Truth, Beauty and the Meaning of Art
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty” – That is all Ye know on earth and all ye need to know. – Keats, Ode to a Grecian Urn I thought I’d put together some arguments on the nature and meaning of beauty to the human experience. I hope you’ll spend some time with these presentations and consider their implications. The first is an argument by Roger Scruton, produced for the BBC: One of the arguments that Scruton makes is that the whole concept of beauty and the value of art changed, beginning...
read moreA Sense of Place
I think about this presentation every time I travel to a new location to paint. I think Plein Air painters are uniquely qualified to speak about this topic, as we are among the very few who spend so much time immersed in careful scrutiny, and the very nature of what we do documents the changes in our environment. I have painted dozens of places that are no longer what they were, due to weather, road construction or urban sprawl. What do you...
read moreMilwaukee Art Museum – China Exhibit
I was told today, in a rather contrite manner, by a suit-wearing rent-a-cop with a plainly smug expression, that there was no photography in the main exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Have I mentioned before that I am a devout Libertarian? It would be an understatement to say that I have a problem with authority, especially stupid authority. So, let me share with you some photography: Last month I decided that to see the Milwaukee Art Museum’s China Exhibits which were being discussed on public radio. After doing some research I...
read moreA = A, part 2
In my last post on this subject, I discussed some of the issues involved in a plein air event, the juried awards, and the significance of winning or losing. I also gave you my criteria for evaluating a painting. I want to reiterate: I have to believe that good work within a genre will tell. Putting aside the issue of sales, and focusing on the judging of awards for these events, other issues arise: What if the judges are not objective in their evaluation? What if the judges do not share my criteria for evaluating a painting? What if when the...
read moreA = A
One’s expectation of reality should never interfere with their ability to perceive reality. – Richard Schmid Before I talk about how the Cedarburg Event wrapped up, what my results were, I want to tell you about a conversation that I had shortly after the event closed, which I am still contemplating, and my criteria for evaluating a painting. Just prior to attending the artist post-event party thrown by the remarkably generous Shoenenberger home, I was congratulating the awarded artists whom I knew, which inevitably ended up in...
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