surrealism for Dummies
barrett john erickson
"Surrealism for Dummies by Dummies"
-- barrett
bar...@MagneticFields.org
http://www.MagneticFields.org/
"Everything tends to make us believe that there exists a certain point of
the mind at which life and death, the real and the imagined, past and
future, the communicable and the incommunicable, high and low, cease to be
perceived as contradictions."
...André Breton
CHENNO
http://smartcad.me.wisc.edu/~ratnakar/telusa/aug-dec97/0503.html
CHENNO ôżô
Painting is silent poetry, and poetry painting that speaks. - Simonides
Perceptor
> actually this laughable material would've been better titled:
>
> "Surrealism for Dummies by Dummies"
>
> -- barrett
>
Dear Barrett,
Actually, because of your response I had to go and read the thread chenno was
talking about. Thanks , I found them all extremely entertaining. Almost as
much fun as small shiny objects.
Reading those threads me wonder if there is a mirror universe on the other
side of the world (India) where people talk about
surrealism in news groups or chat rooms just like we do over here on our side
with the same kind of inanity, humor (or lack of) , bullshit or sincerity that
we do. And are they taking themselves as seriously as we seem to do ?
I have to think that if there is some kind of surrealist heaven somewhere
(Brandons turn to join in), then Breton and others must be looking down here
and simultaneously crying and laughing their asses off. (and I would guess
that Dali would be painting a picture of them doing it).
It also makes me wonder just how chenno came across the thread in the first
place ? She had to have done some serious surfing to pull that one out of the
hat.
One more thing Barrett, I noticed you signed your post with the small letter b
. Is this a sign of a newer, more humble Barrett, or was it just a typo ?
Always interested in what goes on here ,
don.................
Customer : "An argument is a connected series of statements intended to
establish a proposition! It's not just saying "no, it isn't'!"
"Pro" arguer : "Yes it is!"
Customer : "No it isn't!!"
- Monthy Python live in the Hollywood bowl
CHENNO
eyebrow,I guess I should have noted that it was just a search, and I found the
title silly alongside the info...
There are many like that out there...
barrett john erickson
did, i'll share my response as well.]
Hi Don,
>Reading those threads me wonder if there is a mirror universe on the other
>side of the world (India) where people talk about
>surrealism in news groups or chat rooms just like we do over here on our
side
>with the same kind of inanity, humor (or lack of) , bullshit or sincerity
that
>we do. And are they taking themselves as seriously as we seem to do ?
yes, i'm almost certain there is another side to our rainbow where
academics, "art critics", gallery owners and museum curators ponder
"surrealism".
then there's the endless swamp of news commentators reinforcing the common
equation: surreal = weird or unreal.
i'm not sure which is more damaging.
>It also makes me wonder just how chenno came across the thread in the first
>place ? She had to have done some serious surfing to pull that one out of
the
>hat.
yes, i am also puzzled by that. it seemed to be the condensation of some
kind of obscure mailing list with all sorts of masonic like secret handshake
shit going on.
>One more thing Barrett, I noticed you signed your post with the small
letter b
>. Is this a sign of a newer, more humble Barrett, or was it just a typo ?
>Always interested in what goes on here ,
i've signed creative texts with the lower case since the late 60's -- yes as
a sign of humility. i borrowed it from e.e. cummings after discovering his
explanation.
[of course, i rarely use capitals anymore for anything that isn't intended
to be a bit formal. not sure why that developed -- laziness combined with a
lack of manual dexterity perhaps.]
it may not seem so, but i am actually quite humble about my place in the
grand chaos.
there are _some_ subjects i'm quite sure of -- and passionate about --
because i've thought about them all my adult life. i am quick to recognize
patterns of argument (based on unexamined premises) which i've rejected long
ago and sometimes a bit too quick to dismiss them rather than lead the
presenter into a confrontation of the same problems which lead me to reject
them.
there are other subjects that i'm quite passionate about (and will argue
vehemently over if i think i have the greater knowledge on the subject -- or
i may simply chip relentlessly at someone else's unexamined premise), as i
allow my view to develop during the course of a discussion (and with these,
i can retrospectively see the solidification process as a more coherent
perspective develops).
these two situations probably appear indistinguishable to others.
i know i come off somewhat pompous in these endless "surrealism
is/surrealism isn't" circulars, but this is the curse of repetition. these
are like obligatory drains of energy, and i find no inspiration in them.
>Customer : "An argument is a connected series of statements intended to
>establish a proposition! It's not just saying "no, it isn't'!"
> "Pro" arguer : "Yes it is!"
> Customer : "No it isn't!!"
>
> - Monthy Python live in the Hollywood bowl
one of my all-time favorites (as my flawed memory has it):
two women (chapman and jones i believe) arguing philosophy over their
knitting get into a disagreement and decide to call jean-paul sartre to
resolve it.
woman into a phone: oh, oh, hello, hello? is this mrs. sartre?
mrs sartre (cleese if i remember -- french accent of course): yes, hello,
its me.
woman: sorry to trouble you is jean-paul free?
mrs sartre: oh my... he's been trying to work that one out for 40 years!
-- barrett
--