From:
"Bob Hackett" <kinfolk@zzzzzzz>
Date:
Sat, 12 Jun 2004 04:33:03 -0400
Subject:
The Original Question
Bill Marsh wrote:
Quoted text begins.A printmaker friend and I were collaborating on a piece, going round and
round about this very topic, struggling about the "proper" approach to
what we were doing (I was taking the side of BEAUTY as opposed to
beauty). He finally screamed at me, "It doesn't have to be BEAUTIFUL to
be beautiful!" If that makes any sense.
End of quote.
What do you think he meant?Was he saying it didn't have to be beautiful to
be meaningful?
If a piece is meant to be more than just eyecandy,something that
says"Hey,look at this neat piece of stone.Isn't it shiney and colorful?" or
perhaps"Look at my skill,isn't my craftsmanship impecable!" then it needs to
have something less superficial to carry it.For lack of a better term I'll
use "weight"(we could just as easily use depth or meaning,etc).What is it
that gives a piece it's "weight"?What decides how much "weight" a piece
has?What causes that connection we're all looking for?
Aesthetics aside,isn't art meant to cause thought or emotion?How many of
us have seen that unaided connection between the work and the person viewing
it?By unaided I mean do people connect with your work without first having
it explained?If you must explain the work then is it the work or the words
which have the "weight".
If you have achieved that unaided connection,did you discuss it
objectively with the viewer?Many of us might be put off by the nature of
that connection as it bears no resemblance to what we had hoped for.It can
be quite an education discussing your work when the other person doesn't
know you have any connection to it.
Bob
- Follow-ups
- message 00129: The Original Question - Bill Marsh (13 Jun 2004)
- References
- message 00117: The Original Question - Elaine (11 Jun 2004)
- message 00121: The Original Question - Clive Murray-White (12 Jun 2004)
- message 00122: The Original Question - Bill Marsh (12 Jun 2004)
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