The Triforce Of Art: Lynch Pin
The Robot Gospel, Part 01110
Now, I’m sure some of you may be thinking: “Doesn’t Art also, kinda, cover Comedy?”
To which I’ll reply: Yeah. But this is my Triforce, I can do what I want!
The way I look at my Art piece, is that it not only encapsulates works of art themselves, but also the work of creating art. Being creative. Having not only an eye for — but also a drive to create — art.
Now, a key aspect of Comedy that I explored was the subversion of expectations — so what is a key aspect of Art?
Yeah... I’m sure I’m going to nail that down when pretty much through the entirety of humanity’s existence we’ve been trying to figure that one out... I mean, I feel that Art (with a capital “A”) has to have some aspect of trying to communicate something — even if it’s just Look at this, or Look at me. Perhaps even just communicating with a part of yourself that you are trying to explore.
Does that mean there is some intrinsic artistry in advertising? Buy this! Maybe...? But that would mean that there is a kinship that exists between Art and Propaganda, and that feels — as the cliche goes — like I threw-up in my mouth a bit.
I’ve heard a variation of “Art is about taking down systems of power or else it’s propaganda” from Tawny Newsome in an episode of Yo, Is This Racist. And then in trying to find where the paraphrased quote originated, saw that Cameron Esposito also said the same thing.
I did ultimately find a quote along similar lines attributed to Edith Wharton:
“Art is on the side of the oppressed. Think before you shudder at the simplistic dictum and its heretical definition of the freedom of art. For if art is freedom of the spirit, how can it exist within the oppressors?”
And there is, however, a school of thought that all art is propaganda. You’re trying to bring people over to a specific point of view by wrapping it up in metaphor and emotional bling. Manipulation. It’s the “shut up & sing” people that are in support of freedom of speech, just as long as it is speech they agree with.
But we all have different points of view and different frames of reference that we try to decipher the world with, so of course everyone is going to see art (and Art) from their own individual perspective. Everyone gets something different out of it. Or maybe doesn’t even get it at all.
Perhaps art is just the outcome of artistry? Only an artist can create art. And since Generative A.I. is just computer algorithms, it can’t create art. A group of artists can, but not a committee or think tank. And as we have learned from Ratatouille, anyone can be an artist — but that’s not a guarantee that everyone will like (or understand) your art.
But also, popularity and acclaim should not define if art is successful.
I started writing this missive before the passing of David Lynch, and the shear amount of tributes I saw, and people wanting to share their thoughts about him, were surprising to me. He was the poster child for Weird — an eponymous word was even coined to try to categorize his aesthetic. I had no idea that the strange things that sprang from his mind had connected to so many other people.
It’s not that I thought he was my own special discovery or secret. That other people weren’t smart enough to really get him. It’s that he was out there making ART! Not blockbuster, four quadrant, popcorn stuff you have on in the background while you play on your fucking telephone.
I think a large part of the outpouring of posthumous praise, isn’t necessarily because all those people loved everything he did — bought the albums, watched the Criterion extras, examined his paintings. But because he was always out there doing whatever he damn well pleased1. A pure creative force in a sour, apathetic world.
Now, doing whatever you damn well please (to other people) like Neil Gaiman is another thing entirely. And that’s not to say that one needs to — or should never — separate the art from the artist. It’s complicated... You can look back at things you’ve done in the past with regret and mourning, and if they were to be removed would be to weaken the foundation upon which you’re built. So too, could be the case with art that has shaped your soul to better fit into your body.
However, you must also be able to gauge the weight of an object you hold near and dear, and whether what that object is tied to will continue to keep you afloat or drag you down.
Horrible people can create great art. Morality is not mutually exclusive to creativity. It’s up to each of us, individually, to decide for ourselves how we interact with Art. What and how we let it impact us. Art does not exist in a vacuum, which is one of the ways you can tell that it’s art. There are layers and places to explore within it. Enlightenment to be had and connections to be made by studying it and letting it ruminate within your subconscious in the following weeks, months, years of your life.
People have lately grown fond of saying that they don’t believe in Guilty Pleasures. That they don’t feel guilty about liking what they like. But that’s not what it means (even though it has Guilty in its name). Having Guilty Pleasures means you know that there is a hierarchy to the things you enjoy. That there is a difference between the things you like that are empty calories and the things that nourish you.
It’s okay to have junk food culture that you enjoy. Hell, it’s even okay if it’s the only thing you consume — bad taste is still taste. But you need to know that there is a difference between a quick-fix sugar high dropped from a vending machine coil and a meal meticulously prepared with good ingredients and with a presentation that you see on all those cooking shows2.
That’s all I’ve got to say for this outing. Some things that I may dig into a little deeper at some point, while some of this stuff was pretty much all I had to say, and there was no way I could pad it beyond 200-ish words.
-bcp
I’ve enjoyed the last couple of “black-gaze” albums from Deafheaven, but with this first single from their forthcoming album, I’m ready to start singing along with them again in my weird little monster voice!
Which did include not spending too much time with his kids, and even the smoking, which eventually led to his downfall.
They always say, “You eat with your eyes first,” but the salt fucking stings!