Good morning. Has everyone found a seat? Good. Welcome to Absurd Reductionism 104.
This course will give you the tools to release your attachment to your art. Extra credit is available to those who see parallels and apply course lessons to other facets of life. Here are your outlines; please take one and pass to the person behind you. Good.
This course will give you the tools to release your attachment to your art. Extra credit is available to those who see parallels and apply course lessons to other facets of life. Here are your outlines; please take one and pass to the person behind you. Good.
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
Ok, let's turn off our iPods and begin. First off, you must realize that every opinion I assert has valid contradictions. Explore them; this class is purely a launching pad for thought + discussion, not an ultimatum on what you must do. Break rules, but not for the sake of breaking rules. Break 'em because you're aware of a 'better' method for yourself. Anyhow, on with the show.
There exists an form of argument that endeavours to undermine the opposition by reducing it to it's abstract + fundamental elements, making it appear pointless, unimportant + absurd. Although this tactic is prevalent in discussions of religion, politics, etc., we'll focus on it's artistic usage.
A classic implementation goes like this: We have a piece of art- it's an oil painting of an apple. Obviously, this art sucks: all it is, is some paint smeared around on some cloth. Dumb, easy. A two-year-old could do that.
By removing creativity, technical skill, subject matter, cultural impact, etc., we can present a nihilistic picture of the work. One that reduces it to the literal things that compose it, that leave it purposeless, meaningless, with no value.
Unfortunately for this argument, it is easily shown to be ineffectual + useless itself: The primary value of the art lies not within the literal elements of it's composition, but from the intention + energy that the artist applies to it's creation. To paraphrase the astronomer Carl Sagan, "The beauty of a thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together." Therefore, absurd reductionism does not detract from the value + importance of a work of art.
Now that we have an understanding of absurd reductionism + how it cannot be effectively used in the debate of art, perhaps we should find another use for it? For everything has a purpose...
Reducing a personal piece to it's basic elements can give you some much-needed perspective. Your art can be poised at a stage you consider complete, when further directions remain to be explored, which can result in a more 'polished' piece. However, if you've formed attachment to it, (practically an inevitability in the creation process) you may be afraid to continue work on the piece; you don't want to 'ruin' what you have. A lot of time, effort + maybe even money has been invested! What if it all goes to waste?! What if what if what if! This fear can be what holds you back from growing as an artist, truly, as a person!
So attack it. Realize that your work is just some paint splattered on some wood; just some paper cut out and arranged. It's just some beats and samples put together; it's just a collection of words on a page. Nothing more, but also, nothing less.
Did that canvas cost some money? Whatever; it's just money. You'll get more. You'll probably get even more reward if you put more energy + time into the piece- wouldn't stopping now be a bigger waste of your materials than striving forward? At the very, very least, it's good practice.
This is where some time away from a piece can be crucial. Some work on another project, cleaning your work area, hell, just going and having a meal + a conversation with a friend- this can be more beneficial to your work than an equal amount of time spent grinding away at the easel. There are many avenues for breaking your attachment, this is merely one of them.
Once you have freed yourself from your possessiveness, you are ready to look forward, ready to recognize the potential of the work. Imagine possibilities, try new things. You'll see that at it's current stage, your piece has a whole momentum of energy + effort + talent that you've poured into it so far- so keep it going! So take it to that next level!
So. In conclusion- your art sucks. Paint over it. But don't hide it; go beyond it, yet incorporate elements of it. Transcend + include. Transcend + include.
Ah, there's the bell. Your homework is to create + destroy + reincarnate a piece 3 times. Due on the 13th. Class dismissed.
Ok, let's turn off our iPods and begin. First off, you must realize that every opinion I assert has valid contradictions. Explore them; this class is purely a launching pad for thought + discussion, not an ultimatum on what you must do. Break rules, but not for the sake of breaking rules. Break 'em because you're aware of a 'better' method for yourself. Anyhow, on with the show.
There exists an form of argument that endeavours to undermine the opposition by reducing it to it's abstract + fundamental elements, making it appear pointless, unimportant + absurd. Although this tactic is prevalent in discussions of religion, politics, etc., we'll focus on it's artistic usage.
A classic implementation goes like this: We have a piece of art- it's an oil painting of an apple. Obviously, this art sucks: all it is, is some paint smeared around on some cloth. Dumb, easy. A two-year-old could do that.
By removing creativity, technical skill, subject matter, cultural impact, etc., we can present a nihilistic picture of the work. One that reduces it to the literal things that compose it, that leave it purposeless, meaningless, with no value.
Unfortunately for this argument, it is easily shown to be ineffectual + useless itself: The primary value of the art lies not within the literal elements of it's composition, but from the intention + energy that the artist applies to it's creation. To paraphrase the astronomer Carl Sagan, "The beauty of a thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together." Therefore, absurd reductionism does not detract from the value + importance of a work of art.
Now that we have an understanding of absurd reductionism + how it cannot be effectively used in the debate of art, perhaps we should find another use for it? For everything has a purpose...
Reducing a personal piece to it's basic elements can give you some much-needed perspective. Your art can be poised at a stage you consider complete, when further directions remain to be explored, which can result in a more 'polished' piece. However, if you've formed attachment to it, (practically an inevitability in the creation process) you may be afraid to continue work on the piece; you don't want to 'ruin' what you have. A lot of time, effort + maybe even money has been invested! What if it all goes to waste?! What if what if what if! This fear can be what holds you back from growing as an artist, truly, as a person!
So attack it. Realize that your work is just some paint splattered on some wood; just some paper cut out and arranged. It's just some beats and samples put together; it's just a collection of words on a page. Nothing more, but also, nothing less.
Did that canvas cost some money? Whatever; it's just money. You'll get more. You'll probably get even more reward if you put more energy + time into the piece- wouldn't stopping now be a bigger waste of your materials than striving forward? At the very, very least, it's good practice.
This is where some time away from a piece can be crucial. Some work on another project, cleaning your work area, hell, just going and having a meal + a conversation with a friend- this can be more beneficial to your work than an equal amount of time spent grinding away at the easel. There are many avenues for breaking your attachment, this is merely one of them.
Once you have freed yourself from your possessiveness, you are ready to look forward, ready to recognize the potential of the work. Imagine possibilities, try new things. You'll see that at it's current stage, your piece has a whole momentum of energy + effort + talent that you've poured into it so far- so keep it going! So take it to that next level!
So. In conclusion- your art sucks. Paint over it. But don't hide it; go beyond it, yet incorporate elements of it. Transcend + include. Transcend + include.
Ah, there's the bell. Your homework is to create + destroy + reincarnate a piece 3 times. Due on the 13th. Class dismissed.