New Art City

I've been working my way through the book New Art City, by Jed Perl, a post-WWII art history of New York.

In the mid-70's, when I was in my early 20's, I visited New York and had a friend take me around to some of the museums.  I was embarrassed by how little I knew.  I grew up in a house with art books and I always appreciated art, but I was pretty much a bumpkin.

I hate being a bumpkin.

So I came back and started studying art history on my own. 

I immediately ran into that old saying, "My five year old can do as well as that."

Well, no.  Not mostly.  (There was a recent article about a six year old artist -- and the paintings were fantastic.  But -- while I don't doubt the kid wielded the paint brush, I figure an adult designed and conceptualized the art...just saying.)

I find with music and art, and sometimes with literature, that critical appreciation does come with knowledge.  That is, knowing the history and context and having someone point out the significance helps me appreciate what's happening. 

At the same time, there is that "blink" moment of either liking it or not liking it.  I don't know how to explain art, but I know it when I see it.  Like poetry, you either feel it or you don't.

But sometimes the criticism seems to be trying awfully hard to make something out of nothing, to overthink it.

The talking about art makes me want to do art.  In fact, it was after reading and looking at pictures by Joseph Cornell and Willem de Kooning and yes, even Jackson Pollack, that made me want to write poetry over the last few days

You know, "art."

I'm mostly a storyteller and what art comes, comes as a byproduct of my efforts to create as interesting a story as I can. 

I have my ambitions.  For instance, I've decided to try to think of a "poetic" concept on every page of Sometimes a Dragon -- that is, as long as it doesn't distract from the story try to find an original and evocative way to say something on every page.

And then do it again.

I think, generally, that the smoother the word flow, the better the story.  I don't personally much care for a John Updike, for instance.  I'm distracted by the wordplay, taken out of the story.

But I believe there is a way to tell a story with a flourish, if you will.  And that's what I'd like to try to do.