"Good art looks new because the artist has recombined something old to make something better." It may or may not be better, but it need not be. It's enough that it be as good, in its own way.
I discovered half way through this book that it had misbound signatures resulting in duplicate pages from “Artist in Colleges” while missing “On Nonconformity” and “Modern Evaluations”. Reading the balance of the book was valuable, and these quotes jewels from the chapter “The Education of An Artist: “I have mentioned our great American passion for freedom. And now, let me add to that comment that freedom itself is a disciplined thing. Craft is that discipline which frees the spirit; and style is the result.” And: “The primary concern of the serious artist is to get the thing said-and wonderfully well.”
“Good art does not break with the past,” says the Aphorism. “It breaks with the present by emulating the best of the past. Good art looks new because the artist has recombined something old to make something better.” Brava!
The 17th century painter Claude Lorrain was once so major that he was simply referred to as Claude, since everybody knew who that was. He was certainly major to JMW Turner (for whom the Turner Prize is regrettably named), who knew a thing or two about painting. Claude was the man Turner wanted to beat or at least match. That's how it's supposed to work. There's no such thing as a serious artist who chooses to ignore, let alone dismiss, the art that came before. It's not just lack of respect and humility; it's lack of appreciation for art itself, which any worthwhile artist MUST have.
"Good art looks new because the artist has recombined something old to make something better." It may or may not be better, but it need not be. It's enough that it be as good, in its own way.
I discovered half way through this book that it had misbound signatures resulting in duplicate pages from “Artist in Colleges” while missing “On Nonconformity” and “Modern Evaluations”. Reading the balance of the book was valuable, and these quotes jewels from the chapter “The Education of An Artist: “I have mentioned our great American passion for freedom. And now, let me add to that comment that freedom itself is a disciplined thing. Craft is that discipline which frees the spirit; and style is the result.” And: “The primary concern of the serious artist is to get the thing said-and wonderfully well.”
"Good art does not break with the past." Another reason postmodernist art, dismissing and eschewing any heritage (therefore, context), fails.
“Good art does not break with the past,” says the Aphorism. “It breaks with the present by emulating the best of the past. Good art looks new because the artist has recombined something old to make something better.” Brava!
Thanks, Franklin. I've always given Shahn short shrift.
Well done!
The 17th century painter Claude Lorrain was once so major that he was simply referred to as Claude, since everybody knew who that was. He was certainly major to JMW Turner (for whom the Turner Prize is regrettably named), who knew a thing or two about painting. Claude was the man Turner wanted to beat or at least match. That's how it's supposed to work. There's no such thing as a serious artist who chooses to ignore, let alone dismiss, the art that came before. It's not just lack of respect and humility; it's lack of appreciation for art itself, which any worthwhile artist MUST have.