pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on thu 22 may 03
the anaesthetics of cynicism's ploys...
Another view...
My bet, is that most of us saw them well enough, even as I
did...(them 'mugs')
And too, reasonably, it is not allways easy to know what we
are looking at sometimes, or how habit may keep us from
other views of
something (...which is what he is counting on...)
Even as we are told that these mugs may occupy an
elusive or subtle Japanese aesthetic...maybe they do...and
maybe they really
do not, too.
I say they do not, or at least none as I can expect, or
respect, and none as I can imagine the tastes of an
intelligent Japanese to more than feel embarassed by, if
they bothered looking at them at all.
Maybe this guy has had a long 'career' and maybe it is or is
not punctuated
at times with these sorts of more conspicuous ploys...I do
not know.
I do gather, that the Japanese enjoy a gamut of high
discernments, as much as
anyone, and certainly more in some areas they have a larger
history,
interest and familiarity in...
Were I to make lumpy ill thrown, ill trimmed
'rice-bowls' and to impress on them my name in big Japanese
characters, it may not follow that the Japanese would be
obliged to recognise an American aesthetic, even if it is
one as implicitly requires them to conceed that it's
subtlety, or
idiomatic or elusive import is challengeing to their
provincial complaiscencies. Or, that it would necessarily be
seen
as a sincere invitation for
them to
enlarge them.
I read once in a Novel, an observation made by a
character...that, "Never the Lier lived who could not
imagine the truths they blaspheme..."
I admired that observation.
And it comes readily to mind looking at this guys stuff.
I find this fellow to be steeped in insincerity...and
essentially cynical in his contempt.
And maybe he has made acceptable pots sometimes ( I see some
nice ones on his web-site, and I see some bad ones too...)
but my feeling, is that he does so...in a larger insincerity
of what
he does.
A chump can do many things and still be a chump...and this
guy reads like a chump to me.
What I mean by chump...is that he is his own sucker first,
and looks for other suckers after that to play (that is,
win-at) sucker's
games with.
Many people believe this to be the nature of 'business', and
of other human affairs.
Some wish to reduce 'art' to the service of it.
Many succeed, too.
One meets them, all the time...in all walks of Life.
I prefer to recognise them when I do see them, when I do
meet them...and this guy rings-the-bell from the get-go.
This may be his 'real' occupation', as
a satisfaction he enjoys and may get paid for, making
him a 'professional' in some views of the matter. His
occupation may be a facility with facile ploys and gambits
and
allusions to patronise peoples confusions, while pretending
to be doing something
else, ( ie being a 'Potter' or 'Artist').
This fellow's "art' to me reads as pretext and pretense for
this sort of game to hide in. The pretext is a ruse.
I went back (again) and read some of his statements...
My impression...and my reaction thence, is to dislike
absolutely
everything about
him.
Some of the pots as 'themselves' may be decent pots...or
look fine enough to me anyway in the pictures.
But I dislike their use to further confound the gullible, by
his
insinuation of them as distracting lures or
quasi-validators, or to even out the
cameoflage of a larger ruse and con-game.
That's my quick judgement on the matter...from the hip...
And...I must make quick judgements from-the-hip all the
time, or my
interest in staying alive has had that perennial
requirement so far. I can be mstaken too...but not this time
I'll wager.
Others must make them too...as they see fit to do...whether
extemporaneous or at liesure.
This guy did, and these 'mugs' tell of it, as does some of
his other featured work, as does his
schpiel, and it seems to
want to play into the allusional based judgements of others
as something
he can exploit, while having contempt for them to be so
exploited.
That is his game so far as I can tell.
Hence, I can find nothing whatever to respect with this guy.
So I am inclined to say...
Trust you gut...it is easy to read it 'right' enough...
Idiomatic foreign aesthetic...or not....
I say..."not"...
Phil
las vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "F.Chapman Baudelot"
To my untrained eyes, those mugs are extremely UGLY, poorly
made and
glazed, disproportionate, useless, meaningless and
irrelevant to
11/9.
Hendrix, Taylor J. on fri 23 may 03
the anaesthetics of cynicism's ploys...
I had a slightly different reaction.
My first thought was, "Hmm, I don't think I would do it that way." The
mugs I mean.
Taylor, in Waco
-----Original Message-----
From: pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET [mailto:pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET]=20
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 8:57 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Koie Ryoji On-line Exhibition - or, the anaesthetics of
cynicism's ploys...
Another view...
My bet, is that most of us saw them well enough, even as I
did...(them 'mugs')
...
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