, and that the work of art therefore essentially exists in the mind of the creator.[6][7] Art as form has its roots in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, and was developed in the early twentieth century by Roger Fry and Clive Bell.[5] Art as mimesis or representation has deep roots in the philosophy of Aristotle.[5]
It is common in the history of art for people to dispute whether a particular form or work, or particular piece of work counts as art or not. In fact for much of the past century the idea of art has been to simply challenge what art is. Philosophers of Art call these disputes “classificatory disputes about art.” For example, Ancient Greek philosophers debated about whether or not ethics should be considered the "art of living well". Classificatory disputes in the 20th century included: cubist and impressionist paintings, Duchamp’s Fountain, the movies, superlative imitations of banknotes, propaganda, and even a crucifix immersed in urine. Conceptual art often intentionally pushes the boundaries of what counts as art. New media such as Video games slowly become co-opted by artists and/or recognized as art forms in its own right, though these new classification shifts are not universally adopted and remain the subject of dispute. [17]
Disputes over the nature of art have raged for centuries, and have even resulted in the banning of some forms.
Philosopher David Novitz has argued that disagreement about the definition of art are rarely the heart of the problem. Rather, "the passionate concerns and interests that humans vest in their social life" are "so much a part of all classificatory disputes about art" (Novitz, 1996). According to Novitz, classificatory disputes are more often disputes about our values and where we are trying to go with our society than they are about theory proper. For example, when the Daily Mail criticized Hirst's and Emin’s work by arguing "For 1,000 years art has been one of our great civilising forces. Today, pickled sheep and soiled beds threaten to make barbarians of us all" they are not advancing a definition or theory about art, but questioning the value of Hirst’s and Emin’s work.[18] In 1998, Arthur Danto, suggested a thought experiment showing that "the status of an artifact as work of art results from the ideas a culture applies to it, rather than its inherent physical or perceptible qualities. Cultural interpretation (an art theory of some kind) is therefore constitutive of an object’s arthood."[19][20]
Art tends to facilitate intuitive rather than rational understanding, and is usually consciously created with this intention. Fine art intentionally serves no other purpose. As a result of this impetus, works of art are elusive, refractive to attempts at classification, because they can be appreciated in more than one way, and are often susceptible to many different interpretations. In the case of Gericault's Raft of the Medusa, special knowledge concerning the shipwreck that the painting depicts is not a prerequisite to appreciating it, but allows the appreciation of Gericault's political intentions in the piece. Even art that superficially depicts a mundane event or object, may invite reflection upon elevated themes.
Traditionally, the highest achievements of art demonstrate a high level of ability or fluency within a medium. This characteristic might be considered a point of contention, since many modern artists (most notably, conceptual artists) do not themselves create the works they conceive, or do not even create the work in a conventional, demonstrative sense. Art has a transformative capacity: confers particularly appealing or aesthetically satisfying structures or forms upon an original set of unrelated, passive constituents.
Art is often intended to appeal and connect with human emotion. It can arouse aesthetic or moral feelings, and can be understood as a way of communicating these feelings. Artists express something so that their audience is aroused to some extent, but they do not have to do so consciously. Art explores what is commonly termed as the human condition that is essentially what it is to be human. Effective art often brings about some new insight concerning the human condition either singly or en-mass, which is not necessarily always positive, or necessarily widens the boundaries of collective human ability. The degree of skill that the artist has, will affect their ability to trigger an emotional response and thereby provide new insights, the ability to manipulate them at will shows exemplary skill and determination.
Friday, May 23, 2008
meaning in art ...
from my chapter on recipes ...
5/23/08
8:24 AM
read an article by robert c. morgan in the brooklyn rail -
thoughtful, considerate, and kind -
kinder than i usually am about the subjects of intent and perception regarding art ...
part of my irritability stems from just being plain tired of the spin people put on things for their own aggrandizement or disregard with which they relate to art - all of which has to do with a lack of fluency on the subject ...
elevating something to the stature of art has become disgustingly relative ...
most of the time a little knowledge is dangerous to discourse and none at all is what i expect, along with the occasional idiot’s tendency toward argument that dismisses fact for feeling ...
[the fact that someone feels creates pertinence - trumps objective knowledge - what?]
beyond the individuals’, institutions’, or publics’ own self interest,
there seems to be little discernment regarding the expertise, pertinence, method, influence, level of accomplishment or thought behind an artist’s work - all of which become the criteria for understanding ...
[nothing’s created in a vacuum] ...
or the role that art plays in epistemology, ontology, cultural identity, decoration, and entertainment ...
exposure to pluralism, diversity, and excess have blurred the distinctions between standards of competency and excellence ...
[‘glut’ says rauschenberg]
no child left behind, political correctness, acceptable behavior, the price of freedom, deviations, permutations, litigations, letters of law, fast food, throw away, fair and balanced, 24/7 ...
inundation of mediocrity [art objects, discourse, opinions, venues ...] create complacency in our ability to discriminate ...
[rabinowitch calls passive processing]
even some of the knowledgeable that practice ‘closet elitism’ in their own fields of expertise apply leniency when it comes to evaluating what is called art in our culture with a laissez-faire - ‘anything goes’ attitude - something most are apt to vehemently oppose when it comes to their own professions ...
or the bar is set so low it includes the ‘wannabes’ and ‘posers’ [what rothko terms morons]
that proliferate banality resulting in the publics’ substandard exposure and education of what art is or could be - hence the insidious nature of warholism and the descent to ‘popular’ wisdom ...
[like george ‘w’ having the support of troops he trains and pays because he’s taken away most of their other opportunities, or teenage fixations with brittany, paris, gangsta’s, cutting, and crack, because that’s the story of the day or way to be all that you can be, etc.] ...
i’ve always appreciated the spanish culture’s ability to apply standards to the flamenco arts by breaking it down into four categories:
popular - public entertainment, effect
chico - light flamenco; somewhat accomplished, student
intermedio - accomplished understanding of traditions and skills
jondo or grande - profound or deep, master level ...
something worth considering when evaluating the distinctions between jackson pollocks ‘blue poles’ and a sixty minutes’ segment on a monkey’s ability to throw paint on canvas and have it sold in galleries - or when you turn your back on a twombly in favor of some sophomoric representation of something that reminds you of something that reminds you of something that you really know nothing about ...
the problem is: more people know about the monkey than jackson pollock - and most that do know about pollock haven’t a clue about why he did what he did ... and that’s gettin to be ancient history already ...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
circumstance ...
5/21/08
6:42 AM
yesterday ‘they’ said it would rain today,
i planned accordingly;
charged my video camera,
prepared for quiet gray technicals
working out glitches
and business admin ...
sunlight unbinding ...
dizzy, busy, blind ...
experience makes us different,
understanding makes us the same ...
same difference ...
everything is changing -
where am i in it ...
what keeps me from where i should be,
except acceptance -
changing wants ...
having said anything ...
grimacing consequences,
second guessing ...
confessing submission,
victimed derision ...
occasionally taking part,
in some of those projects;
business and heart -
that aren’t so true ...
thinking it’s limited impact -
butterflies askew ...
ironies of teaching
and payments due,
what orbits position
without point of view ...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
zone systems ...
5/16/08
7:20 AM
probably said it before -
i love the neutrality of gray, rainy days ...
the steady rhythms of rain - the quiet, the peace, and pace ...
time blends - not delineated by sun - gradual ...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
vision ...
5/15/08
6:02 AM
some people have been like corrective lenses for me over the years ...
just when i thought i knew - bingo - they’d say, do, sing, play, paint, write, or exhibit something that would adjust my perspective ...
i’ve been lucky to live through a time of such abundance and access to inspiration, but there’s always a few you can count on ...
rauschenberg was one of them ...
he was fearless, fun, and pertinent ...
he worked materials, color, composition, and images with an ease, audacity, and confidence that only comes from knowing ...
he also reminded us of the importance of the artists’ role beyond the studio; to entrepreneur, philanthropist, government, ambassador ...
he didn’t believe in limits ...
if you happened to be doing the ny gallery circuit in the 70’s, you couldn’t help bumping into him - literally - and always with his perplexed, unassuming, curious amazement ...
i see more clearly because of rauschenberg ...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
sunday - live poetry !
if you haven't heard or seen michael lally read his poetry live, you're missing the inflection and heart-felt experience as only he can deliver it ...
something you can't glean from a written page ...
these are getting to be rare opportunities -
sunday in south orange, jersey ...
to los angeles ...
torrents, 2003.
36"h x 36"w.
acrylic paint on wood.
one of the many gifts of my gig as an artist - to have people appreciate the work - to want it on their walls too ...
long time friends and collectors of my work, claude and mary ann [who came to my first opening in los angeles] have made another significant selection - they've carefully chosen pieces over the years that represent different areas of interest - this one is a gem ...
started over the summer of '02 when we were having a tremendous amount of rain here in eastern pa - so i started using the rain as part of my application process ...
coupled with the baking afternoon sun, it produced some unusual results - all recipes and predictability were approximate based on weather - the color palette was also reaching a different direction - more mediterranean than pa pedestrian ...
a joy to work on and a pleasure to part with - its' going to a good home ...
working with clients rather than galleries has always given me this pleasure of the personal touch ...
passing thoughts this morning:
being present doesn’t allow much time for reflection ...
or projection for that matter ...
[a fool’s game anyway]
expertus + praesentia + supersto
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
our myopia, ourselves ...
really enjoyed the article in the 'brooklyn rail' by thomas micchelli [sorry to have missed the lecture/roundtable] ...
now i'd like to see someone tackle the issue of warhol's impact on current trends ...
word ...
5/9/08
5:44 AM
been hearing an old word being used in a new way a lot recently - another divisive rather than endearing term - another way to make sweeping generalizations - to distinguish one from another - to diminish for the sake of elevating ones’ own stature or belief - another word that defines wrong rather than difference - it avoids resolve and self evaluation - it avoids profanity, yet provides the same result - it comes in five easy-to-manage letters that are hard to forget ...
and the word is - [after a somewhat curious, anticipating pause] - ‘toxic’ - yep, [of or relating to poison - hazardous; an antigenic venom; a foreign substance that produces an immune response] ...
just another way to avoid looking at the cause ...
Thursday, May 8, 2008
difference - deference ...
5/8/08
6:47 AM
had an opportunity to visit old friend and mentor, james carroll yesterday at the nap [new arts program’s office/exhibition space] in kutztown, pa - always provocative and delightful ...
handed off the 8 hours of tapes i made of the marfa symposium from last weekend ...
if anyone will enjoy them as much as me, it’ll be james ...
got a preview of john yau’s handmade book collaboration he did with white crow paper, nap, and max gimblett - circular pages and text, antique photographs, considerable craftsmanship, naive drawing/painting, opposing content, mundane palette, apparently haphazard or in defiance of the form - too many questions yet to formulate an opinion; but i do have to wonder if the content is excessively legitimized by the making of its’ form - the ‘book’ ...
also saw a bunch of work submitted for the ‘small works invitational’ - from a cursory view - just more of the same - and that’s no reflection on ‘nap’ - i just don’t see artists displaying any real vision, commitment, and originality these days ...
read yau’s article on jasper johns in the brooklyn rail ...
[http://www.brooklynrail.org/2008/04/artseen/jasper-johns2]
insightful and interesting to me how the ‘gang’ of artists like johns, twombly, rauschenberg, and warhol steered in different directions from early on in their careers - with such different results - the ‘rail’ is a must have to anyone interested in critical art reading these days ...
took a stroll down lally’s alley this morning to find some troublesome stuff as only michael can articulate it - a brilliant man ...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
surface ...
5/7/08
7:07 AM
one of those thick, tired mornings - the forest looks exhausted from blooming - learning to hold the weight of all those leaves - so many stems to nourish - providing sustenance for all its’ new occupants ... i believe most of the pollen is gone for now - at least gone enough to finally be able to apply clean gesso ...
paint it white, then complain about the emptiness ...
a lot of domestic disputes going on - seems to be some pretty aggressive arguments over ‘limb rights’ between the red and gray squirrels which in turn fluster the birds as they chase each other down ...
everybody's working on deadlines that i don’t fully understand - yet ...
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
new arts program ...
small works invitational ...
5/6/08
9:14 AM ...
i rarely participate in or visit group shows ...
[unless they’re about a theme of interest]
the new arts programs small works invitational is different ...
[lately i’m beginning to recognize more clearly my interest in ‘difference']
the ‘small works’ theme has nothing to do with prefab, rehashed trends manufactured by imbedded psuedo critics - simply work that is easy to hang, ship, and view in a limited space ...
after this past weekends’ symposium in marfa i have a new found respect for some of my academic background - something i often deny for reasons of not being ‘enough’ [self esteem issues] ...
james carroll, founder of nap, offered a gem of an educational opportunity to a student body of aspiring artists - independent study, direct interaction, lecture/discussions, and consultation from pertinent new york artists ...
james held them hostage in rural pennsylvania for three days, twice a month for years ...
the likes of bochner, rabinowitch, phil glass, reich, cage, serra and rockborne to name but a few - and less than a handfull of people took advantage of it - i was lucky enough to be among the few [and at that time i’m talking six, often less] who had the opportunity to hang with, talk, show them our own work, get critiqued, get shut down, and learn from on a deeply personal level - that in itself was magic - bearing witness to the trials, tribulations, and obstacles that they faced at a particular stage of their career in a relaxed hiatus from their usual lives - and the biggest ‘issue’ was never the money or acquisition, but the problems preventing the progress of work ...
i truely was blessed to have been able to sit at that table - and its an abstraction about that part of my education and formulation of ideas that doesn’t translate well because it was non traditional and not as articulated as the black mountain school for instance ...
and like the gratitude i feel as my own work gradually evolves, it brings joy to my heart to have seen and still see these mysteries of art and thinking unveiled ...
Monday, May 5, 2008
frenzy ...
5/5/08
8:05 AM
team playing - and the things we do - what we choose to believe - ommit, ignore, or forget - to think we’re part of something bigger or better than we are ...
if my 'disillusionment' with the political process, the media's incompetency, and the voting publics' ability to reason is objectionable - than why is the 'illusionment' of their position more tolerable ...
Sunday, May 4, 2008
out of the box ...
5/4/08
7:08 AM
an absolute treat ...
as i mentioned a few entries ago,
there’s a symposium in marfa, texas this weekend
that through the wonders of modern technology
you can listen to anywhere ...
the roster of speakers - for the most part - were engaging;
[with the possible exception of one presenter’s informal ‘chat’,
pompous delivery, and predictable rhetoric]
i found it impossible to leave ...
judd began writing seriously as an art critic in the 60’s
and what i found particularly interesting
was his brand of intelligent ‘activism’ toward established,
or blindly accepted theories of what art should be ...
though he often did the usual salt ‘n pepper reviews,
he’d season them with his own flavor of cynicism or doubt
that would spawn dialogue and debate ...
something i really don’t hear a lot of today ...
[i find most critics self important and afraid to write about what they don’t know or at least pretending and defending what they think they know instead of considering what they do as an ongoing dialogue] ...
the beauty is ...
that judd transcended through the minutia to a ‘discussion’ that continues today ...
begins today at 9 a.m.
ann temkin’s paper at 10 a.m. and,
david rabinowitch at 12:15 [the highlight for me]
(that’s central time - an hour later for we easterners)
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
spring rain ...
5/2/08
6:49 AM
woke up thinking about the huge cy twombly paintings/room at the philly art museum that i haven’t seen for a few years and how i used to enjoy sitting there for hours - curiously undisturbed, and how still smelling the paint reinforced the freshness of his ‘scribbles’, how rainy - gray mornings neutralize the landscape, diseases of deception, mythical themes, some authors/poets' ability to always surprise, and how i haven’t really heard anyone articulate the so-called problems associated with immigration ...
popularity polls indicate that g.w.bush’s approval ratings [24%] are among the lowest of any president in recent history - second only to h.s.truman; but there’s still time - what a legacy ...
in the court of world opinion, i wonder what saddam huessein’s ratings were back in 2001 ...
Thursday, May 1, 2008
marfa public radio - symposium ...
5/1/08
6:26 AM
you gotta love it - it’s times like these when all the white-knuckled dealings with the frustrations of technology make it all worthwhile - for me ...
a month or so ago when ‘it’ was brought to my attention [by james carroll of new arts],
i had hoped that a windfall would allow some roaming around the desert southwest for a few days [like i used to do quite a bit back in the late 80’s and 90’s] and maybe end up in marfa, texas for a symposium on the writings of donald judd with some of what i consider to be the real ‘art brains’ of our time ...
i was lucky enough to spend time dialoging with some of these people over the years, and one way or another they profoundly effected the way i think about art today - and now a few of them will be under one roof - in marfa? - a town i know nothing about, except being the setting of the james dean movie ‘giant’ and later, the judd repository - which after seeing an article in architectural record in ‘92 influenced the studios i’ve renovated, owned, and lived in for over a decade ...
the sojourn would’ve been nice, but as april drew to a close i figured i’d just have to settle for reading some version of it somewhere ...
yesterday i learned they will be streaming ‘live’ from marfa public radio this weekend ...
you can learn more by visiting ‘chinati foundation’ ...
http://www.chinati.org/index.php
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