Snail Scott on fri 15 mar 02
At 02:37 PM 3/14/02 -0500, Michele wrote:
>Stuff like that kind of makes you wonder if anybody really knows what art
>is, doesn't it?
>Like the artist who submitted a white canvas...
While visiting the university recently, I spoke with
a student who was complaining about a recent student
art show juried by a visiting artist. The student
told me that the winning entry was made by a guy who
clained he 'put it together in an hour', while her
own entry had taken weeks to make, and how could that
be fair?
She described the piece to me: A shopping cart, piled
high with assorted detritus and wrapped in pink
cellophane. How lame. But I was quite taken with the
idea, just through her description, and I tried to
tell her what I was seeing: A shopping cart full of
trash - an icon of homelessness and all its associated
pathos and deprivation. But it's a basket of sorts...
What kind of basket filled with stuff gets wrapped up
in colored cellophane? Gift baskets? Easter baskets?
Frivolous, happy icons of hope, welcome, and love.
Was there a lot of effort involved in making that
project? Not really. Was any craftsmanship or skill
evident? No. Did the artist actually 'make' anything?
Debatable. But it was, in the end, a poignant work of
art.
Craftsmanship is a worthy goal, but isn't always the
means to a desired end. And it's not what makes an
object into art. And the amount of effort seldom has
a direct relationship to the success of a finished
piece. The effort and craftsmanship need to be what
the piece requires, and if it requires both in great
quantity, then the piece will be the lesser for their
lack. But their presence is not the definition of
art, and a piece that dosn't need them will not be
improved by them.
-Snail
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