The fear of imperfection

[A Lark Ascending]

Nice little article in this week's New Statement where Grayson Perry (my favourite de-bolloxer of the moment) and Brian Eno discuss the art and music world. I liked this from GP:

My wife has this theory that the happiest people are people who say, "That will do." Today, I went to buy a bin, just for the fricking kitchen here in the studio, you know, but the ones they had in the hardware shop I didn't like, so I'm still without a bin and I'll waste another hour trying to find the right bin somewhere.

Somebody who goes "that will do" is probably the happier person in the long run.

Made me think of all those times I've bought upgraded versions of recordings or new HiFi only to find that I can't hear much (if any) difference. Or all those times I've bought recordings in the full knowledge that they're not that good but they 'complete the set.'

I think 'The Man' understands this human trait only too well.

Edited November 3, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I'm sure I agree with you, Bev, but a link would be helpful.

We're busy doin' nothing', working the whole day through

Trying to find lots of things not to do.

We're busy goin' nowhere, isn't it just a crime?

We'd like to be unhappy but,

We never do have the time.

Very seditious song by Burke & Van Heusen.

MG

[A Lark Ascending]

I'm not sure I agree with myself. If I follow his reasoning then I'd say 'that will do' with my record collection as it is.

Can't link as it's from the physical copy. Not on their website.

[A Lark Ascending]

They also say some interesting things about our fear of losing control. Essentially that we are wired to want to control our environment - so with art (I use that term to mean painting, sculpture etc!!!) or music we want to see or hear something, absorb it, understand it and then file it in a definite place, making us feel secure. Whereas our most powerful experiences are when we lose control.

Strong argument for free jazz there!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I'm not sure I agree with myself. If I follow his reasoning then I'd say 'that will do' with my record collection as it is.

Can't link as it's from the physical copy. Not on their website.

I don't agree. You're not seeking perfection in record collecting, just to enjoy yourself (and I AM sure of that). Leave perfection to those who may be able to understand what it is or may be.

Can't remember who it was who said or wrote, 'there's no evidence whatever that life is a serious business,' but I agree with him, her, them. Well, I don't suppose it actually was Van Morrison; doesn't sound like his kind of thinking.

MG

[A Lark Ascending]

Doesn't sound like Van. I like his music but boy can he bollox.

Another nice line from GP:

As for the language of the art world - 'International Art English' - I think obfuscation was part of its purpose, to protect what in fact was probably a fairly simple philosophical point, to keep some sort of mystery around it.

There was a fear that if it was made understandable, it wouldn't seem important.

Edited November 3, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[seeline]

They're absolutely right about "International Art English"! It's all jargon, as far as I can tell. (From having spent quite a few years in the trenches both listening to it being used and using it myself.)

[Jazzmoose]

I question whether such jargon is created in the controlled manner this implies rather than just growing helter-skelter over the years.

[seeline]

I dunno - read Clement Greenberg (and others) on the Abstract Expressionists, and it pretty much leaps off the page.

Dealers often feel that they have to create a mystique surrounding the works they're selling; some artists are good at being outrageous (and creating their own PR), while most don't care about that side of things.

Museum curators (not all, but many) and academics perpetuate jargon and make it denser and more opaque.

What I heard from my profs when I was a studio art major was mostly jargon that came about as a result of Abstract Expressionism and similar movements, though to be fair, they weren't big on jargon.

Edited to add: there were schools - like the Bauhaus - that did seem invested in creating a new vocabulary for describing art (and meaning), just as they were invested in fostering a certain kind of aesthetic and new work. Kandinsky - writing well prior to the Bauhaus - was another who tried to create a new vocabulary and philosophy of art.

Architects like Le Corbusier also played a part in developing what turned into jargon - and, to be fair, I think that a lot of what is now jargon wasn't intended to create barriers, but a *lot* of art world types do like to keep people at arms' length as well as to convince outsiders of their seriousness and high purpose. (while others could care less.)

One thing to keep in mind is the difficulty of describing visual art (and music) in words. People do tend to fall back on jargon because it's a convenient shorthand for things that are difficult to express.

That said, there's a lot of silliness about art with a capital A!

Edited November 5, 2013 by seeline