Re: The Psychology of Art
Thur
"Hunter" <local...@usa.com> wrote in message
news:1103087631.9...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Source: http://www.localgroup.net/articles/art.html
The Psychology of Art
Art and its relationship to the human mind
By David L. Hunter
Published by Local Group
Copyright © 2004
Introduction
What do the following artists have in common: Caravaggio, Michelangelo,
Poussin, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Velazquez,
Vermeer, Bernini, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak, Handel, Mozart,
Rossini, Schubert, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Vivaldi, Ibsen,
Shakespeare, Sophocles, Williams, Dostoyevsky, Dumas, Hemingway, Lewis,
Tolstoy, Coleridge, Dickinson, Frost and Yeats?
The greatness of these painters, sculptors, musicians, playwrights,
novelists and poets cannot be matched or surpassed today. The era of
the great artist is over. It came to an end a century ago. This article
reveals why the era of the great artist is over, what happened and the
remedy to ensure the rise of great artists in the future.
The Psychological Role of Art
For tens of thousands of years art has been a unique form of expression
and communication among people. Art was intermixed with the development
of written language during the early days writing. Art also enabled man
to express himself in a way that is not available through the spoken or
written word.
What is the psychological role that art plays in human life? Why do
people search the world for art and pay upwards of one million dollars
for a single work of art? The answer is that art provides pleasure and
inspiration to its beholder.
People attend a concert, view a play, observe a sculpture or read a
novel with the implicit goal of experiencing a sense of pleasure or
even awe. In this sense, art can be said to satisfy the soul the way a
delicious meal satisfies the stomach or the way a massage satisfies
muscles. People from all over the world in all different cultures
produce and observe art in its various forms for the delight,
inspiration and pleasure it provides.
The Metaphysical Role of Art
If the psychological role of art consists of providing pleasure and
inspiration, what is the metaphysical role of art? While most people
can understand that art offers the beholder pleasure, most people are
unaware of the metaphysical role of art.
The metaphysical role of art consists of revealing the state of man's
mind in any historical era. And art is a ruthless depiction of what is
happening inside man's mind.
Art in this sense is a kind of cognitive recorder that chronicles the
development of the human mind at any stage in history. When man's
mind is primitive, art during that period of history also will be
primitive. When man's mind is flourishing triumphantly, art during
that period of history also will be flourishing triumphantly. And when
man's mind is in disarray, art during that period of history also
will be in disarray.
Modern Art Reveals the Breakdown of the Modern Mind
The mind-virus of irrationality reached its peak in nineteenth century
Europe and spread to America from the 1880s through the 1920s. This
resulted in the breakdown of the western mind throughout the twentieth
century. Art was there to chronicle this breakdown with mirror-like
accuracy. Art makes no apologies and hides from no one. It is a
ruthless expose of the state of man's mind.
Beginning early in the twentieth century in America, art started its
long, slow decline from greatness to mediocrity to absurdity. Today
much art in America is an unadulterated shrine to the bankrupt state of
the modern mind.
The process of art is one where the artist takes the contents of his
consciousness and expresses it in painting, sculpture, music,
literature or other art forms. There is a direct relationship between
the contents of the artist's mind and his work of art. By analyzing
modern art, people can see the cognitive disarray that is the hallmark
of the modern mind.
The first form of modern art to be examined is non-representational
painting. This consists of artwork that depicts nothing in reality.
This form of art is euphemistically described as abstract art. In some
cases modern paintings consist of nothing more than the artist dipping
his brush into paint and flinging paint toward the canvas in a chaotic
manner -- leaving haphazard lines, dots, smears and swirls. This is
then passed off as a genuine work of art. In other less severe
instances, painted objects are semi-recognizable and guesses can be
made as to the content. Regarding the most objectionable art, the
content is nothing more than a gross depiction of a corpse or
excrement. This too masquerades as genuine art.
The second form of modern art to be examined is weld sculpture. This
consists of artwork that depicts nothing in reality. Basically weld
sculpture has replaced stone sculpture as the new form of sculpting. It
consists of random scraps of rusty metal that are welded together into
a hideous pile, sometimes in a pyramidal shape and capped with an
object. This kind of unrecognizable artwork is considered genuinely
valid. In reality, it is nothing but art lowered to the level of a
junkyard. It not only is unrecognizable; it is unsightly.
The third form of modern art to be examined is rap music. This form of
artwork signifies a regression in music. Rap music is free of
disciplined melody, recognizable lyrics and conceptual stimulation. It
openly flouts standard conventions of music and in their place anything
goes: mind-numbing beats, expletives, jumbled words and clashing
background sounds. These elements of rap music culminate in a
kaleidoscope of chaos that passes for genuine music.
The fourth form of modern art to be examined is non-syntactical
literature. This form of artwork signifies a regression in cognition.
Non-syntactical literature flouts the laws of syntax, grammar, spelling
and logic. It consists of literature riddled with run-on sentences,
sentence fragments, paragraphs comprising only a sentence fragment and
purposely misspelled words. The more syntactical errors, the more this
form of literature receives praise.
Architecture as a Noteworthy Exception
Architecture is the one noteworthy exception to the decline of art.
This is due to a couple reasons. First, architecture primarily is a
functional discipline rather than an art form, although many buildings
do have aesthetic value. But the primary purpose of creating a building
is to provide shelter for people. Second, architecture requires
whole-brain thinking to create whereas most other art forms only rely
on right-brain activity. Architects have to employ precise mathematical
and scientific thinking to ensure their structures will endure plus
they have to employ creative and artistic thinking to make their
structures appealing and attractive, inviting people in and making them
feel comfortable.
As a result, the disciplined training and effort required by architects
culminate in beautiful buildings whether residential, commercial,
industrial or public structures. Few other art forms demand the
thinking effort needed to create a final product. This is all the more
evident by comparing, for example, the Sears Tower with a weld
sculpture. Both consist of welded metal, but the former is beautiful,
majestic and useful; the latter is a piece of junk. But again,
architecture is more than art. It is a professional discipline that
provides human beings with shelter and beauty.
The Harm of Modern Art
Modern art in its various forms is anti-conceptual, anti-consciousness
and anti-life. It brings people down to the perceptual level of
cognition, blocking them from rising into the conceptual or truly human
mode of thought. Moreover, modern art suppresses consciousness through,
for example, the pounding beats and chaotic noises in rap music. The
aural chaos of rap music can actually prevent the free flowing nature
of human consciousness, leaving the listener in an animal-like state
capable of being controlled.
Non-syntactical literature hinders the reader's natural flow. For
example, an abundant use of sentence fragments requires the reader to
stop reading at the end of a fragment and go back to the previous
sentence to determine the missing subject or predicate. In the case of
an abundant use of run-on sentences, the reader has to stop reading to
parse the jumbled sentences to decipher precisely what is happening in
the story.
Regarding non-representational painting and sculpture, the beholder
often stares in befuddlement. "What exactly is that thing?" is the
implicit question of the viewer of modern abstract art. Sometimes an
accurate guess can be made; other times the viewer walks away baffled.
Of course, art is not supposed to be a guessing game; nor is it
supposed to be mentally crippling. But that is what modern art has
devolved into. This does not even take into account the content of
contemporary art: mindless cycles of money, drugs, sex, violence and
death. Not that money or sex is bad, but these are portrayed as crude,
animalistic entities devoid of any conceptual context such as arising
from heroic achievement or overcoming obstacles to become successful.
As a result, modern art exemplifies the worst of all worlds: Bad
content, bad style and bad implementation.
Gresham's Law in Art
Gresham's Law is a concept that was developed in the field of
economics. It says that by introducing bad money such as unbacked paper
currency into the economy, the bad money will drive out the good money
such as gold-backed paper currency. Gresham's Law can be applied to
the field of art to see how destruction expands.
When the great artistic masters were flourishing centuries ago, this
inspired new generations of great artists. Even though the artistic
styles changed throughout the decades, the greatness of the artwork
flowed across the centuries.
The opposite has occurred regarding modern art. As bad art began
flooding the culture, the public taste for art began to decline.
Eventually the populace became inured to bad art. At that point the
creators of bad art began rising to prominence in society. Some even
won prestigious awards, fame and fortune for their bad art. This in
turn expanded the market for bad art. And this in turn spawned new
generations of artists who lacked skill, talent, discipline and any
understanding of the fundamentals of valid art. Some artists even
dropped the façade of creating genuine art and purposely created works
of garbage while chuckling at the public for embracing such garbage.
All this culminated in an era that no longer values the great artist.
Talented young artists no longer have the incentive to create mighty
masterpieces on par with Titian or Michelangelo or Beethoven or Chopin.
Those talented young men and women sense the futility of struggling
heroically to produce great art that the modern mind cannot appreciate.
Hence they end up playing works composed by deceased artists but do not
themselves create great masterpieces. They have been drowned out by all
the garbage that passes for genuine art. Those artistically talented
youth suffer quietly without ever knowing why. If they knew why, they
might commit suicide. Why should they live in a world that cannot
appreciate them and does not want them?
The Politics of Art
The political establishment implicitly recognizes the power of art to
influence people. By leveraging government restrictions on free
expression, especially through the government's control of the
electromagnetic spectrum, societal leaders use art to portray man as a
pathetic being dependent upon an external authority.
Liberals use Hollywood and the mass media to elevate the worst artists
into positions of fame and fortune with the tacit goal of crippling the
mind and motivation of citizens. Why? With a suppressed consciousness,
each citizen can be controlled more easily. Controlled by whom?
Citizens can be controlled by societal leaders, by government
bureaucrats, by the liberal establishment.
Conservatives use artistic images to legitimize religion and religious
icons. The tacit goal is to say to each citizen, "This savior is
divine but you are a miserable wretch." Such subtle undermining of
self-esteem among citizens makes them susceptible to surrendering their
self in order to follow an external authority. What external authority?
Conservatives seek to replace self-thinking with the external authority
of a sacred text, a religious savior or a deity.
Like Hitler employed artist Leni Riefenstahl to gain control over the
populace, liberals employ modern artists to gain control over the
populace. And like Pope Julius II employed Michelangelo to subordinate
the secular to the celestial, conservatives employ modern art to
subordinate man to the Holy Bible, to Jesus, to God.
Artistic Remedy
What is the remedy for the long decline of art? Ironically the remedy
is simple. In order to pull the plug on (1) mind-numbing art, (2) its
inept artists and (3) the bankrupt mentality that gives rise to them,
man needs to think.
What is meant by thinking? Does thinking consist of memorizing or
associating things? No, it does not. Thinking consists of
conceptualizing reality -- of identifying things in conceptual terms
and organizing those concepts into rational thoughts and principles.
The purpose of thinking is to understand reality, to solve problems and
to control one's life for survival, success and happiness.
The ability to think independently means man can think on his own
behalf. As more people do this, human consciousness will begin
flourishing as will civilization. The inevitable result will be the
outpouring of magnificent art by great artists. They will mirror the
greatness of man through their great works of art.
Conclusion
It is true that some of today's art is valuable. For example, Kid
Rock's mixing of rock with rap yielded surprisingly potent music.
Another example is child prodigy Lil' Bow Wow with his brilliant
melodies that captured the hearts of children and adults across
America. But these are the rare exceptions rather than the rule.
People who desire great art need not run to government for support of
the arts. That will not help, especially considering it is not the
government's function to produce artists or artwork. People simply
need to exercise independent thought and judgment. The more people who
do this, the better will become the human species. Eventually the
flourishing human mind will be reflected in flourishing art.
Source: http://www.localgroup.net/articles/art.html
> Art also enabled man to express himself in a way that is not available
> through the spoken or written word.
You fail to explain how this relates to your linking of art to the art of
the
written word.
I do not follow your comments upon architecture.
They seem more like an expression of personal taste.
You seem hung up on popular tastes followed only by the young, such as Rap.
There must have always been artistic outlets for the young, and they may
have
been just as shallow and fickle.
Maybe when the bulk of it's followers mature, Rap will too.
You do not seem to tackle the point about who is art made for now, and who
was it made for prior to the 19th Century.
What about the proliferation of styles? Any clues here?
What about the modern sense of individuality compared with earlier times?
What about the rejection of Romantic themes, of spirituality and religion,
of political and social changes etc.?
Does art reflect the society/community/culture from which it springs, and
should it deliberately try to do so?
Society has in some ways become more diverse. This must have been the
case a number of times in history.
The problems when looking at history is the spectacles we use.
If we focus too tightly on one era we may loose focus on the big picture.
I suggest that we are considering today's society through the wrong
spectacles.
But what we are in is a transition period, one side of which has not yet
occurred.
Making judgements on our society must happen, but we must allow for the
possibility that we cannot fully understand it.
If everyone now considers their own opinion more highly, and tends not to
defer to an educated elite of critics, and that the pursuit of the
satisfaction
of personal need over all, then the kind of art demanded will tend to
reflect
this.
Since art requires a bigger audience than it used to, then this too will
influence
the trend.
Later generations will champion this art if it reflects something about
their ideals,
tastes and standards.
Thur
stereoroid
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
> Source: http://www.localgroup.net/articles/art.html
>
> The Psychology of Art
> Art and its relationship to the human mind
>
> By David L. Hunter
> Published by Local Group
> Copyright © 2004
>
> <slash>
In response, I have four questions:
1) Yes?
2) And?
3) So?
4) What?
--
stereoroid
dublin, ireland
"Politics are for the moment. An equation is for eternity."
-- Albert Einstein, 1955
stereoroid
news:20041215083015.667$Ma...@newsreader.com:
> After I posted my first response I went to the website. Go there!
> There are lots of crackpot articles, and many insane books as well.
> This guy is a kook who puts other kooks to shame. (Mani, bow your head
> in shame....)
>
It must be nice to be so sure, in your mind, about the value of different
Art forms. I can't see the value in <x>, therefore <x> has no value. I'm
not advocating naive cultural relativism here, but I genuinely find real
value in every field of Art I look at, it just takes more work in some
than in others.
I ought to ask him about the Dadaist self-analysis in some of Eminem's
lyrics, but he probably wouldn't be able to hear past the swearwords.
RainLover
>Source: http://www.localgroup.net/articles/art.html
>
>The Psychology of Art
>Art and its relationship to the human mind
>
>By David L. Hunter
>Published by Local Group
>Copyright © 2004
>
>
SNIP
>The greatness of these painters, sculptors, musicians, playwrights,
>novelists and poets cannot be matched or surpassed today. The era of
>the great artist is over. It came to an end a century ago.
You, sir, are VERY wrong. Of the thousands and thousands of artists
during your mis-interpreted "great" period of art, only a few are
still known and appreciated today. In 200 years, only a handful of
today's artists will be known, and there will be your prodigy decrying
the end of an era and why modern art of the 20th and 21st centuries
was the last art worthy of mention.
>The Psychological Role of Art
SNIP
>Why do
>people search the world for art and pay upwards of one million dollars
>for a single work of art? The answer is that art provides pleasure and
>inspiration to its beholder.
What's your point?
I pay upwards of one hundred dollars for a single work of art when I
can afford it; why? it provides me with pleasure and inspiration.
>People attend a concert, view a play, observe a sculpture or read a
>novel with the implicit goal of experiencing a sense of pleasure or
>even awe. In this sense, art can be said to satisfy the soul the way a
>delicious meal satisfies the stomach or the way a massage satisfies
>muscles. People from all over the world in all different cultures
>produce and observe art in its various forms for the delight,
>inspiration and pleasure it provides.
And this is all true to this day and many find enjoyment in modern
art.
SNIP
>The metaphysical role of art consists of revealing the state of man's
>mind in any historical era. And art is a ruthless depiction of what is
>happening inside man's mind.
SNIP
>Modern Art Reveals the Breakdown of the Modern Mind
What a bunch of hooey. Are you thinking of a few, odd, conceptual or
advent-garde pieces, or are you lumping the entirety of modern art?
Obviously you don't get out much and don't really KNOW modern art.
Perhaps you shouldn't believe everything your art teacher tells you
and start thinking for yourself.
>The mind-virus of irrationality reached its peak in nineteenth century
>Europe and spread to America from the 1880s through the 1920s. This
>resulted in the breakdown of the western mind throughout the twentieth
>century. Art was there to chronicle this breakdown with mirror-like
>accuracy. Art makes no apologies and hides from no one. It is a
>ruthless expose of the state of man's mind.
Non-sequitur. There is a path of well-constructed, thoughtful, and
beautiful 20th century art. This "mind-virus" crap of yours is just
that..... crap.
>Beginning early in the twentieth century in America, art started its
>long, slow decline from greatness to mediocrity to absurdity. Today
>much art in America is an unadulterated shrine to the bankrupt state of
>the modern mind.
Proof you don't know what in the hell you're talking about.
>The process of art is one where the artist takes the contents of his
>consciousness and expresses it in painting, sculpture, music,
>literature or other art forms. There is a direct relationship between
>the contents of the artist's mind and his work of art. By analyzing
>modern art, people can see the cognitive disarray that is the hallmark
>of the modern mind.
You can be a Luddite if you want, but there's A LOT of wonderful
examples of modern art. You just don't happen to like it, which is
fine, but you take this one step further by condemning the entirety of
the modern mind.
This makes you dismally wrong.
>The first form of modern art to be examined is non-representational
>painting. This consists of artwork that depicts nothing in reality.
>This form of art is euphemistically described as abstract art.
No. It's not "euphemistically" described as abstract art... it *IS*
abstract art. Your bias is showing... perhaps you should cover it
back up.
>In some
>cases modern paintings consist of nothing more than the artist dipping
>his brush into paint and flinging paint toward the canvas in a chaotic
>manner -- leaving haphazard lines, dots, smears and swirls. This is
>then passed off as a genuine work of art. In other less severe
>instances, painted objects are semi-recognizable and guesses can be
>made as to the content. Regarding the most objectionable art, the
>content is nothing more than a gross depiction of a corpse or
>excrement. This too masquerades as genuine art.
Again, you take a few cases and pretend it to be the whole. There ARE
geniuses of modern art. There is dreck as well, and it's very telling
that you only focus in on that.
>The second form of modern art to be examined is weld sculpture. This
>consists of artwork that depicts nothing in reality.
Ah, now we get it out of you.... a literalist. If it doesn't look
like SOMETHING you recognize as 'reality', it belongs in a junkyard.
Such a small mind, yet so many, many, many words dump out of it... how
is that possible?
>Basically weld
>sculpture has replaced stone sculpture as the new form of sculpting. It
>consists of random scraps of rusty metal that are welded together into
>a hideous pile, sometimes in a pyramidal shape and capped with an
>object.
Well... out with it! Obviously you're describing one particular piece
of sculpture you don't like. You damn well aren't describing any
sculpture in this genre that I've seen.
>This kind of unrecognizable artwork is considered genuinely
>valid. In reality, it is nothing but art lowered to the level of a
>junkyard. It not only is unrecognizable; it is unsightly.
Ah! Now you get to tell everyone what REALITY is! Your fucking
pretension is astonishing.
Is 'Bird in Space' real?
>The third form of modern art to be examined is rap music. This form of
>artwork signifies a regression in music.
Yes... a Luddite, I called it right the first time. Why don't you say
"These young whipper-snappers today don't listen to "music"!!!"
>Rap music is free of
>disciplined melody, recognizable lyrics and conceptual stimulation.
Rap isn't my favorite of music although I personally like 10 or so
artists in this genre. It's painfully obvious you've never actually
sat down and listened to any Rap. Much of it has all of your
requirements that you say it's missing, especially 'conceptual
stimulation'.
>It
>openly flouts standard conventions of music and in their place anything
>goes: mind-numbing beats, expletives, jumbled words and clashing
>background sounds. These elements of rap music culminate in a
>kaleidoscope of chaos that passes for genuine music.
LOL! People of his day said the same of Bach and Beethoven. Your
mind is painfully closed. I don't know if you're in the art world,
but god help us if you are.
>The fourth form of modern art to be examined is non-syntactical
>literature. This form of artwork signifies a regression in cognition.
>Non-syntactical literature flouts the laws of syntax, grammar, spelling
>and logic. It consists of literature riddled with run-on sentences,
>sentence fragments, paragraphs comprising only a sentence fragment and
>purposely misspelled words. The more syntactical errors, the more this
>form of literature receives praise.
I hate to inform you, but just because YOUR post follows all the
grammatical conventions, doesn't make it GOOD... trust me on this
one.
SNIP
>
>The Harm of Modern Art
SNIP
> The
>aural chaos of rap music can actually prevent the free flowing nature
>of human consciousness, leaving the listener in an animal-like state
>capable of being controlled.
Aural Chaos is it? LOL! You really don't have a fucking clue.
>Non-syntactical literature hinders the reader's natural flow.
You mean it hinders YOUR ability to comprehend it. I'm not saying
your stupid, but just because you don't get it or like it doesn't mean
other people don't LOVE it.
>For
>example, an abundant use of sentence fragments requires the reader to
>stop reading at the end of a fragment and go back to the previous
>sentence to determine the missing subject or predicate. In the case of
>an abundant use of run-on sentences, the reader has to stop reading to
>parse the jumbled sentences to decipher precisely what is happening in
>the story.
"Jabberwocky" must drive you insane then.
>Regarding non-representational painting and sculpture, the beholder
>often stares in befuddlement.
Again, when you say "the beholder" you really need to say " *I* often
stare in befuddlement".
>"What exactly is that thing?" is the
>implicit question of the viewer of modern abstract art. Sometimes an
>accurate guess can be made; other times the viewer walks away baffled.
It's ABSTRACT, moron. It doesn't have to BE anything. Didn't you
learn that in Art101?
>Of course, art is not supposed to be a guessing game;
Why? Why can't art make a person THINK?? Why can't a viewer walk
away satisfied in the feeling the art gave him/her? Why does a
viewer, in *YOUR* opinion have to walk away saying, "well, that was a
nicely executed horse, or flower, or cafe.
Obviously, you've NEVER read the contemporary critics of Van Gogh, or
Da Vinci, or Rodin... the HATED THEM... they decried the downfall of
art.
> nor is it
>supposed to be mentally crippling.
Now you're just talking about yourself.
>But that is what modern art has
>devolved into. This does not even take into account the content of
>contemporary art: mindless cycles of money, drugs, sex, violence and
>death.
You mean these things didn't exist during your precious period of Art
Genius??? I did NOT know this.. Hm........
>Not that money or sex is bad, but these are portrayed as crude,
>animalistic entities devoid of any conceptual context such as arising
>from heroic achievement or overcoming obstacles to become successful.
You cry about 'reality' and then expect all art to show heroic
achievement and success? WHAT 'reality' do you live in?
>When the great artistic masters were flourishing centuries ago, this
>inspired new generations of great artists. Even though the artistic
>styles changed throughout the decades, the greatness of the artwork
>flowed across the centuries.
I have MANY artistic heroes in my life... Rodin, Da Vinci, Duchamp,
Matisse, Dali, Picasso, Warhol, Robert Smithson, Chihuly, Beasley,
Speidel and many others. They all inspired me and I strive for
greatness in my artwork every day.
> This in
>turn expanded the market for bad art. And this in turn spawned new
>generations of artists who lacked skill, talent, discipline and any
>understanding of the fundamentals of valid art.
Ah, "valid art"... You are such a pretentious ass. LOL
SNIP
> Those artistically talented
>youth suffer quietly without ever knowing why. If they knew why, they
>might commit suicide. Why should they live in a world that cannot
>appreciate them and does not want them?
DITTO.
>The Politics of Art
>By leveraging government restrictions on free
>expression, especially through the government's control of the
>electromagnetic spectrum, SNIP
What in the HELL are you talking about!?? Electromagnetic Spectrum?
(ie: microwaves, infrared, gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, etc)
Do you even know what you're writing? Do you write this crap for
some beginner art class and just add big words to impress teacher?
No... wait... a new art student wouldn't be so pretentious... you
must be...
...no!!!!!! say it isn't so!!!!
You're a grad student!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrgggggggg!!!!
>Citizens can be controlled by societal leaders, by government
>bureaucrats, by the liberal establishment.
NO! Not the LIBERAL ESTABLISHMENT!!!!!!
>Conservatives seek to replace self-thinking with the external authority
>of a sacred text, a religious savior or a deity.
Agreed. :-)
>Like Hitler employed artist Leni Riefenstahl to gain control over the
>populace, liberals employ modern artists to gain control over the
>populace.
Ever hear about the "degenerate artists" show during Hitler's reign?
It traveled the country showing how degenerate artists were... I'm not
sure what happened to the ARTISTS, but the art, in the end, was mostly
destroyed... the irony was that it was the most popular and most
viewed art show ever in Europe up to that time!
>Artistic Remedy
>What is the remedy for the long decline of art? Ironically the remedy
>is simple. In order to pull the plug on (1) mind-numbing art, (2) its
>inept artists and (3) the bankrupt mentality that gives rise to them,
>man needs to think.
Don't tell us.... *YOU* get to be the one who decides what numbs
your mind, which artists are inept, and squash the 'mental bankruptcy'
out of man!
Why don't you just stick with the museums that show old art and let
the rest of the art world march forward?
>What is meant by thinking? Does thinking consist of memorizing or
>associating things? No, it does not. Thinking consists of
>conceptualizing reality -- of identifying things in conceptual terms
>and organizing those concepts into rational thoughts and principles.
Yes, perfect for you Type A personalities, but let the right-brained
people continue on though.
>The purpose of thinking is to understand reality, to solve problems and
>to control one's life for survival, success and happiness.
Abstract art IS real... hence, it IS 'reality'. Just because it's not
a picture of a pretty horsie doesn't make it less.
Yes, and for some, their abstract art allows them to reinterpret what
they see, control their lives, survive, succeed, and makes them
incredibly happy. So bugger off if you don't like it.
>The ability to think independently means man can think on his own
>behalf.
LOL, ah, the irony. You want the art world to march lock-step with
YOUR VIEW of "art", yet claim that is "thinking independently".
You slay me.
SNIP
>Conclusion
>People who desire great art need not run to government for support of
>the arts.
Great institutions have ALWAYS supported art. A people's art is it's
culture. When we look back on the ancients, for the most part, we are
looking back on their ART.
Today, art reflects society, as it's ALWAYS done.. we live in a
chaotic, unpleasant, fast-paced, McWorld and some art reflects that.
If you don't like the art, change the world it's reflecting.
From a RAP song by Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy:
"Television (art?) is it the creator or the reflector..."
Your stinky attitude is smelling up the place, why not try
alt.religious_right; they'd appreciate your sort of judgmental
writings.
James, Seattle
Hunter
The Psychology of Art
Art and its relationship to the human mind
By David L. Hunter
Published by Local Group
Copyright © 2004
Introduction
What do the following artists have in common: Caravaggio, Michelangelo,
Poussin, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Velazquez,
Vermeer, Bernini, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak, Handel, Mozart,
Rossini, Schubert, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Vivaldi, Ibsen,
Shakespeare, Sophocles, Williams, Dostoyevsky, Dumas, Hemingway, Lewis,
Tolstoy, Coleridge, Dickinson, Frost and Yeats?
The greatness of these painters, sculptors, musicians, playwrights,
novelists and poets cannot be matched or surpassed today. The era of
the great artist is over. It came to an end a century ago. This article
reveals why the era of the great artist is over, what happened and the
remedy to ensure the rise of great artists in the future.
The Psychological Role of Art
For tens of thousands of years art has been a unique form of expression
and communication among people. Art was intermixed with the development
of written language during the early days writing. Art also enabled man
to express himself in a way that is not available through the spoken or
written word.
What is the psychological role that art plays in human life? Why do
people search the world for art and pay upwards of one million dollars
for a single work of art? The answer is that art provides pleasure and
inspiration to its beholder.
People attend a concert, view a play, observe a sculpture or read a
novel with the implicit goal of experiencing a sense of pleasure or
even awe. In this sense, art can be said to satisfy the soul the way a
delicious meal satisfies the stomach or the way a massage satisfies
muscles. People from all over the world in all different cultures
produce and observe art in its various forms for the delight,
inspiration and pleasure it provides.
The Metaphysical Role of Art
If the psychological role of art consists of providing pleasure and
inspiration, what is the metaphysical role of art? While most people
can understand that art offers the beholder pleasure, most people are
unaware of the metaphysical role of art.
The metaphysical role of art consists of revealing the state of man's
mind in any historical era. And art is a ruthless depiction of what is
happening inside man's mind.
Art in this sense is a kind of cognitive recorder that chronicles the
development of the human mind at any stage in history. When man's
mind is primitive, art during that period of history also will be
primitive. When man's mind is flourishing triumphantly, art during
that period of history also will be flourishing triumphantly. And when
man's mind is in disarray, art during that period of history also
will be in disarray.
Modern Art Reveals the Breakdown of the Modern Mind
The mind-virus of irrationality reached its peak in nineteenth century
Europe and spread to America from the 1880s through the 1920s. This
resulted in the breakdown of the western mind throughout the twentieth
century. Art was there to chronicle this breakdown with mirror-like
accuracy. Art makes no apologies and hides from no one. It is a
ruthless expose of the state of man's mind.
Beginning early in the twentieth century in America, art started its
long, slow decline from greatness to mediocrity to absurdity. Today
much art in America is an unadulterated shrine to the bankrupt state of
the modern mind.
The process of art is one where the artist takes the contents of his
consciousness and expresses it in painting, sculpture, music,
literature or other art forms. There is a direct relationship between
the contents of the artist's mind and his work of art. By analyzing
modern art, people can see the cognitive disarray that is the hallmark
of the modern mind.
The first form of modern art to be examined is non-representational
painting. This consists of artwork that depicts nothing in reality.
This form of art is euphemistically described as abstract art. In some
cases modern paintings consist of nothing more than the artist dipping
his brush into paint and flinging paint toward the canvas in a chaotic
manner -- leaving haphazard lines, dots, smears and swirls. This is
then passed off as a genuine work of art. In other less severe
instances, painted objects are semi-recognizable and guesses can be
made as to the content. Regarding the most objectionable art, the
content is nothing more than a gross depiction of a corpse or
excrement. This too masquerades as genuine art.
The second form of modern art to be examined is weld sculpture. This
consists of artwork that depicts nothing in reality. Basically weld
sculpture has replaced stone sculpture as the new form of sculpting. It
consists of random scraps of rusty metal that are welded together into
a hideous pile, sometimes in a pyramidal shape and capped with an
object. This kind of unrecognizable artwork is considered genuinely
valid. In reality, it is nothing but art lowered to the level of a
junkyard. It not only is unrecognizable; it is unsightly.
The third form of modern art to be examined is rap music. This form of
artwork signifies a regression in music. Rap music is free of
disciplined melody, recognizable lyrics and conceptual stimulation. It
openly flouts standard conventions of music and in their place anything
goes: mind-numbing beats, expletives, jumbled words and clashing
background sounds. These elements of rap music culminate in a
kaleidoscope of chaos that passes for genuine music.
The fourth form of modern art to be examined is non-syntactical
literature. This form of artwork signifies a regression in cognition.
Non-syntactical literature flouts the laws of syntax, grammar, spelling
and logic. It consists of literature riddled with run-on sentences,
sentence fragments, paragraphs comprising only a sentence fragment and
purposely misspelled words. The more syntactical errors, the more this
form of literature receives praise.
Architecture as a Noteworthy Exception
Architecture is the one noteworthy exception to the decline of art.
This is due to a couple reasons. First, architecture primarily is a
functional discipline rather than an art form, although many buildings
do have aesthetic value. But the primary purpose of creating a building
is to provide shelter for people. Second, architecture requires
whole-brain thinking to create whereas most other art forms only rely
on right-brain activity. Architects have to employ precise mathematical
and scientific thinking to ensure their structures will endure plus
they have to employ creative and artistic thinking to make their
structures appealing and attractive, inviting people in and making them
feel comfortable.
As a result, the disciplined training and effort required by architects
culminate in beautiful buildings whether residential, commercial,
industrial or public structures. Few other art forms demand the
thinking effort needed to create a final product. This is all the more
evident by comparing, for example, the Sears Tower with a weld
sculpture. Both consist of welded metal, but the former is beautiful,
majestic and useful; the latter is a piece of junk. But again,
architecture is more than art. It is a professional discipline that
provides human beings with shelter and beauty.
The Harm of Modern Art
Modern art in its various forms is anti-conceptual, anti-consciousness
and anti-life. It brings people down to the perceptual level of
cognition, blocking them from rising into the conceptual or truly human
mode of thought. Moreover, modern art suppresses consciousness through,
for example, the pounding beats and chaotic noises in rap music. The
aural chaos of rap music can actually prevent the free flowing nature
of human consciousness, leaving the listener in an animal-like state
capable of being controlled.
Non-syntactical literature hinders the reader's natural flow. For
example, an abundant use of sentence fragments requires the reader to
stop reading at the end of a fragment and go back to the previous
sentence to determine the missing subject or predicate. In the case of
an abundant use of run-on sentences, the reader has to stop reading to
parse the jumbled sentences to decipher precisely what is happening in
the story.
Regarding non-representational painting and sculpture, the beholder
often stares in befuddlement. "What exactly is that thing?" is the
implicit question of the viewer of modern abstract art. Sometimes an
accurate guess can be made; other times the viewer walks away baffled.
Of course, art is not supposed to be a guessing game; nor is it
supposed to be mentally crippling. But that is what modern art has
devolved into. This does not even take into account the content of
contemporary art: mindless cycles of money, drugs, sex, violence and
death. Not that money or sex is bad, but these are portrayed as crude,
animalistic entities devoid of any conceptual context such as arising
from heroic achievement or overcoming obstacles to become successful.
As a result, modern art exemplifies the worst of all worlds: Bad
content, bad style and bad implementation.
Gresham's Law in Art
Gresham's Law is a concept that was developed in the field of
economics. It says that by introducing bad money such as unbacked paper
currency into the economy, the bad money will drive out the good money
such as gold-backed paper currency. Gresham's Law can be applied to
the field of art to see how destruction expands.
When the great artistic masters were flourishing centuries ago, this
inspired new generations of great artists. Even though the artistic
styles changed throughout the decades, the greatness of the artwork
flowed across the centuries.
The opposite has occurred regarding modern art. As bad art began
flooding the culture, the public taste for art began to decline.
Eventually the populace became inured to bad art. At that point the
creators of bad art began rising to prominence in society. Some even
won prestigious awards, fame and fortune for their bad art. This in
turn expanded the market for bad art. And this in turn spawned new
generations of artists who lacked skill, talent, discipline and any
understanding of the fundamentals of valid art. Some artists even
dropped the façade of creating genuine art and purposely created works
of garbage while chuckling at the public for embracing such garbage.
All this culminated in an era that no longer values the great artist.
Talented young artists no longer have the incentive to create mighty
masterpieces on par with Titian or Michelangelo or Beethoven or Chopin.
Those talented young men and women sense the futility of struggling
heroically to produce great art that the modern mind cannot appreciate.
Hence they end up playing works composed by deceased artists but do not
themselves create great masterpieces. They have been drowned out by all
the garbage that passes for genuine art. Those artistically talented
youth suffer quietly without ever knowing why. If they knew why, they
might commit suicide. Why should they live in a world that cannot
appreciate them and does not want them?
The Politics of Art
The political establishment implicitly recognizes the power of art to
influence people. By leveraging government restrictions on free
expression, especially through the government's control of the
electromagnetic spectrum, societal leaders use art to portray man as a
pathetic being dependent upon an external authority.
Liberals use Hollywood and the mass media to elevate the worst artists
into positions of fame and fortune with the tacit goal of crippling the
mind and motivation of citizens. Why? With a suppressed consciousness,
each citizen can be controlled more easily. Controlled by whom?
Citizens can be controlled by societal leaders, by government
bureaucrats, by the liberal establishment.
Conservatives use artistic images to legitimize religion and religious
icons. The tacit goal is to say to each citizen, "This savior is
divine but you are a miserable wretch." Such subtle undermining of
self-esteem among citizens makes them susceptible to surrendering their
self in order to follow an external authority. What external authority?
Conservatives seek to replace self-thinking with the external authority
of a sacred text, a religious savior or a deity.
Like Hitler employed artist Leni Riefenstahl to gain control over the
populace, liberals employ modern artists to gain control over the
populace. And like Pope Julius II employed Michelangelo to subordinate
the secular to the celestial, conservatives employ modern art to
subordinate man to the Holy Bible, to Jesus, to God.
Artistic Remedy
What is the remedy for the long decline of art? Ironically the remedy
is simple. In order to pull the plug on (1) mind-numbing art, (2) its
inept artists and (3) the bankrupt mentality that gives rise to them,
man needs to think.
What is meant by thinking? Does thinking consist of memorizing or
associating things? No, it does not. Thinking consists of
conceptualizing reality -- of identifying things in conceptual terms
and organizing those concepts into rational thoughts and principles.
The purpose of thinking is to understand reality, to solve problems and
to control one's life for survival, success and happiness.
The ability to think independently means man can think on his own
behalf. As more people do this, human consciousness will begin
flourishing as will civilization. The inevitable result will be the
outpouring of magnificent art by great artists. They will mirror the
greatness of man through their great works of art.
Conclusion
It is true that some of today's art is valuable. For example, Kid
Rock's mixing of rock with rap yielded surprisingly potent music.
Another example is child prodigy Lil' Bow Wow with his brilliant
melodies that captured the hearts of children and adults across
America. But these are the rare exceptions rather than the rule.
People who desire great art need not run to government for support of
Hunter
christian routh
>people search the world for art and pay upwards of one million dollars
>for a single work of art? The answer is that art provides pleasure and
>inspiration to its beholder.
i doubt many collectors are driven by the inspiration, if they were then
they themselves would create. you are confusing a discussion of art, with
the discussion of anythiing collectible/commodity
>In some cases modern paintings consist of nothing more than the artist
dipping
>his brush into paint and flinging paint toward the canvas in a chaotic
>manner -- leaving haphazard lines, dots, smears and swirls. This is
>then passed off as a genuine work of art.
i assume you're referring to pollock, who's work gets at exactly what your
previous statement ssays:
>The process of art is one where the artist takes the contents of his
>consciousness and expresses it in painting,
if this is the case the importance of the work of art is not in the artists
ability to deceive the audience into thinking there is acually a bowl of
fruit on the canvas, rather in his/her interaction with the canvas on a
conscious/subconscious/intillectual level. Pollock is a very good example
of this, his process is raw interaction with paint and canvas. I understand
your discontent at the imagery created, but it's foolish to look at a
pollock expecting to "get" something from the canvas. the "getting" has
already been gotten by the artist.
It's very difficult to write about art if
A: you're ignorant to it
B: on top of ignorance you dont actually create art
so pardon my ignorance but i can read no further