[MD] ART versus NONART

[MarshaV]

At 06:26 PM 1/21/2007, Joe wrote:
>Hi MarshaV and all,
>
>When I read Avital's statement "Abstract art is nonart" in the link provided
>by Ham, I stopped. I appreciate improvisation and jazz. Recently while
>rehearsing the bass for Bach's Magnificat in D Major, I was having
>difficulty with the pitch so I played the three bass notes on the piano from
>the score. What a shock! It was so beautiful, I was almost in tears. How
>could he know to write those three notes? A code of art?
>
>Joe

HI Joe,

I have come to this book as an adversary.

It seems that Mr. Avital is talking about figurative painting which 
has been with us since the beginning.  While visual language has been 
an important tool of knowledge, humans have moved from visual 
thinking to a more language-oriented conceptual thinking.  Modern 
art, he thinks, is only a product of economics.

When I paint, it's self-discover.  It's a wonderful experience.  But 
when I try to find the symbols to communicate, they are not 
there.  I've been wondering for years how one would paint 
everything-is-connected-too-everything.  I may not be the visionary 
to bring a solution, but I long to want people to see the 
possibilities.  I want to see them.

Anyway, I won't be able to properly paraphrase Mr. Avital, and I'm 
not positive I will, in the end, agree with him, but I am squinting.

I'm going to throw some stuff from the book into this mix hoping 
maybe something interesting will come back to me.  And sure enough, 
there you are.

m