A Presumptuous Proposition
Art is where would-be philosophers hide (from questions, lack of proof, logic, truths, etc.). ”Art” allows scientific minds to express their views without the nuisance of proving their veracity (its where objective thinkers hide behind the guise of subjectivism). Maybe Artists are just philosophers who cheat: They propose truth without offering a why or how, beyond a vague…feeling, of sorts. Art’s pedestal is built upon the presumption that emotions are infallible. Art seems to be a clever way to bypass rational human discourse – of course, Artists will claim that it transcends reason.
Maybe this is all rubbish. Sorry, if it is.
I don’t know if there’s such a stark difference between reason and emotion. Maybe philosophy is art that isn’t self-consciously trying to communicate an aesthetic?
I think you’re right: the difference b/t reason and emotion is not as stark as I painted it. But, modern/contemporary art worries me because it seems to have little or no regard for what Actually IS. instead, it focuses solely on what it can make you feel. I, for one, feel a lot of different things – most of which aren’t true or healthy or good.
also, communication and aesthetic seem to be inseparable – your aesthetic is valuable Because of what it communicates.
So cutting at it from a different angle (perhaps in my year-old business perspective)…
I guess I side with art, although not much of an artist myself. The whole transience part of it – artists are explaining something that rational human minds cannot fully express or comprehend. Art is the innovation that debunks the formula and allows humans to do what they though they could not
Logic is a bit depressing to me, to be honest, because it means there’s a formula for everything – talent, skills, etc. become obsolete as we program and train people to be exactly a certain way (a la “Brave New World”).
so maybe i should have made a distinction between art that is trying to convey a specific message/truth & art that is created for the sole purpose of our Enjoyment and Pleasure. I guess the “art” that troubles me is the kind that protests/rants against Something/Someone without any reason, other than the fact that he/she feels…pissed.
i’ll try for a third time…
I must side with DaVinci when he stated that, “Art is the highest form of philosophy.” So if art is where these “would be philosophers” are hiding, then they have picked a good spot. That is not to completely disagree with you. It’s just that truth is often lost in sweeping generalizations.
I believe part of the question being raised here is, “what is art?” One that I am not going to try to answer here (see Kant and Hume). However, much of this rantivist Modern, or post-Modern art, is merely self-masturbation on canvass…not truly art.
However, the “why” and “how” are not criteria that artists should be required to answer unless they choose. Even rational discourse falls short of being able to answer these questions. In fact these are often the very questions that artists scream. In this regard most philosophers cheat as well. Even Sartre said that “everything has been figured out, except HOW to live.”
But emotion being infallible is not the pedastal art stands upon. Art if anything celebrates the notion that emotion can be completely wrong, yet is real, is felt, and has a crucial role in the human experience. The pedestal that art stands upon is that it has the ability to convey experiences, emotions, feelings, and Understanding unnattainable in any other form. For example, does rational discourse even have enough words in its lexicon to capture the experience of a Carvaggio or Van Gogh?
It is important to be careful not to throw ART and artists under the bus just because of a few fuck ups. As to your point though, I think that dealing specifically with the art that concerns you would be helpful. Then we could respond by saying, “Yes Mr. Ballard, the specific art and artists you are frustrated with are full of shit. In fact not only is it bad art…it is not art. And we aren’t afraid to say it. They should be shot!”
I conclude…I appreciate you providing this forum. We need more people thinking, and causing others to think and think better.
Cheers,
Carlsson