Why art? I don’t know really. Definitely more difficult to answer than my partner’s question “why do we have 6 different types of vinegar in the cupboard?”
Of course art means different things to different people - including the person who found my blog yesterday with the search term “I hate Rita Angus”.
Art keeps me interested in life. Visual art, poetry, books, film all have the ability to transport me (and probably other art forms too) and that is a very good thing for me right now. Part of my interest is also how these art forms impact differently on others. For example, my elderly mother sent me this film review “I put on a DVD. It was “Grizzleyman” supposed to be about grizzly bears obviously, but was mostly about a stupid man who finally got eaten by the bears“. I haven’t seen the movie but this honest appraisal made me laugh and want to see the film.
We need more of that type of critique rather than fawning. Here is an example of (in my opinion) valid critique. I am tired of having “oh its art” moments rather than “wow” moments so its with trepidation I have blocked off some time on 21 August to go visit Rita. All the reviews I’ve read have been good, however they all seem to include a “but”. I think I’ll be happy just to see the familiar faces of her work in real life though.
And while looking for art about bears to go with this post I found this interesting little piece “A Guide for Looking at Art” “Asking questions can help us use our minds, imaginations, past experiences, as well as our eyes and other senses to discover meaning in works of art.”
And the bears? Well I can’t help but keep thinking of Suzie the Bear and that one trick to life is to keep walking past the open windows. Thanks Mr Irving.
August 11, 2008 at 6:52 am |
Grizzly Man is choice and by Werner Hertzog, he the fiendish tormentor of Natassia’s father Klaus. I am saving for my own bear suit, though as my son S beat me to it, wearing one into and round Newmarket for a time. When asked why, he said, why not, the place needed a bear.
August 12, 2008 at 12:42 pm |
I saw an excerpt from Grizzly man at a conference a couple of years ago. the speaker told the story of this eccentric and passionate activist who identified with the bears several years ago. He thought the bears were his friends but he and, I think his girlfriend, were mauled to death by a grizzly and the whole thing was captured on film. Adams had set up the camera on a tripod before the event.
Your mother is right. It was foolhardy and mad, but clearly Adams was beyond thinking about the risks and the dangers. He died for and by his passion.
Lis
August 12, 2008 at 9:18 pm |
There is something to be said for passion. Its a bit like the movie “Into the Wild” I saw a while back and the movie portrayed the guy as a bit of a anti-hero and that he accidentially poisoned himself. However when I did some research ir turns out he was also foolhardy and mad and if he’d done the tiniest bit of research he need not have died at all as there was a bridge not too far off he could have used to get out and he actually starved to death.
August 13, 2008 at 11:22 pm |
Wasn’t it Lily (who couldn’t grow) who said…always keep walking past the open windows…then she suicided from her despair as a writer?
Oh, it was John,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087428/quotes
August 14, 2008 at 8:01 am |
You know I was sure it was Lily that said that and then John just repeated it in the narration. I think the guy in Vienna (Freud) explained it at some point as well and thats where the quote came from initially. It became a family saying.
I also like the lines about Sorrow (the dog). e.g. “Sorrow floats”
August 14, 2008 at 9:19 am |
And in World According To Garp,
Watch out for the under toad.