Williams's response, as is often the case, avoids coming to grips with the specific points I made, and instead relies on wild accusations (I want art 'to be like geology'???) and the ad hominem.
(Normally I just put up with this and say nothing - but at times it gets a bit irritating.) DA On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 10:57 PM, William Conger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Right, art should be a thing, measurable, like a rock. > Derek wants art to be like geology. Any idea that > does not conform to Derek's still quite hidden ideas > is silly. It always works to go to the extreme of > exaggeration in denouncing ideas. First, distort them > by reinventing them as something else and then just > call them silly, muddled, fuzzy, Standard stuff. And > worthless as intellectual inquiry. > > WC > > > --- Derek Allan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I think this kind of thing (below) is just games > > with words - verbiage. Like > > William's claim that the beauty of Goya's late > > paintings is in the absence > > of beauty, or whatever exactly it was. > > > > The basic question is: do we want words in art > > criticism and aesthetics to > > mean something or do we not? If we are happy just > > to play games with words, > > then why not go the whole hog and call Goya's > > 'Saturn' (eg) pretty or > > elegant or joyous or funny or something of that ilk, > > and when anyone > > questions us, we can just reply (with a suitably > > condescending air): "Well, > > it's just something Felt" (as per below), or 'Well, > > its prettiness is in the > > absence of prettiness' etc, as per William. > > > > It's the kind of thing that gives art criticism and > > aesthetics a bad name. > > What intelligent person would bother with a field of > > study in which words > > can be made to mean anything the writer chooses them > > to mean - and can > > simply dismiss objections on the grounds that the > > 'presence is in the > > absence' or 'you just have to feel it' or something > > equally feeble? > > > > Art deserves to be a subject of serious study and > > reflection. Not an excuse > > for waffle. > > > > Derek Allan > > > http://www.home.netspeed.com.au/derek.allan/default.htm > > > > > > On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 11:28 AM, > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > In a message dated 4/28/08 9:26:08 PM, > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > > > > > > > > Derek, this is what D. H. Lawrence would tell > > you: > > > > "Beauty is an experience, nothing else. It is > > not a fixed pattern or an > > > > arrangement of features. It is something Felt, a > > glow or a communicated > > > > sense > > > > of fineness. What ails us is that our sense of > > beauty is so bruised and > > > > blunted, we miss all the best." > > > > Boris Shoshensky > > > > > > > Good quote, Boris! Precisely where did he say > > this? > > > > > > > > > > > > ************** > > > Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for > > U.S. used car > > > listings at AOL Autos. > > > > > > > > > (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > -- Derek Allan http://www.home.netspeed.com.au/derek.allan/default.htm
