Crap as Art - Final Exam

Crap as Art…
I know the idea of
objective standards sucks,
but what is that crap?
Just because it’s subjective does not mean it comes from
the soul , or the heart, or the gut, or the mind
where the muse sources passion, anger, love,
and infinity; some shit just exits
from the asshole and begs to be
called what it is…
CRAP.

And it ain’t art because it’s lying there
and begs to be noticed
unless you choose to experience it
as art and
be so moved
but if ignorance is
bliss, I would
choose LIFE and
all the coiled, tangled,
fettered, wrangled, roiled
emotions that we are
here to unravel and make
sense of. In that
mess is the embryo of art.

Every kid of 3 years does not make art.
Every grandma in her second coming does not make art.
Every student that displays affectation does not make art.
Every con man with a business connection does not make art.
Every esoteric pursuit is not art.
Just because you stroked it, spoke it, played it
Thought about it, conversed with your oracle,
Plunged your inner depths, vomited and have
been psycho-analyzed and were
really, (I mean really), well intentioned
does not make that piece of crap
anything other than a piece of crap.

Why do I have to subscribe to art as mere
expression, when art can possess study and
discipline, a journey, a passing, an
enlightening, a realization, a story that
transcends moments, particulars, specifics and
joins us with the universe
and substantiates that expression
with Truth. Otherwise,
Its only defecation and
that stinks.

But for the sake of political correctness
Who is about to say
‘Jeez’ that is one douche bag performance or
Canvas or song or art installation.
Who wants to presume to know more,
or better, or suggest the standard?
Who wants to be a hated critic?
who has never touched a bristle,
or toed a tap, or rhymed a verse,
or completed a novella, and thinks
they have a right to sit at the ‘bench
and officiate?

Now I know
it gets a little
hairy
when the guy sitting next to you
asks the question,
“Then who is the final arbiter” who
Is able to judge what art is or is not?
What I know is that If
we don’t know
then they…
the ‘artistes’
won’t know
what’s demanded
of them.
And
rather than reflection, observation
and aesthetic,
noise and incessant
commentary…will represent the art world.
the ‘Limbaugh-ization’ of discourse
NO INSIGHT…
NO DIALOG…
NO GRAPPLING…
NO GROWTH…
NO RESOLUTION…
NOISE…
SHIT!

It’s really our choice, to be numbingly
Absorbed with technology,
web 2.0, ‘Blackberryland’
human separation, distance
and indifference
Or dare to touch and be touched
dare to share our common humanity.
Eric Fromm said, "Love is the only sane and satisfactory
answer to the problem of human existence."
Maybe…
but maybe,
art offers some insane and satisfactory
sane and satisfactory
meaningful and satisfactory
answers too.

Contemporary Artists

When given this assignment at first I thought it would be easy but boy was I wrong.

At first I realized that I don't know lots of Contemporary Artists. I really had to think and go back in time to remember exhibits that I had seen in recent years.

These are some of the people that came to mind.


Marlene Dumas


MoMA Exhibit Website


Richard Serra
(He might not count but I think he does?)



MoMA Exhibit Website NY Times Article about MoMA Exhibit

David LaChapelle

He describes himself as a surrealist photographer.




David LaChapelle Website


KAWS

KAWS Website KAWS Blog


Once I got these four more kept coming but I felt that this would be enough for now.

Jackson Pollock on the Tragedy of WWII/Holocaust

May 8th is a very significant day for me, the country and the world. It is known as V-E Day or as the day that WWII ended. May 8th, 2009 signifies 64 years after the end of the war.

64 years that's it! It feels like it was a long time ago but it really hasn't been to long since then.

The day before, Thursday in class we spoke about Abstract Expressionism and more specifically Jackson Pollock, whose work I love. His work inspires me to challenge the boundaries of art and myself.

In class on Thursday speaking about Pollock, Betsy asked students, "what does this painting remind you of?"


I have always had trouble interpreting Pollock's work. It for me is very hard to get one's head around the entire piece so that one can understand it. His work leaves the audience with an unknown which allows the audience for self interpretation. Every single person can have a completely different feeling or reaction when they see his work.

Back to the question from earlier. Betsy asked, "what does this painting remind you of?"

Some one said it reminded them of the barb wire from the Nazi Concentration Camps and the smoke that came from the chimneys.

That struck me because I had never even considered that. Not even considered really, it had never entered my consciousness.

Once that was said that really made me think in a new way about this piece that i had not thought about before hand. I think its a very interesting interpretation.