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I do think artists have a personal, moral, ethical, religious obligation to their audiences. Well, not most artists. Not Pablo Picasso or Oscar Wilde. In fact, only I have it. That's because I'm an irrational self-loather, and personal, moral, ethical, religious justification within my work is very difficult and not at all fun, and those are the sorts of things you do if you hate yourself.
A single person frowns in offense and I get a little electric twinge in my diaphragm. There's no way to convince me I don't have these obligations to them - I've tried convincing myself, read much in defense of the artist, and have listened to many persuasive arguments.
I mean, the speakers were thought to be persuasive.
Come to think of it the speakers were already convinced, so they couldn't be persuaded, and they didn't change my mind, so I wasn't persuaded, but we both came away thinking them very persuasive arguments. Perhaps these arguments actually possessed personal, moral, ethical, religious failures, disservices to me as the audience, but I don't begrudge my friends. I begrudge myself. I should have been convinced.
That's my philosophy of art, it's much like life: if there is fault, it's probably mine.
I do think artists have a personal, moral, ethical, religious obligation to their audiences. Well, not most artists. Not Pablo Picasso or Oscar Wilde. In fact, only I have it. That's because I'm an irrational self-loather, and personal, moral, ethical, religious justification within my work is very difficult and not at all fun, and those are the sorts of things you do if you hate yourself.
A single person frowns in offense and I get a little electric twinge in my diaphragm. There's no way to convince me I don't have these obligations to them - I've tried convincing myself, read much in defense of the artist, and have listened to many persuasive arguments.
I mean, the speakers were thought to be persuasive.
Come to think of it the speakers were already convinced, so they couldn't be persuaded, and they didn't change my mind, so I wasn't persuaded, but we both came away thinking them very persuasive arguments. Perhaps these arguments actually possessed personal, moral, ethical, religious failures, disservices to me as the audience, but I don't begrudge my friends. I begrudge myself. I should have been convinced.
That's my philosophy of art, it's much like life: if there is fault, it's probably mine.
That is a Woody Allen worthy ramble/rant. And the last line strikes home. We artists are geniuses in our minds and complete failures at the same time. self-loathing face
ReplyDeleteOh my, definitely a Woody Allen monologue!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right, as usual, John. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Woody Allen fan, but I enjoyed this. Listening to your voice as you read it always makes it even more entertaining though!
ReplyDeleteLike Ganymeder, I'm not a huge woody allen fan, but this definitely sounded like something he would say ... it wasn't HIS fault, it was my fault - i should have been convinced. ;-)
ReplyDelete