Kline on taste

Painting Number 2, 1954

Franz Kline once said 'You instinctively like what you can't do', when commenting on Fra Angelico, as interviewed by Frank O'Hara in 1958.

So, with that logic applied, everyone should like Kline's works.

Motherwell's signature

Titled "untitled", this litho from 1966 (ed. of 225 copies) shows the typical works of Robert Motherwell of the day. This particular image has a little resemblance to the map of the British Islands. But you could say that it, together with his similar artworks of the period, was his signature at that time.

Rosenberg revisited

Elaine De Kooning 'Rosenberg', 1956

In his not so unknown treatise on "The De-definition of Art", Harold Rosenberg wrote:

'In practice, "reality" as an alternative to art has been less an anti-art program than a social slogan. It may call for the abandonement of art; actually, it anticipates a renewal of art through raising substance above form' /page 26, 1979 2nd ed.

A typical input of the contemporary art debate of the late sixties and early seventies (first ed. of book came about in 1972)? Maybe.

The discussion of reality vs art, or vice versa, is a superflous discussion to beging with. Art cannot possible represent any other thing than some kind of reality, albeit authentically or distorted. Art cannot create any reality, if it could we'd be in big trouble.

The book for sale

Art with(out) meaning

Who said art must have a meaning. Cannot art be the meaning itself. By itself.

Does it have to have another meaning?

When the end of an artwork becomes an end in itself, don't we forget to behold the artwork? And still the artwork may be the end.

I found above artwork while searching for "art without meaning".

A man of sorrows and aquianted with grief

All too often Jesus (Yeshua/Yahshua) is depicted as a quite happy man, with much self-esteem (the word that modern day health & wealth preachers love).

However the Bible says He was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isa.53:3, KJV).

Handel's interpretation of these scriptures is noteworthy. Here's the full text.

Up and running!

Yessss! We'll see what comes out of this.

Will post some space filling stuff and also try put up some music, so called.