Lili Krakowski on sun 22 aug 04
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To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling's "I know it's boring, but is it Art?" =
--"I know it's self expression, but is it Art?" I am not sure who Cyndi =
Lauper is...but a quote from her hangs in my studio: " It may not be =
brilliant, but it's honest." But does "honest" make it art?
Self-expression and Art are barely kissing cousins. Dylan Thomas was =
a fine poet, also a drinker. I have read that when drunk he got into =
rows, and I expect said things that were self-expression, but hardly =
art. Or take Sonnet XLIII of Edna St Vincent Millay's: "What lips my =
lips have kissed I have forgotten...." which ends "I only know that =
Summer sang in me a little while that in me sings no more." It =
expresses the same feeling as "I forget who all my lovers were...I kinda =
miss that great feeling." The 79 words of that lovely 'When the year =
Grows Old" can be boiled down to "Mother thought Winter sucks." Are =
all 4 versions equally art?
I question the "self-expression" involved in a good bit of gorgeous =
art. A very devout RC weaver I know made magnificent Ark curtains for =
a synagogue. Several Jewish composers have composed masses. . So the =
degree of personal self-expression is debatable. And, it goes without =
saying, homosexual actors of both sexes have played heterosexual lovers =
on stage and in film.....Self--expression by proxy?
In much more pedestrian ways. Sign painters, advertising folk, and so =
on-- does the man high up on a scaffold beautifully painting a sign that =
says: "SopUps--When Baby's Diapers Fail " really care? Did I care =
about some of the books for which I wrote ads or flaps? You kiddin' me? =
Art can be quite separate from self expression.
To establish the continuum it seems to me, craft is essential. Craft. =
Perfected skill. Honed sensibilities. A trained eye, a masterful =
hand. The hours at the barre that make that great leap possible. The =
endless practice with brush and ink, or slip trailer and slip that makes =
the effortless writing on a scroll or plate so incredibly beautiful. =
Craft has rules. Craft has discipliine. Craft makes huge demands. =
Self expression makes none. Craft, I think, is what can turn =
self-expression into art. Craft alone is not enough. Self-expression =
is not enough. It has to be a mix.
One of the reasons I love clay is that there is not excuse for fudging. =
Ah, yes, the F word! A woodworker, a silversmith, a weaver--all have a =
temptation to fudge because their materials are so costly. Clayworkers =
have no excuse. The slightest flaw and it's back into the clay bin.
What is wrong, I think, with defining every clay blob as art because it =
is self-expression, and the creator is sincere, turns art into a =
meaningless word. Another example. Every restaurant says on its menu: =
" XYZ! Cooked to Perfection". This means what? That other restaurants =
take XYZ, and on purpose cook it into inedibility? Of course not! It =
means our cook did his best, take it or leave it but pay for it!
Same with clay. Every tyro who has done her best, feels she has =
accomplished a lot. Indeed. But does she have the skill, the craftsman =
ship to "cook it to perfection'? =20
Craftsmanship is the life blood of art. And to define Art--a word I =
avoid --is nearly impossible. We know as a culture how much "native" =
and "primitive" art was destroyed out of malice, "cultural snobbism" =
or negligence by settlers and colonizers everywhere. We also know how =
much art was destroyed as heretical, pornographic, and other arbitrary =
reason. bias?) We know how many Homers begged their =
bread.....Craftsmanship, on the other hand is easy to recognize; =
extremely definable, and judge-able--if there is such a word..... Art? =
ART? =20
I have no idea what "doing art" or "making art" means. I made a =
spectacular dessert the other night. No fooling. Was I "doing" less =
art than when I make a so-so pot? (Happens to the best!) =20
Last: Everyone is "creative." Creativity applies as much to the baby =
who discovers the bliss of inverting the oatmeal bowl on her head, and =
painting the highchair with goo, as to the "artist" who does a =
wonderful sculpture out of clay. Creativity has nothing to do with =
result. It is in us. Just there. A survival characteristic. To do =
something with it requires rules, humility, self-awareness, hard hard =
work. Did I mention humility? Did I mention work?=20
And please don't hate me for my views, but hate me because I am =
beautiful-- (didn't you adore that ad?) I can use a boost.
Lili=20
Eleanor on mon 23 aug 04
Lili wrote:
>Craft has rules. Craft has discipliine. Craft makes huge demands. =
>Self expression makes none. Craft, I think, is what can turn =
>self-expression into art.
Did you ever watch a child having a tantrum? Now that's
self-expression! But is it Art?
If the tantrum is deliberately staged by the kid in order to
influence adults in the environment and the tone and pitch of the
screams and the choreography of the kicks are designed to have the
greatest effect, what can you call it?
It's artful but it's not ART; it's crafty but it's not CRAFT.
And if you ignore it, it will go away (my personal experience).
Lili said it all.
Eleanor Kohler
Centerport, NY
Snail Scott on tue 24 aug 04
At 08:04 PM 8/22/2004 -0400, Lili K. wrote:
>Self-expression and Art are barely kissing cousins...
A few years back (in '92,'93?) Bruce Metcalf (a jeweler
and writer on craft and art) wrote a terrific article
for American Craft magazine on this topic. About 4
small-type, tightly spaced pages of text with no pictures
- not exactly AC's usual fare. I'm sorry I can't name
the issue (gave those away), but it's worth looking for.
-Snail Scott
Vince Pitelka on tue 24 aug 04
Lili wrote:
"Self-expression and Art are barely kissing cousins..."
Lili -
I guess I have fairly strong feelings on this. As I see it, no work of art
or craft exists without self expression. In every work of art, the artist
has interpreted his or her subject or concept in subtle or obvious ways, and
in doing so has expressed his or her own ideas and feelings. That is true
of every object of art and craft that has ever been created, no matter the
media or the time.
This is just my own opinion. I cannot imagine a work of art existing
without self expression.
- Vince,
back in Tennessee, having survived the first departmental meeting yesterday,
where the word "liability" came up much too often.
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Lee Love on wed 25 aug 04
Vince Pitelka wrote:
>This is just my own opinion. I cannot imagine a work of art existing
>without self expression.
>
>
I am guessing Lili is talking about narcissistic
self-expression. One of the problems with this is "What do you do
when you express a `self' that no one cares to know about?"
My late teacher Katagiri Roshi used to say that when
you consciously try to express the self, you end up creating
something forced and not genuine. " Our self is like an ink dropper
dropping black ink into clear water." So, the true self is expressed
when it is lost in the activity. That is when you express something
larger than your "small self."
--
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://www.livejournal.com/users/togeika/ WEB LOG
http://public.fotki.com/togeika/ Photos!
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