Hello Carey, the history of art and the history of contemporary art both are very interesting to study because artists have often tried to make art that they felt would challenge the people of their era. So the list of local people I gave you all are doing their part to broaden perception and the ability to perceive in our era. I’d like to propose that time being the test of art is still a pretty good one and the only one that I personally care about. However, one of the worst things and absolutely useless art works that I ever saw in person is also one that served only its moment in time exceptionally well.
Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain;
Better known as the urinal by the general population. It is useless to me now because I trust my judgement on art but in its day it was a nuclear bomb of influence waking up the general public to being critical and to NOT just accept art as art just because it has somehow been but in a gallery. That was its purpose and intention and it sent shock waves around the world. It is exactly what those kids taking a photo of forgotten glasses that you sent ought to be alert to.
On the other hand my favourite quote by an artist to all other artists ever and one that I teach my students is by the terrific painter of many time tested outstanding paintings , Eugene Delacroix who put the challenge to artists like this:
“You who know there is always something new, reveal that to others in that which they may have overlooked.”
He is liberating and challenging artists of all time to serve their world and their community by causing the people to look at the world with openness at hope of seeing more than they first expected in everything. So while Duchamp was being incredibly cynical about artists Delacroix assumes that artists will always try to describe things valuable about being alive. And those lovely children in the photo you sent me taking photos of glasses left behind are demonstrating willingness to look at anything as revealing something about being alive that they too may be overlooking.
So while most would say that this image points out what is wrong with the contemporary art world it IS pointing out why children are beautiful in how they openly look at the world and tend to see in anything at least potential and I will send you now two photos of my glasses in slightly different light that reveals what is great about looking more carefully at glasses that most don’t even take time to see in there own everyday lives. And if I did a painting of if, people might say my how poorly this man paints the lenses of glasses.
Thanks for reminding me that I saw my glasses one day out of the corner of my eye and noticed the polarizing lenses being very interesting…so I took these two pictures. I’m not saying those kids saw this, but unlike most adults , maybe their parents or teachers encouraged them to give everything in a museum a chance? Of course I hope that after going to a gallery of a museum, everyone is provoked into looking for visual miracles wherever they travel in life.
respectfully, Roy Mills