Aesthetics: Complicated but Simple

It is difficult to define beauty, for truly “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. True beauty can take a great number of forms, and these forms will be aesthetically pleasing to some, while to others they may be outright distasteful. This picture is an archaic aesthetic, a sculpture of beauty and grace which any viewer can look on with some joy. Society today is sculpting a new aesthetic for women with longer legs, larger breasts, blonder hair and bluer eyes than any model of perfection which has come before. Interestingly enough, Salvadore Dali said that, “beauty is simply the total consciousness of our perversions.” (Fletcher 2001: p.308) Under careful consideration, this statement is resoundingly true. Beauty relates to sexual appeal in a direct and sometimes startling way. The study of aesthetics has started to diversify as pop culture makes objects which were once intended only for the artistic elite more ubiquitous and mainstream. Anyone can now be the beautiful model they wish to be, if they only pay the price to get there. These principles have filtered into almost all areas of life, from vehicles to fashion. Consumers will go to great lengths to achieve aesthetic beauty, and sometimes forgo practicality and utility. It seems everywhere, values are changing. This is why when looking at this simple statue, it reminds me of a simpler time; a time before when how the an objects function and its aesthetic were separated by so many layers. As Fletcher mentions both artists and craftsmen were called “technitai” (makers) in Ancient Greece (2001). They did not separate the creation of objects into many different steps for technical and manufacturing ease. This of course must have made for simpler design and products. Everything which is old eventually becomes new again, so perhaps in the future the simple statue pictured above will again be the aesthetic look of the day. This however, will remain very difficult with the rampant consumerism propagated by companies to make a “new, better you”. Perhaps as a society we have no real concept of aesthetics, but simply follow a set of aesthetics spoon-fed by large corporations trying to achieve a negative self-image in the majority of consumers. I pray this is not the case, and so agree with Michelangelo when he said, “Beauty is the purgation of superfluities”. (Fletcher 2002: p.308)

Wit - Andy Warhol and Mario Banana

Aristotle said, “Wit is educated insolence.”

This is an image from Mario Banana, a short movie by Andy Warhol in which a transvestite (Mario Montez) dressed in drag, slowly peels and eats a banana. The sexual innuendo is obvious when watching this movie, as Montez drags out the eating of the banana with licks of his tongue, and a sexually infused gaze pointed steadfastly at the camera. At its time of creation in 1964, homosexuality was frowned down upon, institutionally and culturally. To be called a homosexual was a serious offense, and to be thought of as one was a terrible fate indeed. This is part of the wit that Warhol shows in the creation of this interesting short film. For males, heterosexual in nature, the uncomfortable silence as the movie progresses is truly a laughing out loud experience. As Dorothy Parker says, “Wit has a truth to it, wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words”(Fletcher 2001). Mario Banana II has a truth to it, and a sort of wise commentary which we can see in ourselves by our reaction to this film. A film which is truly just a man eating a banana. Warhol’s work has made an outstanding contribution to visual culture often by making the mundane truths of real life interesting. Warhol often pushed the bounds of sexuality with films like Mario Banana and Blowjob. He also often dealt in heavy innuendo, implying a wit which he himself possessed for creating a bridge between two unlikely objects, and wit on the viewers’ part for understanding of his work. Victor Borge said, “wit is the shortest distance between two people” so perhaps Warhol was using wit and humor to appeal to his viewers. Warhol’s work was often creative, unique and challenged existing notions of contemporary art. In addition to the creation of his work, Warhol has made a lasting effect on the area of Visual Culture by leaving instructions for the creation of a Visual Culture foundation in his will.

Dreaming - Automatic Writing Experience

The following is taken directly from the automatic writing experience which done in class. The topic is dreaming, and the exercise goal was to write down thoughts as they came to mind.

What is a dream? Part of the unconscious uncontrollable, moving on a whim, like this exercise. “To die: to sleep; to sleep, perchance to dream… aye there’s the rub.” (Shakespeare 2003) Perhaps as in Bram Strokers, Dracula, this reality is a nightmare of undeath, a sleep-induced hypnosis from which salvation comes slowly and in salvation comes death. The Buddhists meditate like a dream, allowing their thoughts to catch the wind and travel the globe. One thought seamlessly turns into another as they (the Buddhists) journey along the path to inner peace and enlightenment. Perhaps even the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama dreamt of the Promised Land before he attained nirvana, which puts dreams within the grasps of those few who are willing to strive towards a dream. In the words of the great Louie Armstrong who said, “Dream a little dream of me”, a dream can be love and fantasy, pure heartfelt emotion which extends from the mind out into the world. Our dreams are our own, but whether they are meditation, a goal, fantasy, love or even a nightmare, dreams transcend reality.

During the time which I was writing this response I had a clear image in my mind of a recurring dream I once had as a child. No doubt the recollection of this image was assisted by my recent reading of Bram Strokers, Dracula, however when I link the image to my response, my childhood dream comes back so clearly and vividly that it makes me shudder to think of it. For a moment, much like in the movie The Science of Sleep my dream transcended reality to make me afraid. Immediately afterwards I realized how foolish and how powerful dreams can be. Dreams are an incredibly important visual medium in that we have so little control over them yet they can convey so much to us about real situations we may be in.

My First Auratic Experience

The following, is in no way a description of my first auratic experience. This was however the first time that soon after my experience I sat down to painstakingly record the experience. In doing this, I realized that for me, the exhibition on Roman Coins throughout the Ages had been a unique lived experience. To one with no experience in aura, it may be argued that every experience is a lived one. When put in the context of art, it may be argued by some that viewing on the internet is no different than seeing a true masterpiece face to face. This was however not my experience, and as I recorded the subtleties of my experience, I began to truly appreciate the many small things which I may have overlooked at another time. For example, by viewing the actual coins which had survived hundreds of years, for a brief moment I was able to imagine the people who once held those coins and the power the coins had once commanded. Each scratch could have come from falling to the ground, or playing dice, and as I let my memory roam I was able to enjoy the exhibition as I can only guess the museum curator intended for it to be enjoyed. The coins are the legacy of one of the greatest empires to ever exist on this planet, and they should be appreciated in reality not through a visual medium like the internet.

Fletcher argues that the loss of aura should be celebrated, as it allows art to become more appreciated in different manners. Although I agree with this statement, it is my argument that aura is critical to our development as human beings. Aura can inspire us by putting us so close to the moment of creation that we can hear the soft strokes of a paint brush. Without aura we may eventually lose the creative drive it requires to continually innovate and make humanity greater. Also, as media portrays art in “larger than life” situations, our sense of perspective on the world begins to fade. By viewing art in its original intended medium we avoid this situation of skewed perspective. As Goethe says, “He who cannot draw from 3000 years is living from hand to mouth.” Perhaps we cannot say now that as human beings we can draw from 3000 years however we are far from living from hand to mouth. There is hope for us after all.

Imagination and Self-Portraits

The imagination is an incredible tool. As Fletcher describes it at times in his book the imagination is “a warehouse of facts managed by a poet and a liar”. (Fletcher 2007: p. 163) Through the imagination we can move beyond the truth into startling possibilities. Doing self-portraits in class, it was startling to me how each person had their own unique way of illustrating their partners. If we were to all draw the same person, no two drawings would be the same, and every drawing would be quite different from reality. As Fletcher mentions, anything can trigger our imagination, even the slightest line or word. This picture, drawn by a classmate, is an artistic depiction of how I looked like on the day it was drawn. Like when viewing any portrait my mind moved towards questions about what I saw, in this case myself. Using what I know now as Hellenic Imagination, my mind explored a wide variety of possibilities for the person I saw in the drawing. A superhero, an anime character, and a homeless vagrant all flashed before my eyes. Our Imaginations entertain us, give us hope, and allow us to move forward as a species to frontiers previously inconceivable. Just as Fletcher mentions how Einstein created his theory of relativity, every human being imagines their own future and all that they can possibly achieve. The imagination can lead to hope or depression, intrigue or vexation, meticulous or erratic thought. The imagination leads us down nearly all paths except that of boredom. Every art, idea, or action is imagined or imaginable before it is brought into reality. Without the an imagination providing meaning, direction, and purpose to mental conceptions we might never be able to learn anything from others. Without the imagination this drawing could never become a superhero, anime character, or homeless vagrant. Without the imagination this drawing remains just some lines on a page.

Within this picture in particular I can see parts of my persona which trigger the imaginations of others. The anime style this picture is drawn in denotes a type of fantastical, Japanese-animation inspired style. It is interesting to see the differences in how each individual person “invents something from nothing” (Fletcher 2007: p.160) when interpreting a picture. The Imagination can be both personal and shared in this respect. Personal in the sense that your thoughts are creating inexplicable images and connections exclusively within your mind, while at the same time, shared when relating those thoughts to others in a clear and understandable way.

Color in Turkey

Color in a man made setting is often not as beautiful as in nature. However colors often draw the eye, and tell a story by themselves. The story of this picture is interesting, as it is the story of a young girl traveling across the world, photographing her travels. This picture was taken in Turkey, along a dock. The colors create a curious optical effect as they fade into the distance, deceiving the eye into thinking the chairs continue into eternity. Psychologist Nicholas Humphries talks about color anarchy and how manufactured color can lose its meaning when compared to colors in nature. Here in the chairs there is no meaning; however there is a sense of life, energy, and exuberance to these chairs(Fletcher 2001: p.55). Color may tell a story about this place. Just as Fletcher mentions in his chapter on color there are often associations in each culture which give meaning to color. Red in the American Flag, Blue being the color of death in China and saffron orange worn by Buddhist priests in Thailand all have special meaning in those specific locations (Fletcher 2001). Perhaps these colors also have meaning here in Turkey, symbolizing Turkish values within each dark green, and light blue.

Another interesting dynamic of this picture in particular is that it was taken with the intention of it being art. If the chairs were monochromatic, would the picture still hold the same appeal? Perhaps at that time, this picture would simply be chairs by a dock, an interesting picture, but not as interesting as the curiosity which confronts us in the colored chairs. Turkey has a history of crafting brightly colored rugs and ceramics, so it is possible that these chairs have a tie to the history of Turkey. As Piet Zwart said, “Colour is a creative element, not a trimming”. Perhaps the chairs are there to display the colors’ and not the other way around.