At 10:24 PM 9/24/99, E. Shaun the poet wrote:
>An even deeper question
>(and one which I have never been able to answer for myself) is *why* an
>artist creates in the first place.
It is like this creative intelligence growing in the brain that sends signals through the capillaries to the intricate network of the body -- from the esophagus down through to the "gut" and causing a wonderful ache, a anxiously awaited joy to express!
> Is it to prove one's ability?
> If so,
>why is it necessary to attain popular approval for one's own creations?
It isn't necessary. It is business. I'm not interested in popular approval as much as I am interested in producing work that is valuable and having my business successful. To questions the necessity of getting approval sure sounds like a very insecure person. Not good for creating or expression.
>Why does an artist feel the need to either
>conform to or react against popular culture?
I suppose the same reason anyone would conforms or reacts? It is not a prescribed character trait of us artists -:)
>And again, what *is* the
>purpose of art?
Imagine a world without it? Can we get through a day without interfacing with art?
>So when talking
>about popular art, is there a lowest common denominator of sorts to
>determine what people will like or want to see?
I'm not sure we can group civilization together so tightly by giving a one-liner sound bite to "art for civilization's sake."
*Although* it seems to me that most people like to be moved by a story that portrays a person who undergoes and then overcomes odds. The survivor who wins out over terrible circumstances and who grows because of these circumstances. This type of story seems to appeals to many cultures. *Now* take this story and interpret it into poetry. Now, in to a painting (realistic or abstract), now in a performance piece, a dance, or a play. Also, interpret the story's essence in a piece of sculpture (Brancusi's "Bird in Space') is the most elegant example of the story's essence through a geometric simplicity (Museum of Modern Art, NY). The sentiment can be expressed in many ways.
Art and aesthetics and our senses - seeing, hearing, tasting, touching smelling, loving are such a sensorial experience. Let them speak to us and dance with us! OH! Here comes a gllimmer of light across my studio wall. Delightful play of elements.
Natasha