2.25.2009
the most important thing in life is style
"The most important thing in life is style.That is, the style of one's existence,
-- the characteristic mode of one's actions --
Is basically, ultimately
What matters.
For if humanity defines itself by doing,
Then style is doubly definitive because
Style describes the doing.
The point is this.
Happiness is a learned condition.
And since it is learned and self-generating,
It does not depend upon
External circumstances for
Its perpetuation. This throws a
Very ironic light on content. And
Underscores the primacy of style.
It is content, or rather the
Consciousness of content, that
Fills the void. But the mere
Presence of content is not enough.
It is style that makes us care."
--Amanda, Another Roadside Attraction, by Tom Robbins
2.16.2009
Art as Commodity Vs. Art as Mysticism
In my own art-world view, art as commodity is ok, especially if one can merge day job with their own art (let's say, hypothetically, one designs clothing to function as one's canvas). It's not ideal though.To place art within this capitalist frame forces the artist to pander to art buyers, including the final price tag within the creation equation. This problem dictated the formal presentation of some of my own pieces on more than one occasion. This can be limiting or inspiring, depending.
To remove fully the commodification of art from one's practice would produce, in most cases, radically different results. I would argue that this would allow art to become a mystical practice that merges spiritual practice with the material world, sculpting, as least metaphorically, spirit into form.
According to Holland Cotter of the New York Times, (below) maybe this recession will actually force a revamping in some artists' processes, allowing us to explore a more pure art rather than product creation. I'm down!
"Will the art industry continue to cling to art’s traditional analog status, to insist that the material, buyable object is the only truly legitimate form of art, which is what the painting revival of the last few years has really been about? Will contemporary art continue to be, as it is now, a fancyish Fortunoff’s, a party supply shop for the Love Boat crew? Or will artists — and teachers, and critics — jump ship, swim for land that is still hard to locate on existing maps and make it their home and workplace?
I’m not talking about creating ’60s-style utopias; all those notions are dead and gone and weren’t so great to begin with. I’m talking about carving out a place in the larger culture where a condition of abnormality can be sustained, where imagining the unknown and the unknowable — impossible to buy or sell — is the primary enterprise."
--from The Boom Is Over. Long Live the Art, by Holland Cotter for the NYT
2.14.2009
Realize
re⋅al⋅ize/ˈriəˌlaɪz/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ree-uh-lahyz] Show IPA Pronunciation
verb, -ized, -iz⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to grasp or understand clearly.
2. to make real; give reality to (a hope, fear, plan, etc.).
3. to bring vividly to the mind.
4. to convert into cash or money: to realize securities.
5. to obtain as a profit or income for oneself by trade, labor, or investment.
6. to bring as proceeds, as from a sale: The goods realized $1000.
7. Music. to sight-read on a keyboard instrument or write out in notation the full harmony and ornamentation indicated by (a figured bass).
8. Linguistics. to serve as an instance, representation, or embodiment of (an abstract linguistic element or category): In “Jack tripped,” the subject is realized by “Jack,” the predicate by “tripped,” and the past tense by “-ed.”
–verb (used without object)
9. to convert property or goods into cash or money.
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