From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 04/23/02-12:09:22 AM Z
On Tue, 23 Apr 2002, Halvor wrote:
> .... what do all works of
> art have in common ?
That they are all exceedingly time bound. That is, IMPOSSIBLE to judge
from their moment. Although I'm willing to make a stab at it out of the
kindness of my heart -- like the judge asked to define pornography: I
can't define it but I know it when I see it.
As for practical use -- one of the reasons we have so much dreck today is
that the purposes art served in prior ages are now served better by the
printing press and other media of glorification, status, record, and
narrative.
But I see no need to separate art from craft, or not all art from all
craft. Certainly of late some "well-received" artworld art is done in
knitting and embroidery. So which is a stained glass window? A tapestry?
An oriental rug? A mosaic? A carved door on a little church in -- oh
what's the name of that village in Tuscany with the famous carved doors?
> An interesting twist on the functionality question is Press Photography.
> Pictures made to serve an informing function. I have hovewer seen some
> pictures that clearly show signs of art.
More than signs. I have on my desk this moment a stunning photograph from
March 20 NY Times, titled "Learning to Blend In." Caption is "Royal
Marines commandos, among the British troops about to be deployed in
Afghanistan, trained yesterday in Abroath, Scotland." Credit is simply
"Reuters", for all practical purposes what my former teacher called one of
the greatest photographers of all time, "anonymous."
It's two soldiers in silhouette with bundles of grass camouflage on their
heads, dashing through waist-high grass with guns on the right hand aimed
right, the left arms aimed left... an exquisite "dance" moment, full of
delicate detail, splendid movement, perfect "seeing" and split-second
timing.
Both revelation and fantasy, the tension between the moment of war and its
total beauty makes the Ansel Adams calendar art seem even more insipid,
obvious, grandiose and bombastic than it is... difficult as that may be to
imagine, let alone achieve.
best,
Judy
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