Hello artists,
I tend to sympathise with Platt's "classical" view of art. Some of the
old-timers in the discussion will remember my equating Quality with
Meaning ("Lila has meaning - she means something to Phaedrus . . .").
Consistent with this view, I think that art that lacks meaning lacks
quality. I don't mean that art has to have a rational explicit meaning,
but it has to involve the perception of patterns. This is what makes art
a means of communication. If there is no meaning, then there is nothing
to communicate.
Thus, I do not consider random sounds or random marks on paper to be
art. By definition, "random" means that they lack meaning, and thus
quality. For it to be art, the aural or visual forms need to engage me
in a meaningful experience, evoking feelings, tell stories etc. Art that
does not do this is not art.
Although I have no "rational" explanation for the beauty element in art,
I personally believe that there is an important "intellectual" aspect.
Some art is simple - the patterns are obvious to everyone. In music I
put Mozart in this category. I don't much like Mozart. The tunes are
pleasant enough, and the orchestration superb, but it is too "cutesy",
too predictable and too obvious. I believe that many people in the fine
arts have a similar view of the painter Raphael.
IMO, this is art pandering to masses - spoon feeding (remember in ZAMM
when the Prof. asks Phaedrus' opinion of cookery?). The artist who works
like this is a technician FOLLOWING the whims and desires of society.
His art is to "titillate".
The art that I find more rewarding is art that challenges me to FIND
patterns that the artist hasn't spelled out explicitly.
Good art is very far from being a passive experience. It is something to
be worked at, chewed over and digested, maybe over and over again. It is
not a cheap novel to be read once and thrown away. It is not a song that
everyone enjoys for a season and then forgets. True art touches much
deeper than that. The true artist is a teacher and a LEADER, and his
work may take society to new heights.
Jonathan
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