Backstage

"Art"

In the recent past, I've caught some peoples thoughts on art on other sites, (Rocket Jones had one, and Jennifer did too that I recall, but there were others as well). Even though I have a sheet of paper hanging on my wall that claims I have a degree in fine art, I wasn't really able to come up with a good post on my thoughts on art. (and let me tell you, I tried in my free time) So as I have had some slow days of late, I started thinking about it casually again... Better late than never right?... Well this morning, I was trumpped when I was catching up on past Dave Barry columns... He has hit the nail squarely on the head in my thoughts on "art"... Not theatre, but what most people think of immeadiatly when they hear art... That essoteric massively subjective realm...

This is hard, because a lot of Serious Art consists of bizarre or startlingly unattractive objects, or ''performances'' wherein artists do something Conceptual, such as squirt Cheez Whiz into an orifice that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for snack toppings.

But no matter what the art is, a Serious Art Person will view it with the somber expression of a radiologist examining X-rays of a tumor.

Whereas an amateur will eventually give himself away by laughing; or saying ''Huh?''; or (this is the most embarrassing) asking an art-gallery person: ''Is this wastebasket a piece of art? Or can I put my gum wrapper in it?''

Read the whole thing yourself!

And so, I fall into the amateur catagory... I have worked countless "art" showings, and preformance art peices... I just don't get it 90% of the time... Once someone explains what the artist was thinking, I can usually force my brain to see it that way, but it is just that, forceing it... I won't sit here and say that the art is bad... I will say it does not speak to a large number of people, and I find that to be sad... When art becomes eliteist, what exactly is the point? I am happiest when something I work on is accessible to everyone... Something that requires no major explanation... Something where you do not need to be an "artist" or "expert" to understand it...