tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post279281380067519883..comments2024-03-17T03:42:21.277-05:00Comments on LEARNING CURVE ON THE ECLIPTIC: Arty Farty Friday Guest PostTwilighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-66310541586545053972016-09-25T23:50:32.824-05:002016-09-25T23:50:32.824-05:00Thanks, LB, your comment adds further depth to my ...Thanks, LB, your comment adds further depth to my understanding of this work. And Twilight, the watch does catch the eye with its masculine design.Sackersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17284329249862764601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-1506661509630854322016-09-25T17:52:13.304-05:002016-09-25T17:52:13.304-05:00LB ~ You are probably not far off the mark with t...LB ~ You are probably not far off the mark with this! <br />Her watch seems to be a deliberate and meaningful addition too (it's also circular and not very decorative).Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-38708085413470408672016-09-25T14:51:30.004-05:002016-09-25T14:51:30.004-05:00Sackerson and Twilight ~ I love that the window I ...Sackerson and Twilight ~ I love that the window I saw may not be a window at all, but instead a mirror through which, if willing, the woman might view not only herself and who she's becoming as she works through and moves beyond all of the smaller circles (selves), but also all that she's leaving behind, metaphorically speaking.<br /><br />When I looked again, I also picked up on the significance of the electrical cord you mentioned, Sackerson. Thank you.:) I hadn't caught what it was the first time around. <br /><br />In exploring her lost feminine identity (the lovely dress and fragility of broken pearls), it's as if Lizzie also recognized how 'tuned-in' she'd been to outside cultural influences and voices, represented by the TV, stereo and ironing board, the latter a symbol of a mundane household chore, one often, but not always, performed by women. Just a guess, but it's what *I* get from it. <br /><br />Maybe she realized it was the internal voices, the ones in her head, that limited her the most. The mist from the iron only temporarily obscured her bigger vision of self, the one beyond gender and all of the smaller selves she wanted to leave behind. <br /><br />The more I look at Dysphoria, the deeper and more layered it seems:) I appreciate it when artists share their vulnerability so honestly.<br /><br />Again, great post by JD.LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-64811758626933948432016-09-25T07:47:32.825-05:002016-09-25T07:47:32.825-05:00Sackerson ~ Hi there! Thank you for your visit. :...Sackerson ~ Hi there! Thank you for your visit. :-) <br /><br />I hadn't realised that it is a power lead forming the circle - I thought the woman had drawn a chalk circle. I mentioned to JD in an e-mail that when I originally looked at the image, the first thing I noticed were the several circles - the white one on the floor, the TV antenna, the record on the player, the beads the woman is arranging on the floor, within the white circle, and the string of beads around her neck. Contrasting to these are the angles formed by the items and furniture in the room. I couldn't come up with a theory of what the artist had in mind though - or whether the circles and angles were mere coincidence. In a picture such as this though, I doubt coincidence. Every single item will have had meaning to the painter. Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-9330311277634787762016-09-25T00:29:18.055-05:002016-09-25T00:29:18.055-05:00I looked again (again) at the top left corner. It&...I looked again (again) at the top left corner. It's a dressing table, but the way it's painted it could also be an archway, just as the steam from the iron appears to have acquired some meaning. When I first glimpsed the painting it looked as though the person was playing some strange game, and the power lead (I didn't recognise that at first, either) looked like some kind of protective magic circle. Perhaps the genius of "Dysphoria" is that reality is both seen as it is, and yet also seen differently, since the flavour of mood permeates all perception. A friend told me that he asked his wife why her mood changed when the reality around her had not, and she replied that the reality inside her changed. And so back to Blake.Sackersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17284329249862764601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-17974089238540517682016-09-24T12:25:18.280-05:002016-09-24T12:25:18.280-05:00LB ~ The omelette idea's a good one! As the i...LB ~ The omelette idea's a good one! As the illustration comes from the cartoonist's book "Asylum Earth", and appears to be its key illustration, maybe these eggs represent seminal ideas that didn't come to fruition due to obstruction (some eggs broken or stabbed through) or apathy - left in shell for ever - ideas which the artist considered important and their non-fulfillment seemed mad enough to deserve presence in the Asylum - hmmm....but only if this asylum = mad-house. But maybe he means asylum as in refugees fleeing from danger, with Earth as sanctuary. That doesn't really work though. As you say, there's a lot to ponder over in the cartoon. I'll look for more info on his book, maybe a clue will emerge.Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-58389952630348111782016-09-24T11:35:54.044-05:002016-09-24T11:35:54.044-05:00Twilight ~ Yes, there's a lot of detail in the...Twilight ~ Yes, there's a lot of detail in the cartoon to puzzle over. Did you notice the 'goo' on some of the heads beside the eggs/broken eggs? It brought to mind variations of the expression about sometimes having to "crack a few eggs to make an omelette." <br /><br />I'm thinking it could be saying something about how we sometimes justify/rationalize certain injustices or consider some members of society more disposable than others. Or maybe it's about the necessity of breaking away from and sacrificing some of our old ways and attitudes for the sake of all. <br /><br />More likely it's about both extremes as well as all points of view in between. But that's just what I see! <br /><br />JD ~ Eggs, spheres, circles . . . all common repeating images in spiritual and religious art. Thanks for the links, will check them out.LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-83620722263146156352016-09-24T10:28:52.042-05:002016-09-24T10:28:52.042-05:00LB and JD ~ Talking of eggs - and this could be w...LB and JD ~ Talking of eggs - and this could be way off topic, but maybe not: I saw a Charles Bragg cartoon the other day at Truthdig website - liked it, but puzzled over the eggs in the cartoon -<br /><br />http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/asylum_earth_20160920Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-34475212671146951432016-09-24T09:35:04.509-05:002016-09-24T09:35:04.509-05:00LB
Cosmic egg? I must admit I hadn't thought o...LB<br />Cosmic egg? I must admit I hadn't thought of that but.........<br />I did another post elsewhere recently about Bosch's painting "The garden of earthly delights" and in that there is reference, by art critic Kelly Grovier, to an egg at the very centre of the picture-<br />http://theylaughedatnoah.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/art-jd-on-hieronymus-boschs-garden-of.html<br />To which I added - "There are many instances of ostrich eggs hanging from the ceilings of cathedrals as well as in Mosques or Temples of other religions both east and west. There were still two hanging in Durham Cathedral as late as 1780." That information comes from a book called "Architecture, Mysticism and Myth" by W.R. Lethaby, [1892] http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/amm/amm03.htm<br /><br />Shakespeare got it right, as usual - "there are more things in heaven and earth... than are dreamt of in your philosophy"<br /><br />JDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-27922911453565401762016-09-24T01:27:19.853-05:002016-09-24T01:27:19.853-05:00Adding how when it comes to my own art, I love it ...Adding how when it comes to my own art, I love it when someone sees something different than what it was I intended. If it captivates, or makes someone think about or look at something more closely, I'm pleased. LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-41133759173877680572016-09-24T01:06:16.453-05:002016-09-24T01:06:16.453-05:00JD ~ Interesting post.:) Something about the pain...JD ~ Interesting post.:) Something about the painting reminds me of Richard Rohr's idea of the "cosmic egg", symbolized by one large sphere in which two other smaller spheres (eggs/domes) are nestled. The first and smallest egg has to do with our personal story, the second our tribal awareness and community affiliations, while the third and largest dome has to do with bigger truths and patterns ~ those which are always true for everyone. My explanation may not be so great, so here's a better one:<br /><br />https://michaeldmanley.wordpress.com/tag/cosmic-egg/<br /><br />Though Richard Rohr, being a Franciscan priest, is speaking from a spiritual/religious perspective (as is the author of the linked article), I think from a secular one, the largest sphere could easily symbolize our connection to and awareness of something nobler and more inclusive, something transcendent, bigger than self and tribe. <br /><br />In this particular painting, the first 'egg' would be the small place on the floor where the subject is seated. The action helps tell her 'story'. The next larger one would be the area just outside the boundaries of the circle on the floor, which is pretty much the rest of the room ~ while the final and largest sphere is only suggested, being beyond the viewer's field of vision outside what appears to be a window in the corner of the room.<br /><br />As mentioned in your post, I agree that creativity involves an unconscious process ~ which means all art (or most), no matter how silly or dark or unsophisticated, says *something* about the artist and/or the human condition. The artist either reveals aspects of themselves and who they are, *or* what it is they care (or don't care) about. Some art doesn't appeal to me at all, mostly because I don't relate to what it is the artist seems to value. Or maybe it's because our experiences are too different and we don't speak the same metaphorical language. <br /><br />Using the cosmic egg example, art meets us where we are at any given moment within one of the three spheres. The very best art, IMO, affects us on a visceral level by connecting us to something we may have forgotten but recognize and remember when we see it, or hear/read it in the case of music/poetry ~ which doesn't mean art can't also be evocative and meaningful when it's conveying something about smaller concerns, especially ones we identify with.:) Sometimes art is therapeutic, primarily for us, in which case it doesn't really matter if anyone else gets it or not. <br /><br />The creative process can be very healing. Like Twilight said, it can "soothe some inner pain". Bring it out of the dark and give it a voice.<br /><br />Thanks, JD.:)LBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-45093984439973974702016-09-23T13:14:38.156-05:002016-09-23T13:14:38.156-05:00JD and mike ~ I'm thinking it'll be best ...JD and mike ~ I'm thinking it'll be best for me to stay quiet on this topic.<br /><br />I enjoyed looking at the Dysphoria painting, have no idea exactly what the painter is saying - but that's for her to know and for us to guess. I could imagine a short story or novel being written using this painting as a starting point. <br /><br />As for art in general - we each appreciate it differently, just as each artist creates from different visions, enthusiasms, levels of talent and inspirations - and in some cases simply to sooth some inner pain of their own. <br /><br />Retreats, stage left. :-)Twilighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14138621610593773784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-85933921156673028312016-09-23T11:35:55.846-05:002016-09-23T11:35:55.846-05:00JD, you said, "I don't think the purpose ...JD, you said, "I don't think the purpose of art is to provoke a reaction, which would be to provoke an emotional response. Art, real art, points to the 'invisible' and thus fires the imagination." Does that mean you don't consider hyperrealism or superrealism paintings to be art? Photography? Ceramics and weaving?<br /><br />Wiki defines art as, "Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power."<br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art<br /><br />If you scroll down that Wiki page, under "Purpose of Art", "Non-motivated functions of art", you'll find "Experience of the mysterious" and "Expression of the imagination". Your definition of "real art" seems to be of this subset.<br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art#Purpose_of_artmike (again)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-22847869553377430902016-09-23T10:52:34.898-05:002016-09-23T10:52:34.898-05:00Mike
It was Feynman who was in awe of what he disc...Mike<br />It was Feynman who was in awe of what he discovered in science and felt he could communicate via drawing. The quote comes from here-<br />https://iaincarstairs.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/knowing-and-observing/<br /><br />I don't think the purpose of art is to provoke a reaction, which would be to provoke an emotional response. Art, real art, points to the 'invisible' and thus fires the imagination. <br />As William Blake observed-<br />"The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after the death of the vegetated body. This world of imagination is infinite and eternal, whereas the world of generation is finite and temporal."<br /><br />The BBC this week have shown three programmes about modern art: firstly 'conceptual art', second one about Cart Andre's pile of bricks in the Tate gallery, the third about Dadaism.<br /><br />The first two were about works of 'art' which could not possibly fire the imagination because they are superficial, without content. Attempts to 'explain' these works all fail because there is nothing to explain.<br />Dada, on the other hand, fires the imagination and didn't really claim to be an art movement. The artist Martin Creed in the programme said "Dada is about being stupid" Very accurate observation as Dada began during the First World War; what is the point of being sane in a world gone mad?<br /><br />You ask about the upper left of the painting. It is a lot clearer in reality but still ambiguous. It appears to be an arched window and a vague landscape beyond. If I meet her I shall ask; she uses the same framer that I do so it is possible that our paths will cross.<br /><br />Here are the three BBC programmes, two of them are on YouTube but can't find the second one(about the bricks) yet-<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y1Mc3YxjRY<br /><br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07w6hdm<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jULnntRascw<br /><br />++++++++++++JDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16659850.post-18845432003367102016-09-23T09:36:44.103-05:002016-09-23T09:36:44.103-05:00Interesting essay, JD! I enjoyed reading it and y...Interesting essay, JD! I enjoyed reading it and your introduction of Lizzie Rowe. I'm not familiar with her. Like you, "Dysphoria" appeals to me...quirky, involving, quizzical, sublime allure. You mention the upper left corner, but you don't describe it. I see the steam from the iron creating a haze in that section of the painting, but I can't decipher the under-score.<br /><br />Your post is centered on Rowe, yet segues into spirituality, religion, and universality. I read Rowe's web page and her description of her work as spiritual and quasi-religious. Wiki states, "...In contrast to religion, spirituality has often been associated with the interior life of the individual." [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_but_not_religious ]. I view Rowe's artistic expression as her higher-mind's (the portion of the mind that formulates ideologies) interpretation of her mental and emotional qualities...her interior life.<br /><br />I partially agree with you that art can infuse the viewer with awe, but I've viewed a lot of art that instills negative feelings in me. I've previously read that a decent piece of art or literature will leave the viewer or reader with a strong reaction, whether good or bad...the worst reaction is to be left feeling indifferent and blase.mikenoreply@blogger.com