I have read through page 146 and, to my mind, it is an important page. "The concept, remaining merely conceptual, falls short of the bite of physical presence. Just one step away is the debilitating idea that concept is as forceful in its conception as in its realization." She goes on to say "the poem has to be written, the painting painted, the sculpture wrought." It is the making that interests me. Bringing an idea into something physical, real and authentic.
Perhaps a challenge in being a student--one sees the whole in painting tradition and just can't get there--I am sure that's what Kurosawa and Scorsese feel at the cusp of the big picture.
I think about time a lot and there's a lot of writing about time, but time and painting I do not know.
"Only beginning: sculptures hold their own. And the fact that they record time is intrinsic to their essence."
"We - they and I - are individually on our way to disintegration. I am different in that I have the privilege of consciousness of myself relinquishing my own individuality."
A gardner friend mentioned she used to focus on parts and over time was able to see the whole, and I think that's what the above Truitt quotes suppport. The vastness of time, layered in an object, is the magic of art.
“The whole world has opened up to me, but it’s too late. It’s too late.” When asked to elaborate, the 80-year-old Oscar winner said: “I’m old. I read stuff. I see things. I want to tell stories, and there’s no more time. [Filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa, when he got his Oscar, when George [Lucas] and Steven [Spielberg] gave it to him, he said, ‘I’m only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late.’ He was 83. At the time, I said, ‘What does he mean?’ Now I know what he means.”
Scorsese here was referring to Kurosawa's Honorary Oscar of 1990, when he was just a few days past his 80th birthday. (Scorsese would have been 48 that day.) Here's his speech in its entirety (via translator). [https://aaspeechesdb.oscars.org/link/062-25/]
I am very deeply honored to receive such a wonderful prize, but I have to ask whether I really deserve it. I'm a little worried, because I don't feel that I understand cinema yet. I really don't feel that I have yet grasped the essence of cinema. Cinema is a marvelous thing, but to grasp its true essence is very, very difficult. But what I promise you is that from now on I will work as hard as I can at making movies and maybe by following this path I will achieve an understanding of the true essence of cinema and earn this award. George [Lucas], Steven [Spielberg]. Thank you.
I have read through page 146 and, to my mind, it is an important page. "The concept, remaining merely conceptual, falls short of the bite of physical presence. Just one step away is the debilitating idea that concept is as forceful in its conception as in its realization." She goes on to say "the poem has to be written, the painting painted, the sculpture wrought." It is the making that interests me. Bringing an idea into something physical, real and authentic.
Thank you for recommending this book.
Perhaps a challenge in being a student--one sees the whole in painting tradition and just can't get there--I am sure that's what Kurosawa and Scorsese feel at the cusp of the big picture.
I think about time a lot and there's a lot of writing about time, but time and painting I do not know.
"Only beginning: sculptures hold their own. And the fact that they record time is intrinsic to their essence."
"We - they and I - are individually on our way to disintegration. I am different in that I have the privilege of consciousness of myself relinquishing my own individuality."
A gardner friend mentioned she used to focus on parts and over time was able to see the whole, and I think that's what the above Truitt quotes suppport. The vastness of time, layered in an object, is the magic of art.
Franklin: When you wrote "we’re still wondering how to live", and "the more time passes, the more all becomes the present", then nailed it all down with such a perfect, evocative Hokusai quote, you reminded me of an interview Martin Scorsese just gave to Vanity Fair. [https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/05/martin-scorsese-im-old-i-want-to-tell-stories-but-theres-no-more-time]
“The whole world has opened up to me, but it’s too late. It’s too late.” When asked to elaborate, the 80-year-old Oscar winner said: “I’m old. I read stuff. I see things. I want to tell stories, and there’s no more time. [Filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa, when he got his Oscar, when George [Lucas] and Steven [Spielberg] gave it to him, he said, ‘I’m only now beginning to see the possibility of what cinema could be, and it’s too late.’ He was 83. At the time, I said, ‘What does he mean?’ Now I know what he means.”
Scorsese here was referring to Kurosawa's Honorary Oscar of 1990, when he was just a few days past his 80th birthday. (Scorsese would have been 48 that day.) Here's his speech in its entirety (via translator). [https://aaspeechesdb.oscars.org/link/062-25/]
I am very deeply honored to receive such a wonderful prize, but I have to ask whether I really deserve it. I'm a little worried, because I don't feel that I understand cinema yet. I really don't feel that I have yet grasped the essence of cinema. Cinema is a marvelous thing, but to grasp its true essence is very, very difficult. But what I promise you is that from now on I will work as hard as I can at making movies and maybe by following this path I will achieve an understanding of the true essence of cinema and earn this award. George [Lucas], Steven [Spielberg]. Thank you.