ELECTRICITY AND PATHOS IN ART IN THE 21ST CENTURY
OK people, what I'm blahing about in this post is not an idea in it's extreme as I've liked to previously. My rave here is of a questioning affair. What I'm asking is relative to art in our times having soul. I am shamelessly proposing that not enough art today has feeling. Again, as I've done before I have to state that this proposal is only made comparitively to history. (If we compare art today to all previous creations, how does it rate in terms of soul factor?). I'll whinge but not because there's no soul left in the art wortld, but because there's not enough. Art that I thought did have soul was, admittedly, that of Picasso even though I don't consider myself a great fan. And he was relentless about it too. He continued makeing art with that calibre of intensity until he died. Gaugain or Van Gogh were two others. I'm not mentioning them in terms of their artistic statements, but on that particular emotive quality of their work. Gaugain may have been a bit rough around the edges, but his brush was on fire, there's evivdence almost in the physical marks on the canvas... a vitality in his marks- energetic evidence of life. I can't say that most prominent work these days has those qualities. Van Gogh's work had these graphic attributes as well. Heck, even the Beatles had it. But like most musicians who have a streak of honesty in their sound, there is a difference between an honest effort and good music. Another artist that deserves mention for this matter is Egon Schiele, who's influences borrowed from Japonisme lend his expressive touch channelled into linework. Bacon's intensity is isolated to his subject matter and execution of aesthetic concept rather than being evident in his brush strokes. Not all emotive artworks ever made have said raw intensity intrinsic to the physical quality of the media used. It's a conscious effort made by the artist at the time of concepton that leaves the work to retain these qualities. Works of this nature relect life, energy back at you. I won't say they give you life, but they seem to energize something within, stimulate you more, on an energetic level. It's this spark that the work has to ignite in you as viewer, even if indirectly, through some subverted, sly, methodical conceptual sarcastic parody. A little irony works wonders. Satire can stimulate an energetic response through its theoretical ploys. But nothing should be repeated for iits own sake. Satire has become fashionable, but like anything should only be used if the effect is instigative of an appropriate reaction.
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MS Paint Art
katyzzz... I'll have to learn more about those artists you cite.
Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power
Excellent!
...you could say that Abstract Expressionism was feeling without thought...you could...or I could....i just have.....maybe there is a bit of a backlash(normal) to that which you speak of because of that...
Patrick.
WE WANT ART WITH AESTHETICS!!
THANK-YOU BOTH FOR YOUR APPRECIATION AND GRACEFUL VISITATIONS. It's good to hear from like minds. And Patrick, I'd really like to know if you make stuff and if I could be so fortunate to witness it. We need an abstract revolution!! lol We need youth revolting in the streets armed with paint and passion. Fire in their bellies, retribution in their minds and vindication in ther voices! An upheaval of all
old-guard institutions making way for the revival of all who support the avante-guard!!! hahahaha
Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power
I know at TAFE level the Visual Arts course is under enormous pressure to produce "skilled employees". As a result many TAFE's no longer have the course and those that do are being forced to make staff cuts. Any society without art is not one worth living in. I do make stuff...when I get around to posting it i'll let you know.
There are artists who hang on to the old representational values and they suffer for their integrity, mostly.
Patrick...is now Norm
You write with true artistic soul
Fifi
One can only hope...