[Magdalen] The bull's sculptor just doesn't quite get it.

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

Sorry. It should have read: "If the art speaks for itself, there would
never be any point in analyzing, naming and explaining those multitudinous
techniques. But we DO INDEED analyze and study THEM because those
techniques can help US understand the work."

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Fri, Apr 14, 2017 at 12:36 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:

> I disagree. Sometimes explaining art is the best way to open a pathway to
> understanding. I have noticed often that a few comments to help me focus on
> something can assist me in paying attention to that point which makes the
> difference.
>
> One simple comment about a set of paintings made very clear what to me had
> been opaque.
>
> Of course, the artist might not be articulate. They are, after all, an
> artist. So they might not have the competence to explain what they are
> doing. I suspect that's really why so many artists just refuse to talk
> about their work.  And it's a real shame too, since a little insight into
> why the art has meaning can help the outsider see why it's not just color
> smeared on a canvas. And of course, when that's the impression I get, and
> nobody tells me different except to snort derisively, then I literally have
> no information upon which to base any change of opinion.
>
> Some say art must speak for itself, which I think may be utter tripe,
> since even we lay people know a lot of terms for techniques used in the
> expert crafting of the art of prose and poetry.  If the art speaks for
> itself, there would never be any point in analyzing, naming and explaining
> those multitudinous techniques. But we don analyze and study because those
> techniques can help understand the work.
>
> I once was singing a piece by a member of our choir who is a professional
> musician who does composition regularly, and has a developed vocabulary.  I
> began asking him to clarify how he wanted certain sections to sound.
> Musicians do not sing notes on the page; they allow those notes to be
> mnemonics for the true music which lies behind them.  When singing music of
> known style, I can pick up the sheet music and tell approximately what's
> going on, but in this case, I could not. I impressed on the composer that I
> did not want to merely parrot notes off a page; I wanted to sing his music.
> Eventually, he got it. And his midi file of how the piece sounds didn't
> hurt either.
>
> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
>
> On Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 12:03 PM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> If an artist has to explain the meaning of the work,
>> that artist has failed.
>> -M, back to the Triduum silence
>>
>> On Thursday, April 13, 2017, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > I certainly never saw "freedom in the world, peace, strength, power and
>> > love" in that bull anyway. Just a bull charging down the street. Well
>> done,
>> > but geez.
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>