Posted on November 10, 2023, 3:20 PM, by jfriedman, under
art history.
In these movements we find defiant artists who, disgusted with the pretense of a corrupt civilization, went on to disassociate from the art that represented this civilization. For moral and not formal reasons, they sought to turn the page on the art that had come before—in Dada’s case, traditional and even modernist painting; in the case of Art Informel, on geometric abstraction á la Piet Mondrian. These artists voted with their brushes. Regardless of whether we like its results, this response of withdrawal and rejection is perfectly understandable.
In contrast, today’s artists opt for the activist mode to show their disillusionment with humanity. They vote with their keyboards, venting by e-signing, and then, e-withdrawing their signatures, before e-apologizing.
Posted on February 2, 2023, 12:28 PM, by jfriedman, under
Public art.
Art and politics simply do not mix, and attempts to force them together reduce the efficacy of both.
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theembrace Comments Off on Why the Boston MLK memorial misses the mark |
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An article for The New Criterion co-authored with friend and colleague Professor David Hawkes. It was recently republished in the New Discourses. “The most ruthless, radical fringes of all great revolutions have drawn much of their initial support from more peaceful, moderate parties. They have also been unvaryingly efficient at eliminating their erstwhile allies once […]
