Bruce Girrell on tue 30 mar 99
Andrew Lentini wrote:
>... The title of this wonderful ash glazed
>pot was "Big Blue Horse". The pot was kinda brownish green yellow and
there
>wasn't a horse anywhere on it. Probably something in the potter's
experience
>made him want to name this pitcher "Big Blue Horse". ...
>I had the feeling that either I was missing something or that the
>potter was. Titles should be used to help the viewer, not hinder him.
Think
>about calling it "Salt-glazed Casserole" or "Soup Bowls"...
True, but think how effective it could be if the artist had kept the title,
but provided a short (or maybe even long) description of how it came to be
named that.
Might be an episode from childhood; maybe the artist sat down intending to
make a big blue horse and this is what happened; maybe it's a favorite
fantasy of the artist's four-year-old daughter.
It's those personal glimpses that help change an artist from merely a
skilled technician into a real living person. I can look at an Ansel Adams
photograph and appreciate the composition, the great tonal range, the subtle
textures in the near-blacks and near-whites and see that it's a great
photograph. But when I read about him packing an 8x10 view camera, glass
photo plates, and a wooden tripod on his back as he trekked throughout
Yosemite, the whole thing becomes more real, more meaningful, more magical.
IMHO you can keep the oddball names - just give me some insight as to from
whence they came.
Bruce "always willing to share my opinion - whether you want it or not"
Girrell
| |
|
