Richard Bledsoe "Hapless Scrivener (Make With The Word)" oil on canvas 48" x 36"
Post Modernism had a profoundly negative impact on contemporary art, which is why it needs to be strongly repudiated. It attempted to substitute a simulation of art, a Mobius strip of relativistic theories propped up by sophistry and hypocrisy, in place of the actual human processes of creation, discovery and self knowledge. Post Modernism looked
like it had significance because its domination in the media, academia,
and the cultural institutions. But it fails to speak to or for the vast
majority of people in this world.
What is pandering these days is to go along with the art establishment-to keep producing junk with a sociology lesson attached, instead of really exploring yourself and your medium. The medium is irrelevant-art can be made out of anything. The power of art comes from the artist's ability to capture a visionary moment of truth in tangible form-that place where the specific leads to the eternal.
Our society has suffered because for awhile artists stopped reaching towards eternal values. Post modernism said there are no values-it's all the same, just a matter of taste, no one can say what is good and what is not. In fact, PoMO says, the worse something seems the better it is, and the average person is just too dumb or backwards to get it. But the elite get it. It's a way prove membership as one of the anointed-embrace the nonsense. We've had decades of fawning over the emperor's nonexistent clothes.
Well, no more. The culture elites have run the train off the tracks and the damage they've caused needs to be repaired. If we are going to come through these turbulent times intact, artists must stop supporting the establishment's status quo.
Conflict is unavoidable, because incompatible world views are in competition. Remodernism presents the return of art as a revelation-an inclusive, spiritual activity. The elites encourage art as a wedge, a status symbol; they use the debasement of art to enforce their positions of power and influence. There can be no compromise with those who seek to use the holy practice of art to to undermine the human spirit.
-Richard Bledsoe
Wonderful. Yes, whatever comes out of this mess should receive respect because only artists who have an inner resilience will have spent the years it takes to swim again the tide of rubbish that has overwhelmed the media and the paid off critics.
ReplyDeleteBut what will Remodernism be? Will it be a mix off all the things that speak to each artist as an individual? Is it anything that isn't "contemporary". Anything that speaks of quality and inner knowing, bravery, respect? For the moment, we are in flux I suppose and many things will come from the change. Lets hope that artists can respect our own differences and rise above the media manipulations.
Eternal values are mentioned in the context of the selected piece of art. Without any background of this piece of art I will offer my own explanation- in light of the commentary which rejects the ideas of relativism and laments the lack of eternal values.
ReplyDeleteThere is a stark contrast: the peaceful, yet determined scribe and his collection of old books and the powerful explosion in the background. I could imagine that the scribe is re-enforcing the age old truths of the bible, and the A-bomb explosion represents the life changing message of the bible- which has the power to break through and destroy, the tainted skewed values of today's society. The scribe appears to be either writing or copying words into a book- in Hebrew fashion (based on the fact that the left page appears to be completed and that he is just starting to write on the right page). Obviously, the focus is on the significance of the Old Testament in general, and the unchanging truths of the old testament that were fulfilled in the New Testament. This painting represents a return to basic truths about God, and basic stories as told in the old testament- about creation and morals. These are truths and wisdom that society just simply overlooks. And as the explosion represents, the ancients truths and words still have life changing power to destroy and recreate.
You see Van Gogh paintings purchased as status symbols- much German Expressionism won't mean anything to the vast majority of people- Picasso made art that alienated virtually the entire public including his fellow artists. What's good is surely entirely subjective? Human process, creation, discovery, self-knowledge and exporation exist in postmodernist work if many postmodernist artists are to be believed. The question is, why wouldn't you? I like some Remodernist art, but am put off by their views. They seem to have at least one eye on the art business, I would have more respect for them if they didn't give a monkeys, and just got on with their art- like most artists do. I don't see why they suppose to see the motivations of artists whose work they don't like. They can't see inside the artists head, no matter how little value they may see it the work.
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