“The Great Divorce” part 2
One would think that society would naturally evolve and continually realign itself with contemporary art. One might also assume that viewing art created in a contemporary context would reestablish an understanding of its ideas and progress. However, judging purely by the large quantity of people that view historical art compared to the minute amount that venture into contemporary galleries, one can assume that the present day public feels more connected to historical art rather than contemporary. It is strange that even when the contemporary public views art created within its own culture, politics, religions, and ideas, it is still unable to identify with it, create more appropriate and informed standards, and understand the core of what art is: idea, communication, and a continual redefinition of itself.
How does one begin to unravel previous value systems and already established standards of art? It takes personal motivation to observe art that one may not enjoy or even understand. Most importantly it begins with education. It means following the post-impressionist movement into the drastically different and foreign territories of the beginning of the twentieth century, and with courage, follow them to their contemporary conclusion. If accomplished one will discover the same intelligence and content in the ideas and communication of the Renaissance artists as the contemporary artists currently working today.
Hemingway and Steinbeck
It seems that I will continue to identify with the books I read so long ago. The struggle to land too large a fish, and to do so, only to have it entirely eaten before reaching the shore, the whole time wishing the boy was there…and to adore something to such a point, something so delicate, that with your own strength you end up destroying it.
Liberty Valance
I want to ride off into the sunset,
Find the end of the world and fall off its edge.
I imagine peace to find me there,
In the naked thought of flying.
And if ever there was a ground to shatter me to pieces,
I would hope it to be a story,
Worthy of an ending.
The American Renaissance in NYC
Newton, Kelly, Roco, Myself, in front of the NBC building NYC
The drive for the American Renaissance brought me and old friends from San Clemente together in New York City last week. Maybe it’s not that serious, maybe we just do what we want to do, but standing outside the NBC building last Wednesday, on the other side of the United States, with friends I have know for over 10 years, I realized that both our friendships and our desire to create a different America had brought us there. Roco had flown into the city for a photo journalist interview with a cooperative photography company that specializes in conflict photography, Kelly was in town because Delta Spirit (the band he is in) earned the opportunity to launch their tour with a spot on the Conon O Brian show, Newton…well Newton loves history and fighting crime, and lastly, I personally flew out to continue my pursuit of an MFA and an understanding of the contemporary art world, and maybe drink a little wine while I was at it. After putting our mandatory tasks behind us, we finally met up for the taping of Delta Spirit on the Conon O Brian show, which proved to be an amazing time. And as I looked at the four of us, the bellman about to snap our photo, I realized that we were all standing together not only as friends, but as people trying to come to terms with our own ideas of how the world should exist and how we should exist in it.
10 Things Hipsters Love the Most
- #1 Fixed Gear Bicycles
- #2 PBR
- #3 American Apparel
- #4 Being Vegetarian
- #5 Beards
- #6 Liberal Arts Degrees
- #7 Deep V’s and Dangley Medallions
- #8 Hand Rolled Cigarettes
- #9 Independent Coffee Shops
- #10 Comments on their myspace photo
As of September 9th we have updated our list to include two new contributions being beards and hand rolled cigarettes. Enjoy.
Hipsters at Their Finest
The Great Divorce (Part 1)
Who are These People?
At what point in history did the contemporary public fall in love with Cosmo, American Idol, and Thomas Kinkade? Unfortunately, the characteristics that cause millions of people to spend countless hours entranced by such entertainment have created an appreciation that is encouraged by many classical masterpieces, yet ostracizes them from the contemporary art that is being created today.
The core of such separation has been created by an ongoing lack of education and awareness among the contemporary public. People begin viewing historical art such as De Vinci, Michelangelo, and Courbet, in the early years of life without the necessary education required to understand the content of the work. Without any information, viewers inevitably access and appreciate artwork based on superficial qualities such as beauty, skill, and size. It’s difficult not to be enamored by such qualities if one has ever stood below the Sistine Chapel or in front of a De Vinci. However, something is tragically missed and created in the initial experiences the public has with historical masterpieces. How can the public fully understand the significance of the Coronation of Napoleon without knowing its context, or the drama of a Courbet without knowing the subjects in his paintings? As a result, masses retreat to the comfort of accessing artwork based not on idea or communication, but on effort, skill, and beauty, stripping artwork of the art itself, and reducing it to merely craft.
The separation of the culture these works were created in and the culture they are viewed in is largely responsible for the misunderstanding of such work, consequently creating the current trend in appreciation for contemporary art. The appreciation of artwork for its beauty or skill is encouraged by centuries of art and even further encouraged by the impressionist and postimpressionist work. Claude Monet continued to produce work well into the nineteen thirties and decades after the initial works of modernists such as Duchamp and Picasso. Typically these nineteenth century works have sold for the greatest value in the past half a century, most often to corporations with little direct relationship to the art world, who I am certain are most fascinated by the brushstrokes.
One must remember, these works were revolutionary during their time and explored new ideas and boundaries while simultaneously defining and redefining the culture they were created in. It is not the works that were created, nor the understanding of the culture they were created in, but a lack of knowledge among the contemporary public that is responsible for creating false standards while viewing them retrospectively. If only art had ended with “Waterloo Sunset” and the “Starry Night”. Unfortunately, the nineteenth century turned and the work of Picasso, Duchamp, and other modernists emerged, and I must now respond to my mother when she stands in front of an Ives Klein and retorts, “I could have made that”.
Ives Klein
