[Reader-list] Fwd :François Gautier ...

[S Fatima]

"Boring" and "trite", yes you've proved my point,
Amitabh. We, who produce or consume "high" art, are
too bored to go to the masses to explain what good art
is. I can't think of any effort made by the serious
contemporary artist to reach out to the people. And my
remarks are not for Hussain alone - these are for the
entire elitist art community which produces only for
galleries which have to be reserved for a show several
years in advance these days.

I am sorry I am constantly taking this entire argument
away from Gautier and friends, but my point (about
education system) was to show that it is possible to
spread the "awareness" however boring it may sound.
One big example is our classical music (as abstract as
modern paintings) which is being appreciated by more
and more young people now thanks to SPIC-MACAY and
other similar efforts. If classical musicians can talk
to youngsters and inculcate at least some interest in
them (although I may not agree with SPIC-MACAY's
version of things), why can't painters go to the
people. 



--- Amitabh Kumar <amitabh at sarai.net> wrote:

> "If our education system had taught us how to
> appreciate good
> art, how to read a painting,.."
> 
> I think blaming our education system is an argument
> that borders the trite
> and is screeching towards boredom.
> 
> Q: Do artists disconnect from people/masses or is it
> vice versa? What is
> this disconnect and how can it be cured by
> 'spreading awareness'?
> 
>  If Hussain's work instigates any reaction in a
> person ( be it of anger,
> enjoyment, fear, condescension... ) I think perhaps
> a way to engage with it
> would be to actually go and find out what is causing
> that reaction. There is
> little that can be achieved by way's of trying to
> 'educate' the 'masses'
> about contemporary art.
> And  to the best of my knowledge,this effort has
> already been once made when
> in the 80's the mayor of Bombay had publicly
> displayed the works of Hussain
> and other distinguished artists out in the open. The
> artists would engage
> with the 'common man' and the work would be
> discussed.
> Once again, the source of this information might be
> a rumor.
> 
>  I, personally, am not a huge fan Hussain's work and
> that has got nothing to
> do with him painting a nude goddess or which
> religion or creed he belongs to
> or how much his work sells or the feeling of being
> betrayed by his '
> disconnected'-ness. It's an opinion that is informed
> by my aesthetic
> sensibilities. And what my notion of a good thought
> provoking work is.
> 
> Have all the provacation associated with Hussain's
> come from within the work
> or from sources outside ?
> Sadly, all the provocation associated with Hussain's
> work comes from outside
> of it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 6/15/07, S Fatima < sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in>
> wrote:
> >
> > Well, I mentioned about the education system and
> the
> > elitism - that's the answer. As long as Husain
> > continues to paint for the drawing rooms of the
> > billionares, he will continue to hide in London.
> If
> > some of our artists could go to the schools
> holding
> > workshops - even in RSS shakhas - to explain why
> they
> > paint what they paint, wouldn't that make a
> > difference.
> > You need to come down from your pedestal to bring
> any
> > change. You can't sit in the ivory towers and
> blame
> > the poor.
> >
> >
> > --- Jeebesh Bagchi < jeebesh at sarai.net> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > On 15-Jun-07, at 12:37 PM, S Fatima wrote:
> > >
> > > > because they can't come to the street
> > > > to explian why they wrote or painted what they
> > > did.
> > >
> > > And how are we suppose to achieve this? Any
> ideas?
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
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> 
> 
> -- 
> www.amitabhkumar.blogspot.com
> 



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