"let sleeping art lie"
“Style in art, whatever its miraculous, self-defining nature, is the equivalent of etiquette in society. It is a consistent grace that establishes a sense of place and is thus essential to the social order.” Is it just me or has O’Doherty acknowledged, for the first time, that art is dependant on the esthetic and original qualities that we as humans make of it. Obviously content plays a huge role in why most of us can relate to and enjoy art, but I’d like to think that style is equally significant. Really, what would paintings be without the personality and stylistic techniques that we find so evident in, Vangoh, Dali, and many other great artists of our time? Would anybody have take the time to dissect a work of art that was absent of intrinsically pleasing value, in the first place? Another quote from the reading which explores this epic battle of esthetics vs. content is found on pg. 82. “Most of the people who look at art now are not looking at art; they are looking at the idea of art…” This must have been true for the critics and art enthusiasts of the seventies, but I also believe that the changes in art are less drastic then O’Doherty might think. I would have to say that in today’s art there is a happy medium between content and esthetics. Most artists these days are craftsmen among many mediums and ways of thought and as time and art evolves most artists have even become craftsmen of content. Therefore I would like to pose this question, would it be possible for a piece, in today’s art world, to be labeled as art when it is merely nothing more than content?
If I’m to make the connection between viewing art and the allegory of “plato’s cave” I would have to say that in order to see art, as it is intended, one must figuratively crawl out of the cave and suffer the aches of the immensely powerful ray of light. Actually, what I can interpret from this allegory is quite simple; if you are still trapped in the confines of your own mind and prefer comfort over the realms of alternative thought, then you are a weak willed fucker and can never really benefit from art or life or anything that is remotely important. - Drew
